Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

by Nicholas E. Reynolds

Historian and former CIA officer Nicholas Reynolds, the New York Times bestselling author of Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy, uncovers the definitive history of American intelligence during World War II, illuminating its key role in securing victory.

The entire vast modern American intelligence system—the amalgam of three-letter spy services of many stripes—can be traced back to the dire straits that Britain faced at the end of June 1940. Before World War II, the US had no organization to recruit spies and steal secrets or launch secret campaigns against enemies overseas. It was only through Winston Churchill’s determination to mobilize the US to help in their fight against Hitler that the first American spy service was born, one that was built by scratch in the background of WWII.

In Need to Know, former CIA analyst and trained historian Nicholas Reynolds explores the birth, infancy, and adolescence of modern American intelligence. In this first definitive account, Reynolds combines little-known history and gripping spy stories to analyze the American codebreakers’ and spies’ origins and contributions to Allied victory, revealing how they laid the foundation for the Cold War—and all other conflicts to come.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Politics, War, American History, Military Fiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2022

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to know more about how The Dulles brothers and Eisenhower morphed American policy into aggressive interference with other countries. This book definitely explained how the many agencies, codebreaker, guerrilla fighters during WWII finally organized into the CIA.

While Dulles was a smooth talker, while William Donovan, the originator of a centralized intelligence concept , ruffled feathers and essentially irritated government officials into eliminating his agency, the OSS. It took two years after the war for National Security Laws to form the CI A.

This book is well-researched and highly informative, although a little bit dry to read. it reads like an encyclopedia of the Intelligence world with a few personal tidbits thrown in.

[William Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What you need to know...about this book.

“Need to Know” is an exceptionally complete, ready-reference book about the beginnings of the modern American intelligence community. More specifically, it is a strategic, big-picture, “you-need-to-know” history of how our intelligence organizations were created and shaped by cooperating and contending personalities. With a title implying “in-the-news” sensitive compartmented information (SCI), the book deals with the practical implementation of Sun Tzu’s admonition to know your enemy’s plan and doing all you can to prevent him from knowing yours, and being cautious that in reading your enemy’s secret communications you do it without his knowledge so he doesn’t change his plan.

The book is filled with numerous examples of what it takes to draw up effective and executable plans, spying and counter-spying, double agents, law training as excellent for intelligence work, women’s mastery of code-breaking, and the spectrum of field experience from freedom fighting to fine dining. One also learns fascinating tidbits of information such as: the street of the UK’s prime minister’s home and workplace (10 Downing St) was named after a notorious seventeenth-century British spy. MI5 is in charge of security/counter-intelligence, and MI6 deals with intelligence/spying. [Mnemonic: smaller number is closer to home.]

The book spends most of its time on 47 principal characters. These major players are seen to have different priorities while competing for different goals in “puzzle palace games of mental chess,” with outcomes often decided by the serendipitous luck of the draw. No major player is left behind, with something interesting written about each.

Perhaps the most significant player is William “Wild Bill” Donovan, WWI hero, Wall Street lawyer, and Republican internationalist who founded the “Coordinator of Information” and its successor, the “Office of Strategic Services,” the forefather of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Another player (mentioned only briefly) that I found particularly interesting was Admiral Leahy. While one perhaps hears more of Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, William Daniel Leahy was an American naval officer who served as the most senior United States military officer on active duty during World War II. He was called the "second most powerful man in the world" for his influence over U.S. foreign and military policy during that time. In 1942, he was recalled to active duty as the personal Chief of Staff to President Roosevelt, serving in that position through the rest of World War II. Called the first de facto Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he presided over the American delegation to the Combined Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. and Great Britain. Upon Roosevelt’s death, Leahy also served Harry S. Truman, helping shape U.S. postwar foreign policy until finally retiring in 1949.

Another player was Ambassador to England Joseph P. Kennedy. Kennedy was an American isolationist and supporter of Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement, a stance which led to his removal as America’s ambassador and which ended his future political aspirations (to succeed Roosevelt as president). Kennedy was, for a while, a thorn in the side of Donovan’s efforts to have America support Churchill and England. Although not mentioned in the book, it’s curious that Kennedy’s son JFK wrote “Why England Slept,” a critique of England’s early lack of response to Adolf Hitler’s war threats. The elder Kennedy helped fund a major rewrite of his son’s draft book (formerly a college thesis) and promoted it heavily, turning it into a best-seller and helping to grease the skids for JFK’s future presidential run.

