Summary Of Tim Weiner's Legacy Of Ashes

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Christopher Loofs In Legacy of Ashes, author Tim Weiner details both the successes and shortcomings of the first sixty years of the CIA in order to convey the fact that the United States has yet to create a functioning espionage and undercover intelligence agency. Weiner meant for the book to serve as a warning about the future of America as, up to this point, no republic has lasted for more than three hundred years and America is blind to what is happening behind the scenes of potentially dangerous countries. While the book’s purpose is clear in the author’s note, the rest of the book is not opinionated and is open to the reader’s interpretation. The book is a combination of released CIA case files, personal accounts from CIA agents, veterans, and ten directors, along with historical information to create a book that is the first if its kind. Weiner’s main point is to explain that without a skilled espionage agency the United States lacks the ability to see into the plans…show more content…
The book lacks any commentary and while it does a fantastic job combining its many sources it fails to give the reader any direction in what to glean from the content. Bias can be a dangerous weapon that can destroy an entire claim if it is used too much but it can also be a powerful tool that can put voice into literature while still conveying facts. After reading the book, as is, the reader could walk away with a strong distrust for the government due to how much is kept secret and for so many years, or an admiration for the leaders of the agency for making the calls no one else wants to, or even with the idea that the CIA has caused more harm than good and should be demolished. The exact opposite of what Weiner was trying to get across. Without direction from the author, the author’s thesis becomes invalid and the reader could go in any direction and pull any conclusion from the book, this is a
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    some flaws in the system. The ultimate goal of the CIA is to keep the president alerted against surprise attacks, such as another September 11th. Yet the Central Intelligence Agency continues to disappoint. In the book titled, “Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA”, by Tim Weiner it describes how the most powerful country in the history of Western civilization has failed to create the top-of-the-line spy-service. The novel

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