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The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack
“You make a mistake, there are dead people.”
—FBI Special Agent Art Cummings, head of international counterterrorism operations
Drawing on unprecedented access to FBI and CIA counterterrorism operatives, New York Times bestselling author Ronald Kessler presents the chilling story of terrorists’ relentless efforts to mount another devastating attack on the United States and of the heroic efforts being made to stop those plots.
Kessler takes you inside the war rooms of this battle—from the newly created National Counterterrorism Center to FBI headquarters, from the CIA to the National Security Agency, from the Pentagon to the Oval Office—to explain why we have gone so long since 9/11 without a successful attack and to reveal the many close calls we never hear about. The race to stop the terrorists, Kessler shows, is more desperate than ever.
Based on exclusive interviews with FBI Director Robert Mueller, CIA Director Michael Hayden, White House Counterterrorism Chief Fran Townsend, and dozens of key intelligence operatives at all levels, The Terrorist Watch:
• tells the previously unreported story of how the United States helped thwart the 2006 London terrorist plot, broke up terrorist cells in Canada, and prevented numerous other attacks
• reveals how the CIA and FBI have rolled up more than 5,000 terrorists worldwide since 9/11
• provides a stunning insider’s account from the FBI agent
who spent eight months debriefing Saddam Hussein after his capture
• pinpoints press leaks that have resulted in CIA agents’ deaths, caused foreign countries to stop cooperating on key investigations, and even tipped off Osama bin Laden to U.S. surveillance
• destroys numerous media myths, such as the canard that the FBI and CIA still don’t cooperate on investigations
• discloses the truth about the number of U.S. mosques where imans preach jihad
• shows how the intelligence community has radically changed its mission—and how the media have misled the public about those changes
Never before has a journalist gained such access to the FBI, the CIA, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the other agencies that are doing the unheralded work of finding and capturing terrorists.
Ronald Kessler’s you-are-there narrative tells the real story of the war on terror and will transform the way you view the greatest problem of our age.
—FBI Special Agent Art Cummings, head of international counterterrorism operations
Drawing on unprecedented access to FBI and CIA counterterrorism operatives, New York Times bestselling author Ronald Kessler presents the chilling story of terrorists’ relentless efforts to mount another devastating attack on the United States and of the heroic efforts being made to stop those plots.
Kessler takes you inside the war rooms of this battle—from the newly created National Counterterrorism Center to FBI headquarters, from the CIA to the National Security Agency, from the Pentagon to the Oval Office—to explain why we have gone so long since 9/11 without a successful attack and to reveal the many close calls we never hear about. The race to stop the terrorists, Kessler shows, is more desperate than ever.
Based on exclusive interviews with FBI Director Robert Mueller, CIA Director Michael Hayden, White House Counterterrorism Chief Fran Townsend, and dozens of key intelligence operatives at all levels, The Terrorist Watch:
• tells the previously unreported story of how the United States helped thwart the 2006 London terrorist plot, broke up terrorist cells in Canada, and prevented numerous other attacks
• reveals how the CIA and FBI have rolled up more than 5,000 terrorists worldwide since 9/11
• provides a stunning insider’s account from the FBI agent
who spent eight months debriefing Saddam Hussein after his capture
• pinpoints press leaks that have resulted in CIA agents’ deaths, caused foreign countries to stop cooperating on key investigations, and even tipped off Osama bin Laden to U.S. surveillance
• destroys numerous media myths, such as the canard that the FBI and CIA still don’t cooperate on investigations
• discloses the truth about the number of U.S. mosques where imans preach jihad
• shows how the intelligence community has radically changed its mission—and how the media have misled the public about those changes
Never before has a journalist gained such access to the FBI, the CIA, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the other agencies that are doing the unheralded work of finding and capturing terrorists.
Ronald Kessler’s you-are-there narrative tells the real story of the war on terror and will transform the way you view the greatest problem of our age.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Ronald Kessler
38 books110 followersRonald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of 21 non-fiction books about the Trump White House, Secret Service, FBI, and CIA.
Kessler began his career as a journalist in 1964 on the Worcester Telegram, followed by three years as an investigative reporter and editorial writer with the Boston Herald. In 1968, he joined the Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter in the New York bureau. He became an investigative reporter with the Washington Post in 1970 and continued in that position until 1985.
Kessler's new book is "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game."
Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards--for national reporting and for community service. Kessler has also won the American Political Science Association's Public Affairs Reporting Award, the Associated Press' Sevellon Brown Memorial Award, and Washingtonian magazine's Washingtonian of the Year award. Franklin Pierce University awarded him the Marlin Fitzwater Medallion for excellence as a prolific author, journalist, and communicator. He is listed in Who's Who in America.
"Ron Kessler...has enjoyed a reputation for solid reporting over the past four decades." Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast. "Kessler's such a skilled storyteller, you almost forget this is dead-serious nonfiction..." Newsweek. "[Ronald Kessler] is the man who broke the story about the [Secret Service prostitution] episode in Cartagena...." New York Times. "His [Kessler's] book quotes both flattering and unflattering observations about presidents of both parties." FactCheck.org. "[Ronald Kessler] is one of the nation's top investigative journalists." Fox & Friends. "Ron Kessler appears to get everything first." Slate.
Ron Kessler lives with his wife Pamela Kessler in the Washington, D.C. area. Also an author and former Washington Post reporter, Pam Kessler wrote "Undercover Washington: Where Famous Spies Lived, Worked and Loved." His daughter Rachel Kessler, an independent public relations consultant, and son Greg Kessler, an artist, live in New York.
