Cargando…

Reflections of a cold warrior : from Yalta to the Bay of Pigs /

Richard M. Bissell, Jr., the most important CIA spymaster in history, single-handedly led America's intelligence service from the age of Mata Hari into the space age. Under his guidance the U-2 spy plane, the SR-71 "Blackbird," and the Corona spy satellite were developed, and the agen...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Clasificación:Libro Electrónico
Autor principal: Bissell, Richard M. (Richard Mervin), 1909-1994
Otros Autores: Lewis, Jonathan E., 1962-, Pudlo, Frances T., 1948-
Formato: Electrónico eBook
Idioma:Inglés
Publicado: New Haven : Yale University Press, ©1996.
Temas:
Acceso en línea:Texto completo
Descripción
Sumario:Richard M. Bissell, Jr., the most important CIA spymaster in history, single-handedly led America's intelligence service from the age of Mata Hari into the space age. Under his guidance the U-2 spy plane, the SR-71 "Blackbird," and the Corona spy satellite were developed, and the agency rose to the pinnacle of its power. Bissell was also, however, the architect of the infamous Bay of Pigs operation that failed to overthrow Castro in 1961 and led to the decline of the CIA. In this compelling memoir, Bissell gives us an insider's view of the personalities, policies, and historical forces surrounding these and other covert operations, and the lessons learned during those times of conflict
Bissell begins by describing his early years as a member of America's unofficial aristocracy. Born in a house that his father bought from Samuel Clemens, he was educated at Groton and Yale and befriended by Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, among others. Bissell recounts how he became acting head of the Economic Cooperation Administration, the agency in charge of the Marshall Plan after World War II, and helped to create the European Payments Union. Bissell was brought into the CIA in 1954, where he initiated a revolution in intelligence-gathering techniques. He reveals the details of these developments, as well as of the unique CIA-Lockheed partnership he pioneered, his participation in the CIA-sponsored coup to overthrow Arbenz in Guatemala, and his involvement in crises in Laos and the Congo. Bissell's memoir sheds light not only on pivotal of American foreign policy but also on America's evolution from isolationist to interventionist superpower.
Descripción Física:1 online resource (viii, 268 pages)
Bibliografía:Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-261) and index.
ISBN:0585379122
9780585379128
9780300146103
0300146108
0300064306
9780300064308