From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War (CIA Secrets for History Buffs) Paperback – Illustrated, January 9, 2007

As a historian and former Intelligence Analyst for the military, I wish this book was written during those days. Gates writting is an easy read, but full of personal perspectives and information that shares a differn't glimse into the world of politics and the longest battle in our countries history. I especially enjoyed his comments and the new light he shed on the Presidency of Jimmy Carter. The media and general feelings of the time in the late 70's painted this president as worthless and wimpy, but it was the right wing propaganda of the time. Do not get me wrong, I was a believer of it. But if anything is to come out of this book, it showed me that you cannot believe the media, hype, and propaganda of the political parties. Great book and if I ever go back to teaching history, will use this book to discuss the Cold War's later years.

I lived through this era ( born in 1947). While I recognize most of the situations. And many of the personalities involved, I now recognize how little I understood about these situations. It is also a very interesting study of the need for diverse opinions for the president to make hard decisions. Yes-men are not an asset, but the strong characters ,were for the most part still team players. It was a very good read for me.

From the Shadows is a book by a member of one of the Washington establishment, Robert Gates. From the Shadows covers Gates' time at the CIA from 1969 to 1991. The book cover suggests that the book reveals the CIA under five presidents, but it mostly talks about Gate's interactions with the bureaucracy of the CIA and the various administrations, and reactions to various foreign actions. I say reactions here because they do a lot of forecasting and analysis, yet seem to be in a state of perpetual shock about events that aren't foreseen. Some highlights:On page 47 Gates contends that detente under Nixon and Kissinger was successful, although liberals and conservatives agree (for different reasons) that detente was a failure. I would say this is faulty analysis. Viewed through the prism of history, detente was a failure, Reagan's policy of military and political strength to win the Cold War was much more successful.On page 110 Gates contends that Carter wasn't as weak on defense as his critics contend, then details all the decisions that led to the critics making that conclusion, mostly Carter's decisions on weapons systems like the B-1. I would say that Carter's main foreign opponents during his administration, the Iranians and the Soviets also believed that Carter was weak on defense and acted accordingly by taking the embassy in Tehran and invading Afghanistan. Here is a fundamental flaw that Gates and the rest of the Washington establishment seem to not get about leadership. It isn't about weapons systems and money, it's about backing up your words with steel when necessary. This may be a reflection of Gates service as an analyst, he was never a trigger puller, so he doesn't understand leadership, only management. He was an intelligence officer in the Air Force, but I don't really think that briefing ICBM crews in North Dakota or wherever makes you qualified as a trigger puller or head spook.On page 190 Gates blamed his faulty analysis concerning Andropov in 1982 and the future (or lack thereof) of the Soviet Union on Andropov's short reign. But Andropov himself persuaded Brezhnev in 1981 to not invade Poland during the Solidarity movement, signaling an end to the Brezhnev doctrine which set up the conditions for the fall of the Soviet Union. Chief among those conditions being the Soviets lost their enthusiasm to intervene militarily in other states affairs after Afghanistan.On page 208 Gates complains that the operators in in the early eighties weren't ethnically diverse enough. But he fails to mention that CIA recruited from the military officer ranks in high numbers, he himself was recruited this way. And the combat arms MOS's especially the special operations folks weren't too diverse either, even nowadays. And the special operations ranks are prime targets for CIA recruitment. This reveals another naive assumption that he doesn't explain well and once again shows a lack of realistic reasoning prevalent in the Washington establishment and the among the CIA academics.On page 293 Gates complains about the friction between CIA 'career professionals' and Casey. Apparently Casey and other 'right wingers' were skeptical about what the CIA analysts were putting out. Since the CIA seems to miss out on forecasting most of the main events of the latter half of the twentieth century most of the American population seems to share this skepticism. And of course there is the Iran Contra scandal which Gates spends a huge amount of time lamenting in the book. It's interesting that he talks so much about it in hindsight, nowadays the former Obama administration gives up $400 million to Iran for hostages and no one bats an eye.On page 323 Gates sneeringly says "Finally, at least in Reagan's mind, the impression of American political and military weakness had been erased..." Gates takes down the Reagan administration at every opportunity in this novel and reveals the disdain the Washington establishment and he had for Reagan.On 379 Gate complains that the operators complained that someone from the analytical side is taking over as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence. How did he expect them to act? How would any operator act if someone told them that a non-operator was taking control?Don't get me wrong, the book is a good education on why the CIA gets so much wrong. Use it for that.

Gates has written a racing sketch of the final years of America's epic struggle with the Soviet Union. It is a formidably complex tale that well deserves and will get voluminous treatment by historians and political scientists. Here Gates presents a skeletal and easily read outline of the drama as it unfolded loaded with personal anecdotes. His insights to five presidents and the development of a consistent American policy as it sought to block, contain and contest Soviet expansion make for fascinating reading. It is a story of the extraordinary challenges faced by the CIA as it measured the economic exhaustion and ultimate collapse of the Evil Empire. Some will doubtless see Gates as a loyal apologist for the Agency. Loyal he undoubtedly was, but the verdict of time I think will find this to be an accurate and dispassionate account of the final years of the Cold War and the role CIA played.

Absolutely fascinating! Mr. Gates is an excellent writer and is able to make complicated information easy to follow. And what an insight he gave to the Presidents he worked for; he didn't have an axe to grind with any of them, even though they represented both political parties.This is a book I enjoyed so completely that I hated to reach the end of it. It will be on my personal "re-read" list. No wonder Mr. Gates was selected to become Secretary of Defense in our nation's hour of need.

Bob Gates is a magnificent public servant and historian. One may not again see such an insider's commanding grasp of this vast subject as he unfolds in this book based on his long service in positions of rising responsibility in the CIA and the National Security Council and his close relationships with Presidents Carter, Ford and G.H.W. Bush until the advent of the Clinton Administration ended his public service. In 2006 President G.W. Bush recalled him to succeed Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense in 2006 and about which he recently wrote another excellent book.In particular, his portrayal of the role of Gorbachev's political reforms without corresponding reforms of the centralized command economy as accelerating the implosion of the Soviet Union has the sure touch of persuasion. Further, his account of the mastery of the first President Bush's non-provocative policy response to the Soviet collapse commands respect and approval.This book deserves wide reading and study.George Coburn

After reading the book, I came to admire the author even more. Deep insight into intelligence, diplomacy and defense. A must read if you are interested in geopolitical matters.

Informative read for all those who guarded Germany throughout the Cold War. Puts some of the major exercises into context

Gates has written an informative, comprehensive book that is enjoyable to read. I particularly liked the way he assessed characters, not just events. He has some great stories about Casey and Bush Sr. It was a little long and dry, but nevertheless entertaining. Gates himself comes across as quite the character. Buy it.

Great book

Not reader friendly if you where not there when it happened. Far to many persons and events that appear that are known only to the hard core foreign policy professionals. If the material that looks like his own diary notes had been lifted out it would have been a better book. Focusing on the bigger picture, and only the interesting details had made the book a page turner.