Hersh, Burton. Bobby and J. Edgar: The Historic Face-Off Between the Kennedys and J. Edgar Hoover That Transformed America. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2007. Hersh, Burton. Bobby and J. Edgar: The Historic Face-Off Between the Kennedys and J. Edgar Hoover That Transformed America. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2007.
Goulden, Washington Times, 23 Sep. 2007, finds that this book "does a serious disservice to history (and the truth)." The author has produced "a nose-holder of a book"; it is "laden with outlandish assertions.... Repeating nut stuff serves only to keep nonsense in circulation."
For Harter, Intelligencer 15.3 (Summer-Fall 2007), this is "a well-written hodgepdge, blending fact, rumor and innuendo." It "provides nothing new" about Hoover. Hersh "includes some mighty tell tales ... which stretch belief, and challenge common sense." Although it is "at times an interesting account," the author too often "allowed speculation to become fact; rumor and innuendo to masquerade as reality."
Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri. The FBI: A History. New Haven,CT, and London: Yale University Press, 2007.
Clark comment: Jeffreys-Jones's interpretation of FBI history is not uninteresting; however, it often seems that he is trying too hard to shoehorn his two main themes (racism and civil liberties) into his narrative. Although he finds rather strange ("historical sleight of hand") the author's locating the FBI's beginning in 1871 rather than 1908, Peake, Studies 52.1 (Mar. 2008) and Intelligencer 16.1 (Spring 2008), judges this work to be "a balanced review of the FBI's organization and functions from ... 1908 to the present."
Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri. "The FBI's Continuing Challenge: Centralized Intelligence vs. Civil Liberties." Chronicle of Higher Education 51, no. 20 (21 Jan. 2005).
The joint Congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks "recommended the creation of a cabinet-level director of national intelligence. At a stroke, the time-honored functional split between the FBI and CIA would be eradicated. Implicitly, civil liberties would be subordinated to the more urgent need to fight terrorism.... The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, of December 2004, created the post of director of national intelligence, or DNI, but the law reflected political compromises and is vague in vital areas.... Intelligence turf wars and controversy are likely to continue."
Kessler,
Ronald. The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI. New York: St. Martin's, 2002. With Epilogue. New York: St. Martin's, 2003. [pb]
According to Stein, Washington Post Book World, 5 May 2002, Kessler finds that then-FBI director Louis J. Freeh "almost destroyed the bureau through colossal mismanagement, borne of sheer donkey-like stubbornness and arrogance." The author portrays an FBI that seems to have failed to master today's world of computer-assisted intelligence gathering. Kessler concludes that with the "appointment of Robert Mueller as the FBI's eleventh director, the bureau appears to be in good hands."
Clark comment: As a journalistic versus a scholarly account, this work has its faults. Finding people who say that Hoover used his secret files to "blackmail" even presidents does not mean that it happened that way. Too many quotes from even named sources essentially saying the same thing do not help to advance understanding. Given that it is stronger on 1972-2002 (30 years, 345 pages) than on 1908-1972 (64 years, 189 pages), it is difficult to accept this work as truly a "history" of the FBI. That said, however, the author has produced a work that cuts closer to the bone in describing the Bureau than the usual dichotomous "hate-Hoover" and "defend-Hoover" presentations. Although Kessler spends more words on the FBI's failings than on its successes, he clearly has developed a substantial respect for the organization and the people who populate it. His concluding argument for more leeway and more resources for the FBI is not truly supported by his narrative, but it seems to be heartfelt. Overall, I found this book very useful and, despite its length, easy to read.
Lance, Peter.
1. 1000 Years for Revenge: International Terrorism and the FBI -- The Untold Story. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
According to Peake, Studies 48.3 (2004), the author "finds widespread fault and is pessimistic about improvements, even from the congressional commissions."
2. Triple Cross: How Bin Laden's Master Spy Penetrated the CIA, the Green Berets, and the FBI -- and Why Patrick Fitzgerald Failed to Stop Him. New York: Regan, 2006.
Peake, Studies 51.2 (2007), notes that this work continues the author's story of Ali Mohammed (begun in 1000 Years for Revenge). He also provides other, new "dots"; the problem is that "it is by no means clear how they connect."
Lehman, John. "Five Years Later: Are We Any Safer?" U.S. Naval Institute Proccedings 132, no. 9 (Sep. 2006): 18-22.
The former Secretary of the Navy and 9/11 commission member does not really answer the question raised in the title. Other than that, however, this article is a powerful indictment of how Congress and the White House mishandled the intelligence reform effort. His most pointed criticisms are directed at the FBI ("Our attempt to reform the FBI has failed.") and the failure to create a strong DNI.
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