Angleton and the CIA revisited

Edward Jay Epstein has written at least two books that arise out of his relationship with James Jesus Angleton, the original CIA head of counterintelligence. Ed has drawn on these books to write the new ebook James Jesus Angleton: Was He Right? Ed explains:

Angleton was the first head of CIA counterintelligence and, for me, an enduring enigma. He was by far the most interesting and challenging person I ever interviewed in the American government. His intellectual construct of the world of espionage caused such discomfort in the intelligence community that he was fired on Christmas Eve on 1974, and his reputation was systematically trashed by leaks that portrayed him as paranoid. What interests me now that the evidence emerged after his death in 1987 that showed he was right about the vulnerability of US intelligence on three counts: First, KGB moles had penetrated deeply into the CIA and FBI; second, the KGB had the ability to sustain these moles for many years (Robert Hanssen was a mole for 22 years); third, and most important, the inability of the CIA to accept its own vulnerability allowed the KGB to convert it into a channel of disinformation.

Ed has now posted an excerpt from his book that should be of interest to those concerned about the vulnerability of US intelligence. Please check it out.

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