comment by kleinbl00

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kleinbl00 · 2236 days ago · link · · parent · post: Operation Northwoods

Charlie Wilson's War is a great read and it contains a lot of jaw-dropping narrative. It's lean on context, however, and presents itself more as a "holy shit these guys did some gonzo stuff!" book than a "in a world full of gonzo stuff, a small team in Washington added to the dogpile" book.

It sits nicely with Legacy of Ashes (rofl at the title considering what a phoenix has risen) and Fred Burton's Ghost. Of all the books I've read, Ghost best outlines just how mad, blind and defeated the American intelligence adventure was in the Middle East after 1979. You don't understand just how mad the CIA is at Iran until you've read it.

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/11480v/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-fred-burton

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PTR · 2236 days ago · link ·

I remember seeing that list ages ago, forgot about it. I read Legacy of Ashes, See No Evil, and A People's History of the United States 'cause of it. Thanks for the refresh.

+discuss+discuss

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kleinbl00 · 2236 days ago · link ·

I left Burton's book off it because it isn't so much policy as it is memoir but as a memoir, it gives a perspective on everything else that you don't get otherwise, especially as Burton is a lot less angry than Behr.