Young Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond spy-thriller series, is also briefly mentioned for his work supporting the major players.

Especially intriguing is learning about what the major players, most touted these days as heroes all, thought of one another as they worked with and around each other to win the war.

To help the reader contend with all the characters involved, the names and brief bios of the principal players are listed up front. At the back of the book are a listing of acronyms, notes, a bibliography, and an index. The author also provides a generous number of photos.

All in all, the book is very well done and highly recommended.

Of possible interest: Strategic Advantage: How to Win in War, Business, and Life

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many followers of Cold War history know of the connections and spycraft that took place during the four decades of bipolar competition, yet the in-depth story of how the Office of Strategic Services orginated is less well-known, until a couple of years ago. Nicholas E. Reynolds' book, "Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence," is a gripping and meticulously researched account of the crucial role played by American intelligence agencies during World War II. In this 400-page tome, Reynolds masterfully weaves together the complex threads of espionage, codebreaking, and clandestine operations that were instrumental in shaping the outcome of the war. One of the most commendable aspects of Reynolds' work is his ability to bring the characters of this era to life. He provides readers with intimate portraits of key figures such as William J. Donovan, the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and the brilliant codebreaker William F. Friedman. These character-driven narratives make the history come alive and give readers a deep appreciation for the individuals who dedicated their lives to protecting the United States during a time of great peril. Reynolds also excels in elucidating the intricate world of intelligence operations. He details the birth and evolution of agencies like the OSS and the Signal Intelligence Service, shedding light on their successes and failures. Particularly fascinating is the examination of codebreaking efforts, including the cracking of the Enigma code and the Japanese PURPLE cipher. These chapters provide a behind-the-scenes look at the ingenious methods employed by American cryptanalysts and their impact on the course of the war. The book is not limited to the technical aspects of intelligence; it also delves into the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by those involved in espionage. Reynolds explores the difficult decisions made by intelligence officers, often involving life-and-death situations and the moral ambiguity of wartime actions. This adds depth to the narrative, making it not just a history of events but a reflection on the human dimension of intelligence operations. Reynolds has a gift for conveying complex concepts in a clear and engaging manner, making this book suitable for both history enthusiasts and those new to the subject. He strikes a balance between providing detailed information and keeping the narrative flowing, ensuring that readers remain captivated throughout. However, some readers may find the sheer volume of information overwhelming at times. The numerous names, acronyms, and events can be challenging to keep track of, especially for those not well-versed in World War II history. A more comprehensive glossary or character list could have been beneficial in this regard. In conclusion, this work is an outstanding contribution to the field of intelligence history. It combines meticulous research, vivid storytelling, and thought-provoking analysis to create a compelling narrative. Whether you are a history buff or simply interested in the covert world of espionage, this book is a must-read, shedding light on the unsung heroes who played a pivotal role in the Allied victory during World War II.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) (Audiobook) As more information becomes available, writers and historians can take a great look at aspects of World War II that usually don’t get a lot of discussion. One area is the actions of intelligence during the war. This work attempts to describe the history of US intelligence during WWII, which encompasses more than just the code-breaking that helped the US at Midway or deceived Germany before Normandy. Reynolds looks at multiple facets of US intelligence, from the burgeoning signals intelligence (SIGINT) and human intelligence (HUMINT) capabilities of the US. He also looks at the bureaucratic struggles and evolution of American intelligence. It was in the immediate post-war era that US intelligence grew into the organization it is today.

Reynolds generally keeps it engaging, but there are times he can get the reader bogged down in the bureaucratic details, that while important to the thesis, can be a little tough to get through. It is not the first such work about WWII intelligence (see Max Hastings), but it is a good focus on American military/government intelligence. Worth a read for a WWII/Cold War buff.

[Marco Guzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As either an introduction or book end to Wartime Intelligence, Reynolds’s well-researched work collects and interweaves the disparate departmental endeavors from the 1920s to 1940s. His prose and presentation weave together the stories of men whose work not only competed but off undermined one another. As the story ends, one wonders whether Reynolds has done for intelligence history what this period did for intelligence, synthesizing copious discrete entries into an accessible, contextualices report with enough side-stories to explore into perpetuity.

