America's Secret Power by Loch K. Johnson

As such, they deserve both our support and our scrutiny. Secret agencies have the capacity not only to safeguard democracy but also to subvert it, says Johnson. intelligence agencies fared during the Cold War against the USSR. He compares America’s approach to intelligence with that of other nations, discusses the degree to which intelligence agencies should provide information about foreign businesses, and evaluates how well the U.S. Loch Johnson, who has studied the workings of the CIA at first hand as a legislative overseer, presents a comprehensive examination of the Agency and its relations with other American institutions. Johnson explores the question of intelligence accountability, looking closely at how well intelligence agencies have been monitored through the forum of Congressional hearings. He then provides an overview of America’s secret operations abroad, assesses the moral implications of clandestine operations, and offers guidelines for a more ethical approach to the use of secret power. He begins by defining the functions of intelligence: espionage, counterintelligence, and covert action. Save up to 80 versus print by going digital with VitalSource. Johnson and published by Oxford University Press. Johnson draws on historical data, more than five hundred interviews, and his own experience working for Congressional committees on intelligence. Americas Secret Power: The CIA in a Democratic Society is written by Loch K. How has the end of the Cold War affected America’s intelligence agencies? When are aggressive clandestine operations justifiable, and who should be responsible for deciding to proceed with them? Should the United States engage in more aggressive economic espionage? These are just a few of the issues Loch Johnson examines in this thoughtful assessment of strategic intelligence and its vital role in modern governments.

America's Secret Power by Loch K. Johnson