Company Confessions: The CIA, Secrecy and Memoir Writing

by Christopher R. Moran

Spies are supposed to keep quiet, never betraying their agents or discussing their operations. Somehow this doesn't apply to the CIA, which is routinely asked to vet fifty or so books by former officers every month. Many of these memoirs command huge advances and attract enormous publicity.

Take Valerie Plame, the CIA officer whose identity was leaked by the Bush White House in 2003 and who reportedly received $2 million for her book Fair Game. Or former CIA director George Tenet whose 2007 memoir reached no. 2 in the Amazon bestseller chart, beaten only by the final Harry Potter novel. If the CIA's director is allowed to write it can be little wonder that regular agents are choosing to tell their stories.

Company Confessions also reveals the steps taken by the agency to counter such leaks - including breaking into publishing houses to steal manuscripts, putting authors on trial and creating a secret programme of authorised 'memoirs' to repair the reputational damage.

Based on interviews, private correspondence and secret files, Christopher Moran examines why America's spies are so happy to spill the beans on the service, and looks at the damage done when they leak America's secrets.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Espionage

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Peter Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might think that most spy organisation’s biggest problems with keeping secrets was preventing double agents from selling or giving them to the another party. However the CIA seemed to have almost as much angst and trouble over former staff rushing to print because of ego, propaganda purposes , wishing to right perceived wirings, or a host of other reasons.

The book maps the CIA’s oscillations between attempts to suppress this activity and occasions were it almost encouraged it. Unsurprisingly the main driver towards openness wasn’t the fact the CIA operated within a democracy but instead concern over how the agency would be perceived by the public and policy makers if it kept silent did not respond to public attacks and accusations by others.

One particularly interesting slight diversion form the main topic of the book was the CIA’s irritation at not being able to exploit the entertainment world for propaganda purposes to the same extent as US armed forces were able to. While the military could lend equipment and access to movie and TV makers to show themselves in a good light the CIA had little opportunity to do this, and even if it could do so almost every script they seemed to get showed multiple members the agency staff acting either duplicity or foolishly or both. Authour Chris Moran, a researcher at the University of Warwick, also points out that the CIA would have loved to have had their own James Bond character and were grateful for the many positive mentions of the agency by Bond creator Ian Fleming which counterbalanced John le Carré’s often more negative comments.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that I can't seem to stay away from CIA memoirs (What? Real life spy stuff, it's fascinating!), a book about CIA memoirs was bound to catch my interest. Combining an intriguing look at the often preposterous, seemingly arbitrary and on some occasions downright ridiculous censorship former CIA officer writing about their lives and careers face with what amounts to a list of intriguing further books to add to my already overflowing TBR, this was an interesting read from start to finish.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

For spy geeks like myself this book is gold, but it has to be said that it is quite niche! Who of the CIA's finest, and not so finest, has published books, and what did they say? That is interesting by itself.

But the primary concern of Moran's highly readable account of his investigations is the matter of censorship.

What soon becomes very clear is that those who portrayed negatively got censored while those who praised it didn't. It's hardly surprising. But Moran offers careful research and categorical proof that often, the protection of national security was merely a whitewash over folly, egotism and the need to protect congressional approval for budgets.
This book is fascinating for those with a concern for such things. But as ever, it provokes the age-old question of who watches the watchers?

[PoligirlReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew there was a need for a book about spy memoirs? Turns out there is, and Moran has written a compelling book. It's a story about memoirs, yes, but it's also a story about the foundations of the CIA, and how memoirs have shaped (for better or for worse) public opinion on the agency.

The examples Moran includes makes it clear that no one "just" happens to write a spy memoir. There's always a goal driving it, whether it's to bolster the agency, expose overreach, or to redeem/boost the ego of the author.

Very readable, although at times it seemed like someone else was writing (that could also be a reflection of editing, although now I'm feeling all conspiracy-minded).

[E.J. Cullen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gees, what a slog...

[Annemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of unnecessary information.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave it four stars mainly because it brought to my attention other books to read in the future. It was also easier to understand this book than other non fiction books on espionage that I’ve read.

[Dameon Launert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Less about "confessions" themselves and mostly about how ex-CIA have had trouble publishing their memoirs.

Still, it confirms my opinion of the CIA as a rogue organization.