The Hidden Hand

The Hidden Hand is a succinct accessible and up-to-date survey of the Central Intelligence Agency s history from its inception in 1947 to the present. * Covers both aspects of the CIA s mission the collection and analysis of intelligence and the execution of foreign policy through covert, paramilitary operations * De-mythologizes the CIA s role in America s global affairs while addressing its place within American political and popular culture * Written by an esteemed scholar and high-ranking officer in the intelligence community, drawing on the latest research * Assesses the agency s successes and failures, with an eye to the complex and controversial nature of the subject