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the early history of what would become the CIA. There are many wonderful, and colorful characters populating this book, with the tragicomic figure of William ¨Wild Bill¨ Donovan hovering over all.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

World War II began for the United States with a catastrophic intelligence failure at Pearl Harbor. Two decades earlier, during the First World War, the US military had begun building capacity in signals and communications intelligence. But little was left in place by 1941. Yet, just four years later, tens of thousands of Americans were working round the clock in Army, Navy, State Department, and FBI intelligence units and the Office of Strategic Services. Author Nicholas Reynolds tells the story of how this all came about in Need to Know, an eye-opening account of the rise of American intelligence.

A STANDOUT IN A FLOOD OF BOOKS
Of course, there has been a deluge of books about espionage in World War II. However, as Reynolds notes in his introduction, “even among all the books, it is rare to find a ‘crossover’—a book that tackles more than one kind of intelligence or agency, asking how each relates to the other and what, together or separately, each contributed to victory.” And that is the author’s mission here.

In Need to Know, Reynolds offers us “a look at the main threads of American intelligence in World War II and how they were developed, particularly how they related to each other, and where they were positioned at the end of the war.” Elsewhere, you might read of the conflict between the OSS and the FBI, the tense Anglo-American partnership, and the rivalry between the Army and the Navy. But the story is much more complicated than that, as Reynolds so ably shows.

CODEBREAKING IN THE RISE OF AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE
As Max Hastings and others have noted, breakthroughs in cryptography made a significant—that is to say, strategic—contribution to the Allied victory. This contribution far outstripped that of conventional human espionage (HUMINT) and special operations behind enemy lines conducted by partisans, Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE), and the American OSS. For example, breaking the German Enigma and Japanese military codes made victory possible both in the Battle of the Atlantic and at Midway. But it’s easy to exaggerate the work of the codebreakers, too. “Most of the intelligence for Overlord,” Reynolds notes, “came from other sources—up to 80 percent from aerial photo reconnaissance. Next in very rough order were reports from the French Resistance . . . followed by signals intelligence and captured German documents.”

Although Reynolds doesn’t explicitly compare the value of signals and communications intelligence (SIGINT and COMINT) with HUMINT and special operations, reading through the lines of his book makes the point clear enough. And he does devote a great deal of time and detail to discuss the work of Army and Navy codebreakers (and of the bitter and sometimes crippling rivalry between the services).

Many popular accounts of American intelligence in World War II emphasize the work of the OSS. But Director William “Wild Bill” Donovan’s superiors quickly squashed his early efforts to venture into signals intelligence. And he didn’t see the agency’s primary mission as intelligence-gathering. Donovan, a Medal of Honor winner in World War I, was a frustrated soldier who was unhappy to have been denied a command leading troops. He was interested above all in OSS special operations.

ABOUT THE OSS
Innumerable books, both novels and nonfiction, have focused the American public’s attention on the Central Intelligence Agency and its wartime origins in the Office of Strategic Services. But those origins were complex, and the link between the OSS and the CIA was tenuous.

For example, many sources give the impression that FDR established the OSS in 1942 and named Donovan as its director as a result of his close friendship with him. But the two were not close. FDR was wary of Donovan, who was a Republican. And he put the newly named director on a short leash, placing him under the command of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (rather than the White House) and shunting off into other agencies much of the work that Donovan saw as vital to his mission.

Throughout the war, in ongoing battles with the FBI, Army and Navy intelligence, and the State Department, Donovan struggled to maintain the OSS’s independence. And as many readers are fully aware, the OSS was dissolved in September 1945 after just three years in existence and the CIA established only in September 1947 following two years of back-and-forth turf wars, Congressional hearings, and debates within the Truman Administration. And Donovan himself played no part in the new agency.

With all that said, Reynolds’ final verdict on William Donovan is unequivocal: “He formed the first American central intelligence agency out of nothing and sent it into battle. That alone has secured his place in history.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicholas Reynolds‘ biography on his author website reads as follows: “Nicholas Reynolds has worked in the field of modern history off and on for 40 years, with some unusual detours. Freshly minted PhD from Oxford University in hand, he joined the Marine Corps in the 1970s, serving as an infantry officer and then as an official historian. As a colonel in the Reserves, he was Officer in Charge of Field History, deploying historians around the world to capture history as it was being made.

