Jefferson Morley, "The Ghost"

As head of CIA Counterintelligence between 1954 and 1975, James Jesus Angleton operated in a shadowy realm of secrets, spies, and plots. As Morley demonstrates in his detailed biography, Angleton wielded more power than anyone realized, spying on anti-war and black nationalist movements, launching mass surveillance of ordinary Americans, obstructing the investigation of Kennedy’s assassination, and working so zealously to expose Soviet moles that he nearly destroyed the Agency. Yet he also proved a formidable adversary to America’s enemies. Morley, a longtime journalist focusing on intelligence, military, and political issues, vividly captures the Cold War’s rampant paranoia and documents its effects on the individuals and institutions responsible for national security.