The Armies of Ignorance

Book excerpt: "The closing months of 1977 saw the beginning of the most important debate on the functions and future of American intelligence since the original National Security Act of 1947 signaled the rise of what has become an intelligence empire. The Senate Intelligence hearings, the Watergate revelations, and the daily barrage of leaks and exposés about "mind control" and mail-opening programs were merely a prelude to the struggle to reorganize and control the bweildering proliferation of agencies, activities, and responsibilities that make up the vital intelligence shield of this country. The Armies of Ignorance is one of the most authoratative and important contributions to understanding what has gone on in the sprawling intelligence community and what must be done to ensure this country's real "national security." Part of the task is historical -- this book examines the entire history of American espionage from the Revolution to the present. The more important and more difficult task is that of relating how the intelligence establishment has really functioned since the early days of the Second World War and how its unwritten law compares with Congressional mandates, executive orders, and the U.S. Constitution..."--Book jacket.