First published 2016
General Michael Hayden commanded America's most secretive intelligence agencies during the most turbulent decade in national security history. As head of the National Security Agency and later the CIA, Hayden operated by a simple philosophy: play to the edge or fail to protect America. This memoir chronicles his leadership through the aftermath of 9/11, when NSA transformed from a Cold War relic into a surveillance powerhouse. Hayden explains why his agencies began collecting domestic phone records, launched the controversial terrorist surveillance program, and ramped up targeted killing operations that he admits turned the security establishment into history's most effective killing machine. He inherited the CIA's rendition and interrogation programs during the final Bush years, navigating crises that nearly destroyed the agency. From the technological revolution that reshaped intelligence gathering to the events that set the stage for Edward Snowden's revelations, Hayden offers an unvarnished account of decisions made under enormous pressure. He provides no apologies or excuses, simply the perspective of someone who faced these responsibilities directly.
Genres: history, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, military-history, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, United States
Period: 9/11, Cold War
464 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press