This list offers suggested readings and resources on intelligence, policy, and international security. This compilation of intelligence resources is not meant to be a complete list and will be updated periodically. Suggestions, questions, or comments are appreciated and should be sent to hayden@gmu.edu.
General Literature | Intelligence History | Intelligence and Policy | Oversight and Accountability | Biographies and Memoirs | External Resources
General Literature
- Bamford, James. Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency. (Anchor Books, Reprint Edition, 2002)
- Bamford, James. The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America’s Most Secret Intelligence Organization. (Penguin Books, 1983).
- Dulles, Allen. The Craft of Intelligence. (Lyons Press, Reprint Edition, 2016)
- Hayden, Michael. The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies. (Penguin Press, 2018)
- Hitz, Frederick. The Great Game: The Myth and Reality of Espionage. (Vintage, Reprint Edition, 2005)
- Johnson, Loch K., and James J. Wirtz. Intelligence: The Secret World of Spies: An Anthology. (Oxford University Press, 4th Edition, 2014)
- Lowenthal, Mark. The Future of Intelligence. (Polity Press, 2018)
- Lowenthal, Mark, and Robert Clark. The Five Disciplines of Intelligence Collection. (CQ Press, 2015)
- Sims, Jennifer E., and Burton Gerber (eds.). Transforming U.S. Intelligence. (Georgetown University Press, 2005)
- Treverton, Gregory. Intelligence for an Age of Terror. (Cambridge University Press, Reprint Edition, 2011)
Intelligence History
- Alsop, Stewart and Thomas Braden. Sub Rosa: The OSS and American Espionage. (Reynal and Hitchcock, 1946)
- Coll, Steve. Directorate S: The CIA and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Penguin Press, 2018)
- Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. (Penguin Books, 2004)
- Epstein, Edward Jay. How America Lost Its Secrets: Edward Snowden, the Man and the Theft. (Knopf, 2017)
- Johnson, Loch K. America’s Secret Power: The CIA in a Democratic Society. (Oxford University Press, New Edition, 1991)
- Morell, Michael. The Great War of Our Time: The CIA’s Fight Against Terrorism–From Al Qa’ida to ISIS. (Twelve, 2015)
- Rodriguez, Jr., Jose A. Hard Measures: How Aggressive CIA Actions After 9/11 Saved American Lives. (Threshold Editions, 2012)
- Schroen, Gary. First In: An Insider’s Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan.(Presido Press, Reprint Edition, 2006)
- Warner, Michael. The Rise and Fall of Intelligence: An International Security History. (Georgetown University Press, 2014)
- Warner, Michael. The Office of Strategic Services: America’s First Intelligence Agency. (Center for the Study of Intelligence, 2000)
- Zegart, Amy. Spying Blind: The CIA, the FBI, and the Origins of 9/11. (Princeton University Press, 2009)
Intelligence and Policy
- Andrew, Christopher. For the President’s Eyes Only-Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush. (Harper Perennial, 1996)
- Kent, Sherman. Strategic Intelligence for American World Policy. (Princeton University Press, 2015)
- Lowenthal, Mark. Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy. (CQ Press, Seventh Edition, 2016)
- Pfiffner, James, and Mark Phythian (eds.). Intelligence and National Security Policymaking on Iraq: British and American perspectives. (Texas A&M University Press, 2008)
- Pillar, Paul. Intelligence and US Foreign Policy: Iraq, 9/11, and Misguided Reform. (Columbia University Press, Reprint Edition, 2014)
- Preiss, David. The President’s Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America’s Presidents. (Public Affairs, Reprint Edition, 2017)
- Zegart, Amy. Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC. (Stanford University Press, 2000)
Oversight and Accountability
- Kean, Thomas (Chair). The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, Authorized Edition. (W. W. Norton & Company, Authorized Edition, 2004)
- Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Report on the Surveillance Program Operated Pursuant to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. (2014)
- Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Report on the Telephone Records Program Conducted under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and on the Operations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. (2014)
- Silberman, Laurence H. and Charles S. Robb (Co-chairmen). The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction: Report to the President of the United States. (2005)
- Snider, Britt. The Agency and the Hill: CIA’s Relations with Congress, 1946-2004. (Center for the Study of Intelligence, 2008)
- Zegart, Amy. Eyes on Spies: Congress and the United States Intelligence Community. (Hoover Institution Press, 2011)
Biographies and Memoirs
- Clapper, James. Facts and Fears: Hard Truths from a Life in Intelligence. (Viking, 2018)
- Colby, William. Honorable Men: My Life in the CIA. (Simon & Schuster, 1978)
- Crumpton, Henry. The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in CIA’s Clandestine Service. (Penguin Books, Reprint Edition, 2013)
- Devine, Jack, and Vernon Loeb. Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story. (Picador, Reprint Edition, 2015)
- Gates, Robert. From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider’s Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War. (Simon and Schuster, 1996)
- Hayden, Michael. Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror. (Penguin Press, 2016)
- Helms, Richard. A Look Over My Shoulder: A Life in the Central Intelligence Agency. (Random House, 2003)
- Kahn, David. The Reader of Gentleman’s Mail: Herbert O. Yardley and the Birth of American Codebreaking. (Yale University Press, 2004)
- Mangold, Tom. Cold Warrior: James Jesus Angleton: The CIA’s Master Spy Hunter. (Touchstone Books, 1992)
- Mendez, Antonio. The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA. (William Morrow, 1999)
