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Would prefer non-fiction, have been reading Vince Flynn and like reading about CIA but want the real scoop. Thanks in advance.

The Company by Robert Littell.

It's not non-fiction, but it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to call it historical fiction. It's an epic spanning pretty much the entire history of the CIA.

I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you.

Can I recommend "From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War" by Dr. Robert Gates (current SecDef).

Its about his time in the CIA during the Cold War, looks like an interesting read (papers being due have severely limited my free time reading these days )

He's a very interesting guy as well. Only Head of the CIA to start out as an entry level CIA agent and work his way to the top.

Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
I read it and enjoyed it. It does not pull any punches. If you are looking at a glowing, positive book about the CIA, this is not it. It does not bash the CIA either.

http://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Ashes-Hist ... 980&sr=8-1

See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War Against Terrorism by Robert Baer

Robert Baer is former CIA. I just read an article written by him on torture. Good article.

The Annoyed Man wrote:See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War Against Terrorism by Robert Baer

Just finishing "See No Evil", pretty good, real CIA man story. I still like Vince Flynn, Mitch Rapp, although fiction.

In a related vein, there is a book about the NSA (National Security Agency?) entitled
"The Puzzle Palace." The author has written a followup book too.

The existence of the NSA was denied for many years. Supposedly NSA stood for
"No Such Agency." Its budget is rumored to be larger than the CIA's. They are experts
at collecting "sigint" (signal intelligence gathered thru communications).
As contrasted with "humint" (human intelligence gathered from persons directly)

The NSA has the ability to intercept any form of communication on earth.

Since telephone calls can be digitized, the retrieval of data is now simplified by high
technology.

When a language specialist sits down in an office to listen to the calls of a target country's
movers and shakers, he has a group of photograph on his desk of these players. This enables
him to better visualize the men on the tape he is analyzing. Fascinating.

SIA

Bob Gates was an analyst for the Agency, he was never an agent (C/O). He was the first Agency careerist who was not a case officer to become the DCI. Before accepting the job as Secretary of Defense he was the President of Texas A&M.

Bob Baer has written several books on Agency operations. He was a case officer and has an extensive background on Middle East operations. He was a casualty of the Clinton administration.

You can get a lot of information on the Agency by going on-line to cia.gov and checking out their website.

Reading "Class 11, Inside the CIA's First Post - 9/11 Spy Class" written by TJ Waters, pretty interesting read. Did you know that after 9/11 the CIA had over 150,000 applications in the following weeks.

I thought that book list was TS???

Posting it would lead to a knock on yer door...

I'm reading "For the Presidents Eyes Only" by Christopher Andrews right now.