Overview

'No one has opened up the CIA to us like Weiner has, and The Mission deserves to win him a second Pulitzer' JOHN SIMPSON, GUARDIAN The epic successor to Tim Weiner’s National Book Award-winning classic, Legacy of Ashes: a gripping and revelatory history of the CIA in the 21st century, reaching from 9/11 through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to today’s battles with Russia and China – and with the President of the United States. At the turn of the century, the Central Intelligence Agency was in crisis. The end of the Cold War had robbed the agency of its mission. More than thirty overseas stations and bases had been shuttered, and scores that remained had been severely cut back. Many countries where surveillance was once deemed crucial went uncovered. Essential intelligence wasn’t being collected. At the dawn of the information age, the CIA’s officers and analysts worked with outmoded technology, struggling to distinguish the clear signals of significant facts from the cacophony of background noise. Then came September 11th, 2001. After the attacks, the CIA transformed itself into a lethal paramilitary force, running secret prisons and brutal interrogations, mounting deadly drone attacks, and all but abandoning its core missions of espionage and counterespionage. The consequences were grave: the deaths of scores of its recruited foreign agents, the theft of its personnel files by Chinese spies, the penetration of its computer networks by Russian intelligence and American hackers, and the tragedies of Afghanistan and Iraq. A new generation of spies now must fight the hardest targets – Moscow, Beijing, Tehran – while confronting a president who has attacked the CIA as a subversive force. From Pulitzer Prize winner Tim Weiner, The Mission tells the gripping, high-stakes story of the CIA through the first quarter of the twenty-first century, revealing how the agency fought to rebuild the espionage powers it lost during the war on terror – and finally succeeded in penetrating the Kremlin. The struggle has life-and-death consequences for America and its allies. The CIA must reclaim its original mission: know thy enemies. The fate of the free world hangs in the balance. A masterpiece of reporting, The Mission includes exclusive on-the-record interviews with six former CIA directors, thirteen station chiefs, and scores of top spies who served undercover for decades and have never spoken to a journalist before.

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9780008606602

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Reviews

EARLY PRAISE FOR THE MISSION 'No one has opened up the CIA to us like Weiner has, and The Mission deserves to win him a second Pulitzer' John Simpson, Guardian ‘A riveting, must-read, deeply reported continuation of Weiner’s prize winner, Legacy of Ashes’ Esquire, The Best Books of Summer 2025 ‘In 2007, Weiner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, rankled U.S. spy organizations with Legacy of Ashes, a chronicle of the C.I.A.’s 20th-century failings that won a National Book Award. He’s back with the story of the agency’s evolution since Sept. 11 — a period when American covert services took an increasingly militaristic role in the Middle East and, Weiner contends, pushed the business of war deeper into the dark’ New York Times 'This masterful new history should be required reading… . Astonishing… . A singular triumph' Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 'THE MISSION is a masterwork of storytelling, giving a human face to a secretive institution Booklist 'In this triumphant follow-up to Legacy of Ashes, National Book Award winner Weiner continues his history of the CIA… . Chilling… A crucial document of the present times' Publishers Weekly (starred review) PRIASE FOR LEGACY OF ASHES Winner of the National Book Award This extraordinary story reads like tragedy and thriller. Impeccably sourced, utterly absorbing, dazzling and very, very dark ― Time Out This racy history reveals the CIA as a secret service to make Smiley weep and Bond howl in horror ― Daily Telegraph Combines thrilling storytelling with terrifying revelations – Simon Sebag Montefiore ― New Statesman, Books of the Year Weiner's riveting history of the CIA contains dozens of jaw-dropping incidents … astonishing ― Evening Standard, Books of the Year Timely, immensely readable, and highly critical – Mark Bowden, author of 'Black Hawk Down' Marvellous … that every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill – Steve Coll, author of 'Ghost Wars'

PRAISE FOR THE MISSION 'No one has opened up the CIA to us like Weiner has, and The Mission deserves to win him a second Pulitzer' John Simpson, Guardian ‘An in-depth exposé … A cautionary tale, exposing both the power of intelligence and its limitations' Financial Times ‘A fascinating account’ Irish Times ‘A riveting, must-read, deeply reported continuation of Weiner’s prize winner, Legacy of Ashes’ Esquire, The Best Books of Summer 2025 'The Mission is a fantastic read… . reminds us of the importance of the human element when it comes to high-stakes diplomacy, and the life-and-death decisions on which our national security depends' Observer ‘In 2007, Weiner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, rankled U.S. spy organizations with Legacy of Ashes, a chronicle of the C.I.A.’s 20th-century failings that won a National Book Award. He’s back with the story of the agency’s evolution since Sept. 11 — a period when American covert services took an increasingly militaristic role in the Middle East and, Weiner contends, pushed the business of war deeper into the dark’ New York Times 'Mr Weiner meticulously documents a level of chaos, deception and politicisation in the upper echelons of the CIA that put in perspective current debates over Donald Trump’s own efforts to reshape and purge the agencies' Economist 'This masterful new history should be required reading… . Astonishing… . A singular triumph' Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 'THE MISSION is a masterwork of storytelling, giving a human face to a secretive institution Booklist 'In this triumphant follow-up to Legacy of Ashes, National Book Award winner Weiner continues his history of the CIA… . Chilling… A crucial document of the present times' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

PRIASE FOR LEGACY OF ASHES Winner of the National Book Award This extraordinary story reads like tragedy and thriller. Impeccably sourced, utterly absorbing, dazzling and very, very dark ― Time Out This racy history reveals the CIA as a secret service to make Smiley weep and Bond howl in horror ― Daily Telegraph Combines thrilling storytelling with terrifying revelations – Simon Sebag Montefiore ― New Statesman, Books of the Year Weiner's riveting history of the CIA contains dozens of jaw-dropping incidents … astonishing ― Evening Standard, Books of the Year Timely, immensely readable, and highly critical – Mark Bowden, author of 'Black Hawk Down' Marvellous … that every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill – Steve Coll, author of 'Ghost Wars'

EARLY PRAISE FOR THE MISSION 'This masterful new history should be required reading… . Astonishing… . A singular triumph' ""THE MISSION is a masterwork of storytelling, giving a human face to a secretive institution.""- Booklist Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 'In this triumphant follow-up to Legacy of Ashes, National Book Award winner Weiner continues his history of the CIA… . Chilling… A crucial document of the present times' Publishers Weekly (starred review) PRIASE FOR LEGACY OF ASHES Winner of the National Book Award This extraordinary story reads like tragedy and thriller. Impeccably sourced, utterly absorbing, dazzling and very, very dark ― Time Out This racy history reveals the CIA as a secret service to make Smiley weep and Bond howl in horror ― Daily Telegraph Combines thrilling storytelling with terrifying revelations – Simon Sebag Montefiore ― New Statesman, Books of the Year Weiner's riveting history of the CIA contains dozens of jaw-dropping incidents … astonishing ― Evening Standard, Books of the Year Timely, immensely readable, and highly critical – Mark Bowden, author of 'Black Hawk Down' Marvellous … that every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill – Steve Coll, author of 'Ghost Wars'

Author Information

Tim Weiner?has won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on American national security and the National Book Award for?Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. At the?New York Times,?he covered the CIA in Washington and conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and many other nations.?Legacy of Ashes?was acclaimed as one of the year's best books by?The New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, Time,?and many other publications.?His five other books include the national bestseller?Enemies: A History of the FBI. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Kate Doyle, an expert in human rights and freedom of information.

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