This is the best and most complete description of the life cycle of a mole I have ever read. It also gives supplementary information on other moles and incompetents in the CIA as it goes along. There is one problem in the book. It assumes that the CIA has a monopoly on people with common human nature imperfections. I have seen similar problems in the military, academia, and industry. The reader is probably familiar with the recent Catholic child molesting scandal which is another example. As a result of this, the author advocates corrective action which involves the either-or logical fallacy and "throwing out the infant with th bath water" type actions.

Well written, and stunning in its detail of the incompetence, unbelievable bungling, and the persistent failure to follow up on what was obvious about Ames to all but the blind--this,within the bowels of the CIA at the highest levels. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Not even Ames's rampant drinking, lavish lifestyle, and poor performance could for years unmask or launch a thorough investigation, something in any other organization would certainly take place. And then, to have the same person assigned to the CIA's Counter Intelligence Center with access to highly classified material and at the same time was "considered a dumping ground for CIA underachievers" has to be the apex of irony on a scale incapable of measurement.

"The directorate of [CIA] operations regarded the Counter Intelligence Center as a place that poor performers could be sent because they could not do much harm," said panel chairman Jeffrey H. Smith, a former Senate Intelligence Committee staff member. "It was like a bank concluding that because one of its officers had performed poorly, he should be put in charge of the vault." (pp. 248-49) Indeed.

For the many who did their jobs, this must have been a crushing revelation, none more so than for Jeannie Brookner, a successful case officer who was forced to bring a sexual discrimination lawsuit against the Agency, in which the court papers revealed "a male-chauvinist nightmare of drunkeness, drug-taking, and wife-beating, in which the mentally unsound [Ames might well qualify, in certain respects] serve alongside the corrupt to produce a parody of the intelligence community that is far more bizarre than anything a novelist might imagine. It is difficult to believe that in this apparently lunatic world the CIA could ever spy successfully against anybody." (p. 250)

A companion book would to have to be "The Year of the Rat: How Bill Clinton Compromised American Security for Chinese Money."

While Rick Ames smugly and gloatingly languishes in jail, he must wonder at times why he hasn't Bill as a cellmate because, as both books reveal, "Ah shucks, we did it for the money."

The late henri Nouwen, of blessed memory, was one of the mostinfluential spiritual writers of the last century .His writings are rarely academic,and often are quite personal. Therse selections are taken from many of Fr Nouwens writings, put together with the appropriate scipture reading of the day, and concluded with a prayer from Fr nouwen. Two pages long each day, this book has been a faithful companion the last 3 lenten seasons for me. Nouwens own foibles make all the more poignant the struggles he expresses during Lent. Powerful reading from a good great man.

I've used this book for the last three Lenten seasons, and it just gets better each year. Each day's text is very short, usually less than 2 pages, so I don't ever feel that I just don't have time to read it. Even though the meditations are short, every day's reading is filled with challenges for me to become closer to God, and to find, as Nouwen puts it, the 'descending way'.

This year I purchased three more copies of this book to share with friends for their Lenten meditations.

Excellent reproductions, fascinating paintings, excellent scholarship by Mr. Bown. I also highly recommend all his other books on Russian / Soviet art.

This book is a throughly history of the art of painting in Russia and the USSR from the point of view of the Realist school of painting that began to exist in the 2nd. half of the XIXth. century and, after the October 1917 Revolution, vied for supremacy with the Futurist school about the right to represent the socialist political project in form and content. The book examines the supramacy of Socialist Realism in the field of visual arts since Stalin's rise to absolute power until the demise of the USSR.

The book is encyclopaedic in both narrative and visual terms, since it combines an exahaustive historical account with an astounding array of 1st rate reproductions, taken from all corners of the former Soviet Union.The main shortcoming of the book would be only that, since it dwells not only in the history of Socialist Realist painting as such, but also of its ideological politic foundations (superbly examined) the books requires a prospective reader that has not only a general interest in the relationship between Art and Politics, but also an specific interest in both Soviet and Marxist studies. It's, nonethless, this interdisciplinary aspect that makes for much of the work's charm.

Soldiers of Misfortune, covering World War II, the Korean war, and Vietnam, is a profoundly shocking insight as to what has become of thousands of U.S. POW's during these wars. According to the authors, years of investigative work went into the formulation of the book and it is clearly evident in the text.

Painstaking attention has been given and recorded to remove anyone's doubts of this books authenticity. The authors list a staggering record of POW's forever lost to our enemies, the names of prison camps and gulags where they were held, intricate dates and timelines of events, and eyewitness accounts of vital information pertaining to U.S. soldiers forgotten by our govenment.

In the years following World War II, the Korean war, and Vietnam, the actions by our govenment to conceal data concerning our POW's and it's campaigns to silence anyone investigating the issue is absolutely apalling. This book will define for the reader the gross misuses of power, illegal tactics to manipulate and humiliate citizens seeking honest answers, and the use of outright threats and intimidation to bury the subject forever.

Great credit is due to the authors of this book for their courage and perseverance to expose the plight of our lost U.S. servicemen. This book is very highly recommended to everyone who would like an untainted and factual look into the heartbreaking saga of missing U.S. soldiers.

Readers may also be interested in "Kiss the Boys Goodbye: How the United States betrayed its own POW's in Vietnam" by Monica Jensen-Stevenson and William Stevenson. Excellent source material here that reiterates much information found in Soldiers of Misfortune.

