What do you think?
Rate this book
The Spy and the State: The History of American Intelligence
A novel and comprehensive narrative of American intelligence from the Revolutionary War to the present day.
Intelligence is all around us. We read about it in the news, wonder who is spying on us through our phones or computers, and want to know what is happening in the shadows. The US Intelligence Community or IC, as insiders call it, is more powerful than ever, but also more vulnerable than it has been in decades. It is facing the threat of rival intelligence services from countries like Russia and China while fighting to keep up with new technology and the private sector. Still, the IC's greatest struggle is always with the American people, who expect it to keep the country safe but not at the cost of their liberty.
Arriving on the fiftieth anniversary of the "Year of Intelligence," The Spy and the State tells the complete history of American intelligence from the Revolutionary War to the present day. Based on original research and a new interpretation of US history, this masterful book by Jeffrey Rogg explores the origins and evolution of intelligence in America, including its overlooked role in some of the key events that shaped the nation. Along the way, Rogg identifies the historical underpinnings of intelligence controversies that have shaken the country to its constitutional foundations and have resurfaced in recent years. Moving beyond institutional histories of the FBI and CIA, he introduces the concept of US civil-intelligence relations to explain the interaction between intelligence and the society it serves.
While answering questions from the past, The Spy and the State poses new questions for the future that the United States must confront as intelligence gains ever greater importance in the twenty-first century.
Intelligence is all around us. We read about it in the news, wonder who is spying on us through our phones or computers, and want to know what is happening in the shadows. The US Intelligence Community or IC, as insiders call it, is more powerful than ever, but also more vulnerable than it has been in decades. It is facing the threat of rival intelligence services from countries like Russia and China while fighting to keep up with new technology and the private sector. Still, the IC's greatest struggle is always with the American people, who expect it to keep the country safe but not at the cost of their liberty.
Arriving on the fiftieth anniversary of the "Year of Intelligence," The Spy and the State tells the complete history of American intelligence from the Revolutionary War to the present day. Based on original research and a new interpretation of US history, this masterful book by Jeffrey Rogg explores the origins and evolution of intelligence in America, including its overlooked role in some of the key events that shaped the nation. Along the way, Rogg identifies the historical underpinnings of intelligence controversies that have shaken the country to its constitutional foundations and have resurfaced in recent years. Moving beyond institutional histories of the FBI and CIA, he introduces the concept of US civil-intelligence relations to explain the interaction between intelligence and the society it serves.
While answering questions from the past, The Spy and the State poses new questions for the future that the United States must confront as intelligence gains ever greater importance in the twenty-first century.
- GenresPolitics
632 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2025
12 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 2, 2026
Maybe 3 stars? Author explores the history of intelligence in the US, making slight nods to themes of lack of coordination, infringement on civil liberties, and politicalization but only addressing the policy changes to those issues without going any further as to what exactly prompted these changes. This left a book that was a bit bland and just overdone with what has already been written and what I’ve studied in school. It did leave me with the realization that a lot weighs on politics of the party in power which I don’t think was the main takeaway, but I’m actually it sure what message the author intended.
December 27, 2025
The first 2/3rds of the book are amazing, documenting the history of US intelligence and laying groundwork to explain how politicization of intelligence never leads to positive results. I grew increasingly concerned and ultimately genuinely disappointed when the author *completely ignored* Trump’s politicization of the intelligence community while detailing Biden’s politicization of intelligence.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews