From the shadows : the ultimate insider's story of five presidents and how they won the Cold War

Written by a former director of the CIA, this is the story of America's and the agency's role in the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. As the only person to rise from entry-level analyst to Director of the CIA and to serve on the White House staffs of four Presidents, Robert Gates is uniquely qualified to tell the unprecedented inside story of the Cold War. Drawing on his access to classified information and top-level involvement in policy decisions, Gates lays bare the hidden wars and operations the United States waged against communism worldwide. Ever certain that the fifty-year struggle with the Soviet Union was indeed a war, Gates makes candid appraisals of Presidents, key officials, and policies of the period. Among his disclosures are: how Carter laid the foundations for Reagan's covert wars against the Soviets; CIA predictions of a conservative coup against Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Union; CIA and KGB "black operations" against each other; the secret relationship between Pope John Paul II and the Soviets; and three secret CIA-KGB summits. From the Shadows is a classic memoir on the career of a CIA officer at the center of power during a time when the threat of global annihilation informed America's every move. The Only Person To Rise From Entry-level Analyst To Director Of The Central Intelligence Agency And To Serve On The White House Staffs Of Four Presidents, Robert M. Gates Knows Firsthand The Deepest Secrets Of The Cold War. Drawing On His Personal Experiences In The Cia And On The National Security Council Staff In The White House, As Well As On Intimate Knowledge Of Cia Documents And Activities Never Before Revealed, Gates Tells How The Cold War Was Really Fought. From Nixon's Detente Policy To Reagan's Arming Of The Mujahedin In Their War Against The Soviets In Afghanistan, He Tells The True Story Of American Policy Toward The Soviet Union, Placing Special Emphasis On The White House And The Cia. Gates Shows That, Contrary To Conventional Wisdom, There Was Extraordinary Continuity Of Policy From One President To The Next, Most Strikingly From Carter To Reagan: The Former Laid The Foundations For Many Of The Latter's Policies, Including Cia Covert Action In The Third World, Efforts To Undermine The Legitimacy Of The Soviet Regime At Home, Continued Strategic Modernization, And The Conduct Of Economic Warfare Against The Ussr - Policies All Dramatically Expanded And Pursued With Enthusiasm By Reagan. Brimming With Eyewitness Accounts Of Historic Meetings, Epic Internal Battles Over Policy, Secret Missions, Covert Operations, And Other Intelligence Activities, From The Shadows Challenges Much Of The Conventional Wisdom About The Events And Personalities Of The Period. Among Gates's Revelations: Carter's Covert Program To Encourage The Dissident Movement And Provoke Ethnic Unrest In The Ussr, And How The State Department And The Cia Secretly Collaborated To Block The Effort; Cia Predictions Of A Conservative Coup Against Gorbachev And The Collapse Of The Soviet Union, Two Years Before These Events Occurred; Cia And Kgb Black Operations Against Each Other; The Secret Relationship Between Pope John Paul Ii And The Kremlin; The Three Secret Cia-kgb Summits. Pt. 1. 1969-1974: Detente -- The Years Of Smoke And Mirrors. 1. Washington And Moscow: 1969. 2. So This Was Detente? -- Pt. 2. 1975-1980: The Mask Of Soviet Ascendancy. 3. American Paralysis. 4. The Third World War. 5. Planting Lethal Seeds. 6. Muts, Spies, And Dissidents. 7. Defense And Arms Control: Advantage Ussr. 8. 1979: Cold War, Hot War -- East War, West War. 9. Carter Turns To Cia. 10. The Mask Of Soviet Ascendancy, The Reality Of Vulnerability -- Pt. 3. 1981-1986: The Resurgence Of The West. 11. The Reawakening. 12. Reagan's Sword: Casey At Cia. 13. Turning The Tables. 14. 1983: The Most Dangerous Year. 15. The War In Washington, 1983: Shultz Against The Field. 16. Central America, 1983-1984: Our Own Worst Enemy. 17. Passages: Last Gasp Of The Soviet Old Guard. 18. 1985: Reagan And Gorbachev -- The Best Of Enemies. 19. The Third World Competition, 1985-1986: Washington Pours It On. 20. Intelligence Wars. Robert M. Gates. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 577-580) And Index. Written by a former Director of the CIA, this is the story of America's and the agency's role in the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union. Gates describes the atmosphere, culture and politics of the CIA and the National Security Council, and draws appraisals of the presidents. From the former director of the CIA, whose government service spanned six presidencies, this is the unprecedented inside story of America's and the agency's role in the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, reveals fascinating insights into how the US Central Intelligence Agency has evolved by recurring trials and errors.