Spooks: The Haunting of America: The Private Use of Secret Agents

'A ground-breaking investigative survey of parapolitical America, "Spooks" was one of the first books to report on the privatization of the intelligence function: the application of intelligence practices to commercial activities, and the emergence of CIAs-for-hire in the private sector. Within this general framework, Hougan unearths great chunks of America's "secret history." The war between Jimmy Hoffa and the Kennedy family is seen to have had a public and a private side, with the latter fought by countermeasures genius Bernard Spindel against "an archipelago" of public and private intelligence agencies working for Bobby and Jack. Calling Howard Hughes "an American Dracula," Hougan offers a blow-by- blow account of the bedside battle fought by Intertel and former CIA agent Robert Maheu for control over the drug-addicted billionaire's body and empire. Other sections of the book describe Robert Vesco's assault on Investors Overseas Services; Richard Nixon's "French connection" to industrialist Paul Louis Weiller; the efforts of paramilitary wizard Mitch WerBell and CIA superspook Lucien Conein to introduce a "final solution" to the War on Drugs; and the World War II background of Japanese and German agents who played key roles in the Lockheed bribery scandal. Packed with anecdotes, footnotes, and proper names, "Spooks" is a classic.'

This book is excellent. Like the previous two, I have to say that I found the book quite by accident then never found another copy. The material is excellently researched, thouroughly referenced and is just amazing in the level of detail. Although the book is somewhat dated, if you want to know about the situations that are still affecting us including oil prices, defense spending and nuclear proliferation, this book is the one for you.

I, like the previous reviewer, found this book quite by accident, but it had only recently been published as a paperback. I loaned it out, it never came back, and I searched relentlessly for a hard-bound. I keep it in my safe. It is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I learned a great deal about the machinations behind which Vescoe, Hughes, Maheau, Nixon and many other heavy-hitters of the 50's and 60's carried out their agendas and their whims. Again. Your mission is to find it. Read it. Lock it up. If you loan it out, 'they' will get it.

It has been some time since I read this book which I found completely by chance in a used book store. Having an interest in the subject, I purchased it and subsequently found it to be full of information about the intelligence community and what the agents do when they leave the FBI, CIA, NSA (you fill in the blank) etc. In one paragraph on Prince Barnhard of the Netherlands, the author provides more background and insight into the powerful structures that govern the world than could be found in years of reading Time magazine. If you see this book, buy read it and do not lend it to anyone.