Legacy of Ashes

The History of the CIA

By: Tim Weiner

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award Winner, Nonfiction, 2007

This is the book the CIA does not want you to read. For the last 60 years, the CIA has maintained a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, never disclosing its blunders to the American public. It spun its own truth to the nation while reality lay buried in classified archives. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Tim Weiner offers a stunning indictment of the CIA, a deeply flawed organization that has never deserved America's confidence.

Legacy of Ashes is based on more than 50,000 documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA. Everything is on the record. There are no anonymous sources, no blind quotations. With shocking revelations that will make headlines, Tim Weiner gets at the truth and tells us how the CIA's failures have profoundly jeopardized our national security.

©2007 Tim Weiner (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Absorbing...a credible and damning indictment of American intelligence policy." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A timely, immensely readable, and highly critical history of the CIA, culminating with the most recent catastrophic failures in Iraq." (Mark Bowden, author of Blackhawk Down)

What category is this, current events, popular history--or HORROR!

From the overthrow of the elected head of Iran to the disasterous WMD question in Iraq, all the skeletons are dusted off here. One disaster after another in Viet Nam, Russia, China, and of course the middle east. Unbelievable incompetence attempting to overthrow Castro. How are we still here? Read this and you will feel much less safe. A catelog of horrors.

Well made history

An interesting telling of the CIA from it's early beginnings. Well written, but the amateur won't get much from it. This book is best enjoyed by someone with a good grasp of cold War and GWOT history.

Comprehensive historical critique

From inception to 2009. Strong on organizational and leadership evolution associated with contemporary events. Thin on the experiences in the field by employees or positive counterpoint views.

Epic History of the CIA

Many interesting facts about the CIA. One of the most interesting... after 9/11 the president talked to the head of the CIA about a national ID card. And about injecting an ID chip into all ameracan citizens. Very well narrated. But since this book recounts boocoo CIA failures it is depressing at times.

Sanitized version of CIA

good review of CIA history from a Company point of view. read devils chessboard also for balance

FUBAR - F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition

Tim Weiner describes in painful and substantiated detail how CIA is totally FUBAR, and they have the collective intelligence of an ant. The corporate culture at CIA is unethical, dishonest, immoral, and incompetent. CIA does not represent American values and has systematically undermined the credibility of our country and our way of life. They have no respect for the rule-of-law as they flagrantly break the law in their everyday course of doing business including lying to the President, Congress, the DoS, and the DoD. They allow their CIA station chiefs to set Foreign Policy rather than the US Ambassador who represents our country. Their failures of intelligence far surpass their successes. The only solution I see is the radical change in its corporate culture which is easier said than done as many CIA Directors over its history have tried a failed to do this. Consequently, I think the change has to happen at the very top: through Congress and the President. We can no longer allow CIA to run roughshod over our Constitution. There has got to be a way to conduct espionage in an ethical way and create a positive corporate culture at CIA.

Tim Weiner is great.

I listened to his FBI book a few years ago a couple of times. It was very thorough and accurate. This CIA book is as well. Loved it. I think the truth is the CIA has a tougher job than the FBI and we only see the CIA failures. At least that’s what I hope. I’d love to see what Weiner has to say about RussiaGate and the National Security Agencies.

Impressive and disappointing.

This book has profoundly impacted my veiw of the CIA.

It is depressing and almost comically dark at times. I went into this book, not knowing much about the topic. I mostly heard rumors and conspiracy thoeries from not reliable media outlets or friends. The book paints a highly negetive view of the CIA, that is certainly not entirely undeserved. That being said, it is quite clear to me that the author pushed this dark narrative. I noticed at several times when the author was intentionally vague about topics, settings or facts that might have downplayed the narrative. I dont fault it too much for this though, it is an impressive work that covers the CIA back from the days of the OSS to the year 2008. Ultimately I'm glad I downloaded it and I'm starting to think that maybe Castro had something to do with JFK and RFK assassinations, but that's just me.

Insightful and Provocative

I came into this book thinking it would be the same dry experience you'd expect from the sixty year account of a government agency. I was quite mistaken. The author takes a bold position right from the start: Everything you know about the CIA is based on a propaganda campaign from the 1960s. The real CIA has been mired by bitter incompetence and humiliating failure. I must admit that I was skeptical at first. By now we've all seen Zero Dark Thirty, and we have developed a cultural image of the clandestine service loaded with respect, admiration, trust, and just a hint of fear.

This book was a rude awakening to the real world. What was perhaps most shocking was the discussion of how the CIA's efforts in so many parts of the world (Iraq, Iran, South America, Korea, Vietnam, etc.) led directly to the problems we face today. What was most disturbing was the realization that the CIA crushed budding democracies for no reason other than the fear that they might elect a socialist or communist leader, instead installing military juntas so repressive and terrifying that it is hard to wonder why they were so often overthrown by their own people. It is clear that the communist paranoia, which we now know to have been exaggerated if not entirely unfounded, that led to the creation of the CIA and sustained it for much of its life did far more harm than good. Indeed, today we are reaping the rewards of the CIA's misdeeds all around the world.

This book, and the discussions found within are vital to a complete understanding of the Cold War and American foreign policy after the Second World War. For those who, like me, sat in the traditional euro-centric pro-American high school history class, you will undoubtedly be blown away by this book. I was prepared for a critical analysis of America's clandestine service, but I was not prepared for the astonishing indictment I would receive.

I would strongly recommend this book for this who are interested in the 1945-1989 period of American history, as well as anyone looking for a fresh perspective on American history untainted by the pro-American biases of our education system.

great story

what an interesting history of the cia...such a difference from the hollywood version we are served every day