Burn Before Reading

Admiral Stansfield Turner, who directed the CIA under President Jimmy Carter, looks at the uneasy partnership between the White House and the intelligence agency at Langley. The book appears at a time when recent intelligence failures remain fresh in the public mind and seem to be continuing, which makes the subject especially pressing.

Turner studies twelve pairings of presidents and their CIA chiefs, from Franklin D. Roosevelt and "Wild Bill" Donovan to George W. Bush and George Tenet. Through these relationships he traces the strains, compromises and back-and-forth that shaped each one.

Along the way, Turner offers a detailed view of how intelligence is gathered and how it reaches decision makers. He shows how personal and political concerns can interfere with the conduct of government, and with the nation's safety.