Errand Into the Wilderness of Mirrors : Religion and the History of the CIA

Michael Graziano’s intriguing book fuses two landmark titles in American history: Perry Miller’s __Errand into the Wilderness__ (1956), about the religious worldview of the early Massachusetts colonists, and David Martin’s __Wilderness of Mirrors__ (1980), about the dangers and delusions inherent to the Central Intelligence Agency. Fittingly, __Errand into the Wilderness of Mirrors__ investigates the dangers and delusions that ensued from the religious worldview of the early molders of the Central Intelligence Agency. Graziano argues that the religious approach to intelligence by key OSS and CIA figures like “Wild” Bill Donovan and Edward Lansdale was an essential, and overlooked, factor in establishing the agency’s concerns, methods, and understandings of the world. In a practical sense, this was because the Roman Catholic Church already had global networks of people and safe places that American agents could use to their advantage. But more tellingly, Graziano shows, American intelligence officers were overly inclined to view powerful religions and religious figures through the frameworks of Catholicism. As Graziano makes clear, these misconceptions often led to tragedy and disaster on an international scale. By braiding the development of the modern intelligence agency with the story of postwar American religion, __Errand into the Wilderness of Mirrors__ delivers a provocative new look at a secret driver of one of the major engines of American power. Reveals the previous underexplored influence of religious thought in building the foundations of the CIA. Michael Graziano's intriguing book fuses two landmark titles in American history: Perry Miller's Errand into the Wilderness (1956), about the religious worldview of the early Massachusetts colonists, and David Martin's Wilderness of Mirrors (1980), about the dangers and delusions inherent to the Central Intelligence Agency. Fittingly, Errand into the Wilderness of Mirrors investigates the dangers and delusions that ensued from the religious worldview of the early molders of the Central Intelligence Agency. Graziano argues that the religious approach to intelligence by key OSS and CIA figures like "Wild" Bill Donovan and Edward Lansdale was an essential, and overlooked, factor in establishing the agency's concerns, methods, and understandings of the world. In a practical sense, this was because the Roman Catholic Church already had global networks of people and safe places that American agents could use to their advantage. But more tellingly, Graziano shows, American intelligence officers were overly inclined to view powerful religions and religious figures through the frameworks of Catholicism. As Graziano makes clear, these misconceptions often led to tragedy and disaster on an international scale. By braiding the development of the modern intelligence agency with the story of postwar American religion, Errand into the Wilderness of Mirrors delivers a provocative new look at a secret driver of one of the major engines of American power. Michael Graziano's intriguing book fuses two landmark titles in American history: Perry Miller's Errand into the Wilderness (1956), about the religious worldview of the early Massachusetts colonists, and David Martin's Wilderness of Mirrors (1980), about the dangers and delusions inherent to the Central Intelligence Agency. Fittingly, Errand into the Wilderness of Mirrors investigates the dangers and delusions that ensued from the religious worldview of the early molders of the Central Intelligence Agency. Graziano argues that the religious approach to intelligence by key OSS and CIA figures like "Wild" Bill Donovan and Edward Lansdale was an essential, and overlooked, factor in establishing the agency's concerns, methods, and understandings of the world. In a practical sense, this was because the Roman Catholic Church already had global networks of people and safe places that American agents could use to their advantage. But more tellingly, Graziano shows, American intelligence officers were overly inclined to view powerful religions and religious figures through the frameworks of Catholicism. As Graziano makes clear, these misconceptions often led to tragedy and disaster on an international scale. By braiding the development of the modern intelligence agency with the story of postwar American religion, Errand into the Wilderness of Mirrors delivers a provocative new look at a secret driver of one of the major engines of American power. Provided by publisher "Michael Graziano investigates the religious conceptions of those who shaped and worked for the CIA, arguing that the Catholicism of key CIA figures--such as "Wild" Bill Donovan and Edward Lansdale--was decisive in establishing the agency's concerns, methods, and understandings of the world. In part this was because the Roman Catholic Church already had global networks of people and safe places that American agents could use to their advantage. But conversely, American agents were overly inclined to view other powerful religions and religious figures in the same framework as Catholicism--misconceptions that led, too often, to tragedy and disaster"-- Provided by publisher Contents 8 Introduction: Charting the Wilderness 10 1. American Spies and American Catholics 22 2. Refining the Religious Approach 38 3. The Great Jihad of Freedom 54 4. On Caring What It Is 76 5. Baptizing Vietnam 104 6. Counterinsurgency and the Study of World Religions 136 7. Iran and Revolutionary Thinking 162 Conclusion: A New Wilderness 186 Acknowledgments 194 Notes 198 Index 258