Absolutely, this is the most riveting and explosive book I have ever read. I served 2 tours of combat duty in the Korean WAR; futhermore, had I been privy to this read, you could never have gotten me back to Korea- never -. The Big Lie, spawned out of the Beltway since 1945 to the present, is inconcievable, that the DoD, State Dept, Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff [all], deny the existense of American GI"s languishing in Siberia, Red China, North Korea and North Vietnam . Imagine, former POW"s readily admit, they had seen American POW"s herded off to the Soviet Union and to Red China. Whose hearts go out to our MIA/POW families whom have been grossly and deliberately LIED to by government officials ?? Whereas, our Presidents [all] since 1945, turned their backs on all captured American POW"s. I pray, from this hurt, that one American staggers out of the Soviet Union to corroborate all, in this vale of tears- maybe, just maybe - the apathetic American populace will wake up to being had by a devious lot in our nation"s capital, as they go about THEIR business as usual. If this read doesn"t make your blood boil, then you aren"t alive; however, the assertions, send an ambigious message to any teenager who may be thinking about enlisting: "I wonder, will my President and countrymen come to my rescue if I am captured by the enemy"?? It is your call youngsters. Sayonara.

If you want a thorough understanding of Soviet air defense missiles this is the book to have. Zaloda discusses development, deployment, operating principles . . . this is an awesome book.

During a PBS documentary on the Orient Express, the train passes a trailer with two antenna-covered horizontal booms. A quick check of this reference shows it to be a P-12 acquisition radar (pp.330-331). The book is valuable for identifying equipment. A magazine editor would find it helpful when captioning a picture, for example. Plenty of pictures and diagrams show typical user state configurations, radar characteristics, vulnerabilities, and history of each described system. For example, the V-75 Dvina (usually called SA-2 in news) is covered from design to 1989 modifications. History of users including Arab states is shown. Drawings show launchers, radars, and typical deployment. Some may find British spellings (e.g, defence) distracting. Some scanned photos appear to be from east bloc pubs. & quality is poor. Most are sharp. Zaloga's top-notch orthographic drawings depict missiles, erector/launchers and related equip. A glossary and list of references is provided. Don't take this to a country where this stuff is used unless you want to be famous among Amnesty International members.

This book contains numerous quotes from famous personalities and sutras. The commentaries / explanation is in plain English. The layout is such that similar ideas (or at least in some areas) are group and presented together before an explanation is presented.

To me, reading this book is like having a glimpse of key ideas in many other well-known Buddhism texts. Many thanks to those who have made this book available.

this book is solid. great translator of a great text with a great teacher giving a great commentary. this level of instruction is usually reserved for a more direct teaching situation, and without that you may find much of it uselessly vague, abstract or confusing. maybe not. but for those who do have some experience in this realm, it should give you a wealth of helpful information. especially those interested in the gaps and bridges between mahamudra and dzogchen. for a more abbreviated version of this same teaching, by the same author (karma chagmed) see chokyi nyima rinpoche's "union of mahamudra and dzogchen," incidentally done by my favorite translator!

Great book. It deals with the Soviet plans for the future of occupied eastern side of Germany (later GDR) until the rise to power of post-Stalin leadership, and the controversal relationship between the SED and the Soviet leading groups . Accurate work on documentary sources, every judgement is balanced and considered. The author goes beyond simplistic
analisys based on a "two-blocs-confrontation" criterion for the whole Cold War era.
A must read for everyone interested in understanding what was happening on the other side of the Curtain. A very good example of how to use the new archival sources from USSR and Eastern Europe.
Useful for everyone who has a basical historical knowledge.

Great book.It deals with the Soviet plans for the future of the occupied German territories (later GDR) until the rise to power of the post-Stalin leadership, and the controversial relationship between the SED leading group and the Soviet leadership. Meticulous work on documentary sources, accuracy in every judgement. The author goes beyond simplistic analisys of a "two-blocs-confrontation" as the abslute cryteria to understand the whole Cold War era. A must read for everyone interested in understanding what was happening "on the other side of the Curtain". A very good example of how to use the new archival sources from USSR and Eastern Europe.
Interesting for everyone who has a basical historical knowledge.
Read also: Reviewing the Cold War: Approaches, Interpretations, Theory. by Norway)/ Westad, Odd Arne Nobel Symposium 1998 Lysebu (Editor)

I found this book to offer a different view
of von Manstein and von paulus than people
are used to. Written by someone who was
in the pocket of stalingrad, it offers
a first person view of the battle. For fans
of von manstein, the book offers a critical
and i thought a fresh view of the man, who is
held in high regard by most historians but not
so high by this officer in the sixth army.I found
book to be fast read. You'll enjoy it

Written from the perspective of an Intelligence Staff Officer, this book offers an outstanding blend of the perspective from the top as well as a more junior officer. Specific sections on von Manstein, von Seydlitz, and Paulus are also quite insightful. No matter what other fine books you have on Stalingrad, i.e. Beevor, definitely add this one to your collection.

The general American public knows so little about the Russian space program that all of this information will be new. The author gained the trust of Gagarin's wife and friends and in some cases gained access to information and stories that have never been officially revealed. This book left me thirsting for more.

Very Good, pictures to top it off. Direct quotes from Zoya, Valya, and Boris gagarin.