“For many years, he worked at CIA, most recently as the historian for the CIA Museum, where he drafted the strategic plan for the next decade and wrote a foundational monograph as well as shorter pieces and many labels. He still believes he has held the best two niche jobs in the US Government.

“Leveraging his experience, he has taught at the Naval War College, Johns Hopkins University, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He has also tried his hand at farming, writing a novel, and mountain climbing. One of his proudest moments was making it to the glaciated peak of Mt. Baker in the Cascades at the age of 64. With his wife, the gifted healer Becky, he cares for rescue pugs and lives within commuting distance of the Library of Congress, where he can be found on a rainy day.”

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - If you took out the first quarter - pre and early war - from this book it would be elevated somewhat. The first quarter details a lot of bureaucracy and negotiating between FDR and various factions within the joint chiefs. Once Pearl Harbor happens the book really kicks off with great details on OSS, cade breaking and various other intelligence gathering in the Pacific and European fronts. I would recommend it to anyone interested in WWII but be prepared for a slow start.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times a bit dry, overall an annoying reminder that all decision making around then was made by white men, but still an interesting history.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Mariner Books for an advanced copy of this book on the history of American intelligence gathering during the Second World War.

Espionage and the art of intelligence gathering is slow and steady process, less the eureka moments, though that does happen, more the if we add this conversation we heard at a bar, with this information our agent in the embassy gave us, along with this old copy of a phone directory we stole from a library oh look we found out who is this guy that we are interested in might be. These tiny bits can equal great wins, if someone is looking, the right person is overseeing it, and there is not in inter- service rivalry making sharing of information difficult. Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence by author and historian Nicholas Reynolds traces the rise of the intelligence complex from its simple beginnings to what has become a monolith of agencies all with sorts of acronyms and a fresh set of bureaucratic rivalries, sometimes keeping America as much in the dark as ever.

In the years leading to World War II America's ideas on Europe was don't bother us. A strong feeling of isolationism, from many popular and powerful people, following the War to End All Wars was strong and very present in American politics. The idea, also that "Gentlemen do not read other gentlemen's mail" kept both funding, people to work in, and worse political patronage and protection kept America much in the dark about events in Europe. A few citizens, prominent in business and government began to share informally information they learned in their travels to Europe and Asia, what they saw, the moods and what people thought. Many of these conversations made there way to the president informally, but to the government outside of codebreaking, which was shared between the Navy and Army and not well, was quite in the dark. With the advent of war, things slowly began to change, with Britain pushing and prodding both overt and covertly to get America in on the game, with success and failures. However soon, America was funding codebreakers, tracking U-Boats and setting up their own covert forces all over the world.

A very well- written well- sourced book that is filled with facts and lots of information about America and how it entered the world of espionage. What never ceases to amaze me, even know is the amount of rivalry at home that stymied and wrecked careers from people who were trying to protect America and win the war. And you can see the rise in class in government and espionage, as it seems Ivy League schools and the right family were the only things needed to enter the covert corps that was being set up. Also Reynolds lists many incidents where things we so close to going wrong, not enough to change the war's outcome, but maybe could have lead to the death of more people or slightly prolonging the war. A very interesting books that balances a lot of information, but never bogs down or gets confusing, even with its large cast.

This is not a book about covert war during World War II. There are a few incidents, but nothing like a boy's own adventure about derring- do behind the line. This is a historical study of how this country went from nothing, to the billions of dollars in black budgets a year organizations we have today. A very well written book that is recommended for spy historians and World War buffs, much for the different view of the war then is usually presented.

[Chevron Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to Know describes the birth of American intelligence-gathering operations during World War II. Historian Nicholas Reynolds goes into great detail about the many individuals and agencies who worked – sometimes together, often in opposition to one another – to create an international spy system similar to Great Britain’s MI6, which existed before Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939.

Other historians have covered such breakthroughs as the cracking of the German and Japanese military codes. Reynolds provides additional background in the embryonic works of two men critical to the Japan program: Herbert Yardley, a State Department telegraph clerk, and William Friedman, a one-time agricultural geneticist. He also recounts how the gathering war clouds led President Roosevelt to appoint William Donovan, a Wall Street lawyer, to head America’s first-ever comprehensive intelligence-gathering operation –the Office of Strategic Services.

