Review by Choice Review
Recent political events have stimulated renewed interest in the CIA and the gathering of national security intelligence. Smith, a journalist, provides an encyclopedic overview of the CIA's history, operations, and administrative structure, intended for beginning students and general users. The 550 entries include biographies, descriptions of important CIA operations, and agency jargon. Although the work concentrates on the CIA, it also has entries for related or rival agencies (e.g., the FBI) as well as foreign intelligence services. Biographies include major intelligence figures, agency nemeses such as Fidel Castro and Usama bin Laden, and celebrities with intelligence associations. Current events merit the longest entries: bin Laden receives nearly two pages, and the entry for the terrorist attacks of September 11th covers four pages. See also references and a name/subject index help track related events. The entries have no bibliographies, but there is a list of references. Appendixes include an organization chart, a glossary of intelligence terms, and lists of CIA directors and deputy directors. Smith plays down negative aspects of the CIA's operations, such as its possible involvement in political assassinations. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Undergraduate and public libraries. W. F. Bell Lamar University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
A freelance writer with military experience has brought together more than 500 historical, biographical, and general entries about the intelligence-gathering, covert-action agency established in 1947. Drawing from nearly 300 resources (books, articles, Web sites), the author describes events, lives, operations, and terms. Cross-references, black-and-white photos, acronyms and abbreviations, an organization chart, frequently asked questions sent to the CIA Web site, a list of directors and deputy directors, a current bibliography, and an accurate index add to the reference value. Current through March 2003, the encyclopedia also covers predecessor organizations such as the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Entry length varies from a few lines for Chief of outpost and Safe house to more than two pages, with the longer entries generally treating individuals such Aldrich Ames and Fidel Castro. Information is duplicated in some entries, such as in Walker, John Anthony, Jr and Walker family spy ring, and in individual entries on the Watergate figures. The work covers terrorism extensively, not only in the entry September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, which is one of the longest in the volume, but also in entries for Osama bin Laden and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. Although much of the information is available in other resources, the book brings together a large array of pertinent detail and will be useful in high-school, public, and academic libraries. -- RBB Copyright 2003 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-This comprehensive, A-to-Z resource describes in some detail the largest, most important arm of secret defense for the U.S. The almost 550 entries include terms; people; operations; responsibilities; controversies; film, television, and fiction portrayals; and the agency's history from its beginnings to its current role in America's war on terrorism. Entries range in length from a few sentences to two or three pages. The few black-and-white photographs tend to be dark or grainy. Appendixes include a glossary of acronyms, abbreviations, and code names; an organization chart; questions and answers about the CIA; and lists of directors and deputy directors. An extensive bibliography and comprehensive index complete this user-friendly, informative title.-Dana McDougald, Cedar Shoals High School, Athens, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
Review by School Library Journal Review