- Powers, Thomas. The Man Who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms and the CIA. (Knopf, 1979)
- Prados, John. Lost Crusader: The Secret Wars of CIA Director William Colby. (Oxford University Press, 2003)
- Tenet, George. At the Center of the Storm. (Harper Collins, 2007)
Podcasts
- “Intelligence Matters” with Michael Morell – CBS News
- The Lawfare Podcast – Lawfare
External Resources
U.S. Intelligence Community: Individual Agency Websites, Programs and Resources:
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
- National Counterproliferation & Biosecurity Center (NCBC)
- National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC)
- National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
- National Intelligence Council (NIC)
- Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)
- 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community
- IC On The Record
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
- Department of Energy Office of Intelligence & Counterintelligence
- Department of Homeland Security, Office of Intelligence & Analysis
- Department of State Bureau of Intelligence & Research
- Department of Treasury Office of Intelligence & Analysis
- Drug Enforcement Administration Intelligence Program
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- US. Coast Guard Intelligence
- Department of Defense Elements:
- Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
- National Intelligence UniversityNational Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA)
- National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- DoD Services:
Security-Related Congressional Committees:
- U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI)
- U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI)
- U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee
- U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee
- U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security
Executive Branch IC Oversight Bodies:
- National Security Council (NSC)
- President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (PIAB)
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
- The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Intelligence-Related Research Programs and News Resources:
National Security Institute (NSI) at George Mason University: NSI is dedicated to finding real-world answers to national security law and policy questions. NSI is a platform for research, teaching, scholarship, and policy development that incorporates a realistic assessment of the threats facing the United States and its allies as well as an appreciation of the legal and practical challenges facing U.S. intelligence, defense, law enforcement, homeland security, and cybersecurity communities.
Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) at George Mason University: TraCCC is the first center in the United States devoted to understanding the links among terrorism, transnational crime and corruption, and to teach, research, train and help formulate policy on these critical issues.
Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University (CSPS): CSPS provides a vibrant intellectual space for Mason students and faculty to work alongside government, military, think tank and private sector experts to address today’s pressing security issues.
The Cipher Brief: The Cipher Brief is a digital, security-based conversation platform that connects the private sector with the world`s leading security experts. It delivers a relevant analysis of news and events that helps readers accurately anticipate and safely navigate the complex, unstable, global security environment.
The International Spy Museum: The mission of the Spy Museum is to educate the public about espionage and intelligence in an engaging way and to provide a context that fosters understanding of their important role in and impact on current and historic events. The Museum is committed to the apolitical presentation of the history of espionage in order to provide visitors with impartial, accurate information. The Museum’s Resources Page contains a list of recommended reading and other helpful resources.
Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) International Security Program: The CSIS International Security Program (ISP) is a constant source of reliable analysis on the threats and opportunities shaping U.S. security interests at home and abroad. CSIS also publishes research focused on topics related to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Privacy.
RAND Corporation National Security Research Division:The RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD) conducts research and analysis for all national security sponsors other than the U.S. Air Force and the Army. NSRD also conducts research for the U.S. intelligence community and the ministries of defense of U.S. allies and partners. NSRD’s national security research is conducted within five centers, including the Cyber and Intelligence Policy Center and the International Security and Defense Policy Center.
The Brookings Institution: The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization with the mission to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level. Brookings’ research agenda includes topics related to the intelligence community and national security.
Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security: The Scowcroft Center works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world.
Key Intelligence Community Legislation:
For a full list of IC legislation, visit the ODNI’s IC Legal Reference Book
- The Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA)
- EO 12968: Access to Classified Information (1995)
- EO 12333: United States Intelligence Activities (1981)
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978
- Freedom of Information Act (1967)
- National Security Act of 1947