Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins
The author uses recently declassified material and extensive interviews to delve into the history of our country’s covert operations. Having served in Special Operations I knew a lot of this history and some of the people involved.
Nevertheless there were surprises. Behind the lines operations during the Korean conflict were eye-opening. Worse, how those who ran flawed operations were promoted to try the same thing over and over. It was depressing to see how badly many operations were planned and conducted. On the flip side, though, we have to accept that the alternative to cover operations is often all out war; a bargain with the devil.
Jacobsen writes nonfiction books about many of the same topics I write fiction about: Covert operations; Area 51; Unit 731 and more.
A must read for anyone who wants to understand the history.
