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A broad and deep survey of American intelligence from before the Revolution to the present

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Every nation has an intelligence apparatus—some means by which its top officials acquire needed information on sensitive issues. But each nation does it differently, influenced by its history, its geographical conditions, and its political traditions. In this book, Mark M. Lowenthal examines the development of U.S. intelligence to explain how and why the United States went from having no intelligence service to speak of to being the world’s predominant intelligence power almost overnight, and he discusses the difficult choices involved in maintaining that dominance in a liberal democracy.

Lowenthal describes how the lack of a tradition of spycraft both hindered and helped American efforts to develop intelligence services during and after the Second World War. He points to the political pragmatism—leading to difficult choices—with which most intelligence directors operated; the constant tension between security and civil liberties in a constitutional democracy; the tension between the need for secrecy and the accountability required for democratic governance; and the way the growing importance of technology changed both the methods and the objectives of intelligence gathering. Far more than simply an episodic history, this book offers an analysis of why American intelligence developed as it did—and what it has meant for the nation’s and the world’s politics.

“This readably artful masterwork embodies Lowenthal’s unique qualification—the ideal combination of professional historian and experienced practitioner—for interpreting the complex story of intelligence and foreign policy.”—Richard K. Betts, author of Enemies of Intelligence

“This book is the authoritative account of why U.S. intelligence has the shape that it has, with a revealing account of its successes and an honest account of its failures.”—Sir David Omand, author of How Spies Think

“Mark Lowenthal’s magisterial history of U.S. intelligence drives home what James Bond movies distort: intelligence is a service function, and all the spying and eavesdropping are means to the end of helping political leaders frame wiser policies. And as a sometime insider, he knows that whether intelligence matters depends very much on the proclivities of senior officials, especially the president, from George Washington, who ‘outspied’ the British in winning the Revolutionary War, to Donald Trump, who mostly ignored intelligence.”—Gregory F. Treverton, University of Southern California and former chair of the National Intelligence Council

About the Author

Mark M. Lowenthal has held several senior U.S. government positions, including deputy assistant secretary of state for intelligence, assistant director at the CIA, and staff director of the House Intelligence Committee. He lives in Reston, VA.