American Spy
My Secret History in the CIA, Watergate and Beyond
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- $23.99
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- $23.99
Publisher Description
Think you know everything there is to know about the OSS, the Cold War, the CIA, and Watergate? Think again. In American Spy, one of the key figures in postwar international and political espionage tells all. Former OSS and CIA operative and White House staffer E. Howard Hunt takes you into the covert designs of Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon:
• His involvement in the CIA coup in Guatemala in 1954, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and more
• His work with CIA officials such as Allen Dulles and Richard Helms
• His friendship with William F. Buckley Jr., whom Hunt brought into the CIA
• The amazing steps the CIA took to manipulate the media in America and abroad
• The motives behind the break-in at Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office
• Why the White House "plumbers" were formed and what they accomplished
• The truth behind Operation Gemstone, a series of planned black ops activities against Nixon's political enemies
• A minute-by-minute account of the Watergate break-in
• Previously unreleased details of the post-Watergate cover-up
Complete with documentation from audiotape transcripts, handwritten notes, and official documents, American Spy is must reading for anyone who is fascinated by real-life spy tales, high-stakes politics, and, of course, Watergate.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Career spy, Watergate conspirator and prolific suspense novelist Hunt (Guilty Knowledge) collaborated with journalist Aunapu (Without a Trace) on this breezy, unrepentant memoir. Hunt (who died recently at 88) recalls the highlights of a long career, from WWII service with the fabled Office of Strategic Services (OSS) predecessor of the CIA to a career with the agency itself and a stint as a consultant to the Nixon White House. As a White House operative, Hunt specialized in dirty tricks and break-ins including the Democratic National Committee's headquarters and served 33 months in federal prison for his role in the Watergate scandal. He claims to have been a magnet for women, especially models, and shamelessly drops the names of the rich and powerful. He also played a key role in the disastrous Bay of Pigs operation. As for his role in Watergate, he blames his "bulldog loyalty" and concedes only that he and his fellow conspirators did "the wrong things for the right reasons." In a postscript, Hunt urges reforming the beleaguered CIA in the image of the wartime OSS and its "daring amateurs." Hunt's nostalgic memoir breaks scant new ground in an already crowded field.
