Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987

...Okay, so it's Operation "Ivy Bells"...I just wanted to relay an abbreviated connotation into the title, in a nutshell. Specifically covering past espionage operations, this book relates excellent past internal working and policy decision making between various intelligence agencies, political players and other intelligence sources, not just the CIA. It covers specific, proven events...in great detail. You can get an in-depth idea of how "shadow systems" work around, and with, existing civilian and government markets, as well as DC politics that are often involved in big business and major political entities world-wide. I find it a very informative book, especially with its "hindsight" into deeper inner workings of not just what policy IS, but HOW policy is CARRIED OUT in the real world, and the not so visible world. An eye opener...well written, as to simultaneously inform and entertain.

Woodward does a good job of giving you a fly's eye view of the old CIA

This book is primarily about the war of words inside the government concerning how things should be done. Because of this, it was different than I had expected.

While this book may be a little old now, having been written prior to the first George Bush's Presidency, there are still insights into government operations as well as tidbits that are relevant today. Veil follows the tenure of the Director of the CIA Bob Casey. It begins with Reagan's election and ends with Casey's death. The book is written mostly from firsthand interviews (Casey wanted some of what he was saying to be put directly in the book).During the course of the book readers will see names like Ariel Sharon appear (no Osama is never mentioned). For those interested in wondering how some of today's issues came into being you will see a glimpse herein.There are, however, many operations that are discussed and at one point it is easy to lose track of which one is being discussed. Furthermore, for those readers who did not live through the time period or who were too young to care then, some of the names and events will seem very unfamiliar.This is indeed a book full of Woodward's writing style with many events two decades old. That does not mean, however, that it doesn't offer pertinent insight .

I am a big fair of Woodward, so much so that I would even consider reading his shopping list. With that said I will give him a little slack on the Casey deathbed revelations. I think if the author would have know the level of scorn he has received concerning the "Casey confession" he may have used a tape recorder. Overall this book gives the reader some very interesting stories about the Regan years and his use of the CIA. The reader of any book covering a review of a set of government policies that had a very firm stamp of approval or even the direction of the President will always fall on side or another on if the book is a truthful and "shocking" exposé or a "political bias hatchet job". I think that is one of the fun things about this book, no matter what side of the argument you are on; you will experience some emotion while reading this book. If you are also very interested in this subject it is interesting to go back into time and read his review and then compare it to some of the new facts on the subject. Overall, this is another Woodward book, well written and constructed, very detailed and full of a lot of conversations that make you feel that you are involved, not just page after page of monotone lecturing. I wish he spent a little more time on footnotes so that the reader could be a better judge to the research he puts into the book and the sources used. If you like Woodward, you will love this book. If you have leanings to the left then you will have a lot of "you see" stories to tell, and if you are a strong Reaganite then you will be happy with the strong effort described in the book to defeat the USSR.