Though code-breaking was instrumental in America’s victory in the Battle of Midway, skepticism continued to surround its value in the minds of some officials. Proponents cranked out enormous amounts of information, but most of it proved of little practical value. One major success was its targeting of Admiral Yamamoto, architect of Japan’s Pearl Harbor and Midway campaigns.

The reader learns that bureaucratic infighting during World War II was as intense as the war itself. Interservice rivalries and personality conflicts hampered coordination of intelligence work by OSS, the Army, Navy, and J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, to the point that Roosevelt sometimes had to play referee. But we learn much about the personalities, strengths and shortcomings of the many individuals who toiled patriotically, sometimes at great personal danger to themselves, to gather information that helped the Allies win the war.

Reynolds’ research is so thorough that it produces a sometimes dizzying cascade of names, military acronyms, and detailed interactions between various hierarchies. A dedicated reader willing to sift through them will find a well-documented treasure trove of information. The result is a clear understanding of how wartime intelligence-gathering resulted in the birth of the Central Intelligence Agency. Though it sometimes makes for challenging reading, I found the book highly informative. Nicholas Reynolds has done history a great service.

[Elmwoodblues · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice moment in enjoying non-fiction is reading something in passing in one genre, then come upon greater detail of that item in another. Such was my own small joy while reading this Intelligence/History book and coming across a bit of Allied intelligence gathering that was (at least, in my memory) glossed over in a Naval history/WW 2 book, 'The Silver Waterfall', (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...), about the Battle at Midway.

The story of the pivotal encounter between American and Japanese carrier forces is often focused on the battle itself, but Reynolds gives us some background on how they came to be at the same place, at the same time: the buildup of intelligence gathering assets, the analysis of what data was coming in, the cryptography and the organization and the guesswork and the feints that resulted in so monumental a clash of enemies.
Naval Intelligence knew the Japanese Imperial Navy was massing against a target, coded by the Japanese as 'AF', but not what 'AF' was. A secret instruction was sent via undersea cable from Pearl Harbor to Midway, telling Midway to report that their desalination plant had broken down. This was the kind of administrative report that would be sent from Midway 'in the clear', and one the Japanese were likely to intercept, which they did. When a coded message from the Japanese was then intercepted by Naval Intelligence, it referred to the desalination breakdown 'at AF', telling the US Navy that the target was, indeed, Midway.

The personalities that were there at the beginning of American intelligence, from Churchill and Roosevelt to Hoover and Donovan, are all present here -- along with 'from the crib' pictures of small, once-secret spying agencies that today wield budgets in the billions of dollars. More a politics and personality read than a spycraft exposé, but still decently-paced and with enough small human details to keep it from being an overly dry corporate history.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is deeeeeense. Like. Way denser than I was expecting.

I’m obsessed with the intelligence field as a whole (I desperately wanted to work for the CIA. I don’t. I’m too dumb for them), so I was looking for a book that would delve deeper into this bizarre special interest of mine while also reading layman enough so someone like me - with some but not tons of knowledge on the subject - could understand.

This book definitely delivered on that first part, but not quite the second part.

The first few chapters, I almost called the read a loss. There were SO many names and acronyms and military strategies involved that I’d read a page, have no idea what I read, go back and read again, only to STILL have no idea who did what and why.

The first 28 pages took me two hours to read, flipping between the Principal Characters and Abbreviations sections while also struggling to make sense of what my eyeballs were reading.

Once I gave myself permission to step back from memorizing all the players and shift my focus towards grasping how the moving parts of the field evolved more generally, the book got easier to read. (Or maybe the book just actually got easier to read after the first few chapters, idk).

All that to say: Need to Know is basically a textbook for adults, but a pretty fascinating and informative one when not bogged down in the details.

Not sure I’d recommend it to normies, but anyone with a (very) deep interest in the subject and / or a history buff might enjoy this.

[Maduck831 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to this topic, book was informative, but also seemed like it was a series of articles put together as a book. I plan to read more on this topic and will check out other books by the author.