Kessler began his career as a journalist in 1964 on the Worcester Telegram, followed by three years as an investigative reporter and editorial writer with the Boston Herald. In 1968, he joined the Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter in the New York bureau. He became an investigative reporter with the Washington Post in 1970 and continued in that position until 1985.
Kessler's new book is "The Trump White House: Changing the Rules of the Game."
Kessler has won eighteen journalism awards, including two George Polk awards--for national reporting and for community service. Kessler has also won the American Political Science Association's Public Affairs Reporting Award, the Associated Press' Sevellon Brown Memorial Award, and Washingtonian magazine's Washingtonian of the Year award. Franklin Pierce University awarded him the Marlin Fitzwater Medallion for excellence as a prolific author, journalist, and communicator. He is listed in Who's Who in America.
"Ron Kessler...has enjoyed a reputation for solid reporting over the past four decades." Lloyd Grove, The Daily Beast. "Kessler's such a skilled storyteller, you almost forget this is dead-serious nonfiction..." Newsweek. "[Ronald Kessler] is the man who broke the story about the [Secret Service prostitution] episode in Cartagena...." New York Times. "His [Kessler's] book quotes both flattering and unflattering observations about presidents of both parties." FactCheck.org. "[Ronald Kessler] is one of the nation's top investigative journalists." Fox & Friends. "Ron Kessler appears to get everything first." Slate.
Ron Kessler lives with his wife Pamela Kessler in the Washington, D.C. area. Also an author and former Washington Post reporter, Pam Kessler wrote "Undercover Washington: Where Famous Spies Lived, Worked and Loved." His daughter Rachel Kessler, an independent public relations consultant, and son Greg Kessler, an artist, live in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 4, 2010
This book is an unapologetic defense of the Bush administration's War on Terror. It traces much of the progress in policy and execution by the FBI and CIA in their intelligence gathering, and discusses many of the problems they face. Kessler argues that America's perception of the war on terror has been mis-shapen by biased media reporting; the basic thesis of the book is summed up in the following sentence:
"While the media minimize the threats and mischaracterize the progress in the war on terror, they undermine it by revealing secrets of how the FBI and CIA are trying to stop the next attack."
I do believe Kessler that the media twists everything to sell papers. But I don't believe that every negative thing reported about the war on terror can just be brushed off as "media slant." My biggest complaint about this book is that it minimized all the criticisms, rather than straight-forwardly addressing them. I found myself wanting to hear the other side of the story so I could make my own judgments. I suppose Kessler feels that the "other side" is what we get from the media all the time. I do feel much more informed than I was before reading this book, but I'd love to find something objective on the topic. Does such a thing exist?
"While the media minimize the threats and mischaracterize the progress in the war on terror, they undermine it by revealing secrets of how the FBI and CIA are trying to stop the next attack."
I do believe Kessler that the media twists everything to sell papers. But I don't believe that every negative thing reported about the war on terror can just be brushed off as "media slant." My biggest complaint about this book is that it minimized all the criticisms, rather than straight-forwardly addressing them. I found myself wanting to hear the other side of the story so I could make my own judgments. I suppose Kessler feels that the "other side" is what we get from the media all the time. I do feel much more informed than I was before reading this book, but I'd love to find something objective on the topic. Does such a thing exist?
November 13, 2013
although it was informative to an extent, in final analysis, i think it was a "my isn't george bush just the best thing EVER" fantasy fiction!
June 1, 2008
Absolutely amazing!! Kessler had amazing access to the FBI and CIA and provides the reader insight into the world of terrorism and stopping the next attack. The book is an enjoyable read and is very engaging.
A must-read for all Americans!
A must-read for all Americans!
May 9, 2009
I had no idea what the CIA and FBI really did. "If we lose the war (on terrorism) it will be because of distortions by the mainstream media, those who leak operational secrets to them, and politicians who undermine those who are trying to protect us." --R James Woolsey
September 28, 2009
Great overview about the FBI and CIA restructuring and collaboration since September 11 to stop the next terrorist attack, but I was very disappointed to read nothing of the Department of Homeland Security and the part they play in the "desperate race".
February 3, 2008
This book shows the flip-side of what the media has portrayed in the GWOT, and gives the reader an insight into what the government is doing to stop terrorism.
June 16, 2008
right wing conservative defense against the crazy media
August 27, 2008
Recommended to me by Andrew Card, former chief of staff for George Bush. It gives you a clear picture of what dangers and what struggles we are facing from terrorism in the world today.
August 18, 2009
The book will surely scare you -- details how we have stopped dozens of potential attacks in the U.S. -- and how we may be setting ourselves up for disaster.
October 28, 2012
Bullshit
October 8, 2018
Published in 2007 so rather dated today. Nothing here that I don't already know. Kessler is clearly a Bush fan.
December 16, 2023
biggest bush glazer on the planet
August 10, 2015
On Sept 11, 2001 the World Trade Towers were attacked by airplanes. President Bush was advised they thought Al Qaeda and bin Laden were responsible. He made a Declaration called the Bush Doctrine that would pursue any country that terrorists operated within it's borders. Mueller took over the FBI he updated all the computer systems so that they could analyze data better. After that many threats were made and squashed that the public may not know about. Every day the FBI receives a binder that contains the threat matrix.
September 10, 2009
Totally one sided, but OK.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews