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The US Intelligence Community | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeffrey T Richelson
Publisher: Westview Press
Category: Book
List Price: $49.95
Buy New: $34.23
You Save: $15.72 (31%)
New (21) Used (11) from $34.23
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 42524
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5th
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 608
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.8 x 1.6
ISBN: 0813343623
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.1273
EAN: 9780813343624
ASIN: 0813343623
Publication Date: August 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The role of intelligence in US government operations has changed dramatically and is now more critical than ever to domestic security and foreign policy. This authoritative and highly researched book provides a detailed overview of America’s vast intelligence empire-its organizations, its operations (from spies on the ground to satellites thousands of miles in space), and its management structure. Relying on a multitude of sources, including hundreds of official documents, author Jeffrey T. Richelson provides an up-to-date picture of the US intelligence community that will allow students to understand the full scope of organizations and activities and will give valuable support to policymakers and military operations. Hailed by the Washington Post Book World as “the authoritative survey of the American cloak-and-dagger establishment,” this important text is now fully revised and updated. The fifth edition includes new material on homeland security intelligence, POW and detainee interrogation, and national intelligence organizations.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Said it before... Richelson ROCKS!! November 17, 2008
I have copies of editions 2, 3, 4 and now the 5th edition of this book - and it has gotten better each time. Dr. Richelson's study of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) is amazing, and a testament to how useful open source information is. While some of the information is inaccurate (and I *can't* say what... ;-), it is to the benefit of the reader that this book offers so many sources. If its wrong, its not because he guessed wrong - it has been mentioned elsewhere. While not being 100% accurate, I would render a guess that 90% to 95% hits near the mark.
That aside, the organizational charts are amazing and very useful. This book has been used in the American Military University's intelligence studies program as a foundation textbook for many classes (coupled with other good books too!). While some spooks stick in their niche areas, others have copies of this book on their shelf to see what the rest of the IC does...
The only downside for this book - the cost. I would have never imagined paying near $50 on a paperback book. It was worth the cost though...
 Out of date, sometimes just wrong September 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have just received the 2008 (5th) edition of this book and performed a quick scan of projects I am familiar with. All of the information presented in the present tense is out of date and some of it is just flat wrong (was never true). Just because there are citations doesn't make it accurate.
Thanks to Google Earth, it is a trivial matter to verify some of the installations mentioned within this book. Richelson should try it some time.
It was very good, but is not current (review of the fourth edition) November 9, 2005
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
This one was a great reference up to 10 September 2001. Then everything changed and much of what is in this book is out of date. To be fair though, there is stll considerable value here, but that value puts it into the 'buy a used one' category (but hey, that slightly dog-eared, somewhat out of date, reference work on the shelf behind your desk gives you that 'old hand' 'been there, done that' credibility, so this isn't all bad.)
What's good about this one:
-The description of the intelligence cycle.
-The discussions of challenges facing the U.S. intelligence community post Cold War (but pre-9/11; belay that, many of the issues addressed are still challenges that have not been resolved, just set to one side in the pursuit of the global war on terror).
-The description and discussion of the processes and policies surrounding the intelligence cycle.
-It is a good reference work for tracing the establishment of several of the agencies.
What's not so good about this:
-The world changed two years after this book's publication in 1999. And all the shortcomings of this book stem from this. The description of the strategic organization of the U.S. military is not accurate. The Dept. of Homeland Security is not mentioned. The National Intelligence Director is not mentioned. Bin Laden and Al Qaeda aren't mentioned. The patriot act isn't here. The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is here under its old name, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. And so forth...
-There have been some bigger changes that are mostly technology driven. At the time this book was written, the idea that one could get 1 meter resolution satellite imagery for free (though a little dated) was pretty shocking for most folks, but if you go to Google maps right now...
Over all, 'The U.S. Intelligence Community' is out of date for descriptions of the current establishment and much of the technology, but is pretty darn good for processes and some of the big concepts. Caveat lector: be mindful that technology changes constantly, and what's in this book was declassified, hence even further out of date than the copyright date would indicate.
Post Script: Thank you, W. Blair for pointing out that there is a newer edition. This review only applies to the fourth, not fifth and current edition. Darn you, W. Blair, for forcing my hand to get the new edition 8-)
E. M. Van Court
 Excellent reference of the US Intelligence community. November 22, 1998
43 out of 47 found this review helpful
Richelson does an excellent job of providing a link and detail to all of the U.S. intelligence successes and failures over the last 35 years. This is a superb reference book for the young and old intelligence officer in a Joint or Interagency environment that needs to know how the intelligence system in the United States works. Richelson does not write in theory. All of this book is practical, useful and hard-hitting. It will give you excellent depth and insight into those often heard but little known intelligence successes and debacles. From the USS Pueblo to the origin and current status of satellite intelligence, this book covers it all.
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