One afternoon, the quiet, attractive twenty-six-year old mathematician named Genevieve Grotjan entered Rowlett's office. (112) (NOTE: interesting that he uses "attractive" to describe her, was similar language used to describe male figures?)

At its heart was a ruthless and efficient spy service, far better than its American or British counterparts at recruiting and running spies. (212)

One difference between Leahy and the others was the degree to which he shunned the limelight, preferring to quietly exercise his enormous power. (319)

In 1957, the published the last word on Shakespearean ciphers, debunking far-fetched theories that the bard had not written his own plays. (345)

[Rebecca The Files of Mrs. E, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually books on our intelligence agencies/system, even when focused on World War II, tend to only focus on one agency or one aspect. Reynolds takes a broad approach, telling the history of our entire modern intelligence system which started with World War II. He looks at all the different players and agencies, moving from army to navy to OSS, from codebreaking to spying and everything in between. It can at times be hard to keep it all straight and I'm sorry I forgot that there was a list at the start of the book with all the key players. But while it covered a broad topic, the book flowed smoothly from one to another and showed how everything was interconnected.

[LJ Lombos · Rating 5 out of 5]

For over 400 pages, this book is quite all-encompassing and thorough. Reynolds succinctly captures the whole gamut from the more famous origins of the OSS (wartime precursor to the CIA), FBI, and the intelligence arms of the Army and Navy. I felt that the strength of the book lies in Reynolds' rich portrayal of the folks who shaped the evolution of modern American intelligence. He is also candid in shedding light on the bureaucratic infighting and political drama influencing the American intelligence enterprise as well as the fickle relationship with its British counterparts. The tempo varies and slogs with the occasional jargon but Need to Know is a remarkable piece of work.

[Len Boselovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is very little scintillating about this comprehensive, workmanlike account of the bureaucratic infighting in the early days of the U.S. intelligence community. There is very little light shed on the daring deeds of intrepid agents operating behind enemy lines. But it is a thorough, at times interesting, treatment of the turf fights on the home front among the Army, Navy, FBI and other government agencies over how to shape a national intelligence effort. Still, it illuminates and does justice to the efforts of the cryptologists who decoded Japanese messages and to bureaucrats who helped bring a semblance of order and efficiency to the task.

[Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly very well-researched and informative! I read this one on a recommendation and not because I have a lot of background on the topic, and I'll admit it was a little difficult to follow all the names and acronyms. It might've been easier on paper, as Reynolds helpfully provided a list of people up front and a list of acronyms in the back, but as an e-book I found myself treading water a bit as I was reading. Still! It's an interesting chapter of history and I'm glad to have gotten through this one.

[Denisele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like I was reading this book forever... And half the time I would get through a chapter without being able to tell you what I read because it didn't keep my attention. The first half had so many names and dates and places and people and agencies and organizations that I could not keep track. Once we got well into world war II that got a little better. Maybe if I was coming in with some additional background in the subject area it would have helped.

[Elaine Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to finally find and read a thoroughly-researched and well-written book that brings together the disparate historical events that gave rise to our current CIA. As there were so many events to collate, I felt that the writer was judicious in choosing which ones to highlight and elaborate, presenting them in an organized chronology that made them fascinating and relatively easy to follow.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a more technical description of breaking codes during WWII. This seemed to be a historical record of the various military and civilian agencies involved. There were so many names thrown about that it was hard to keep track of. Did not help that there were numerous offices also involved.

By the end of the book, it was kind of hard to make much sense of who was being recognized for a national award and who was being criticized for not being the best person for the job.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need to Know is dive into the rise of America’s intelligence (spy) efforts in World War II. It’s not exhaustive, but Nicholas Reynolds keeps the reader engaged, focusing on the personalities as opposed to the war. It’s an engaging read and if World War II spycraft is your thing, this is a good primer.

[Rick Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reynolds book is well written and I found it hard to put down. The history of American intelligence gathering before and during World War II includes a cast of interesting characters such as William Donovan and Joe Rochefort. For those who are interested in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency, this book is a must read.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book aimed to explore the origin of American intelligence which (I learned!) was incredibly messy, confusing, and complex. In order to explain this complicated & tangled history, the book itself jumped around a lot and I struggled to understand both the timeline and keep track of the plethora of individuals.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read quite a bit on this ever interesting subject, but still learned something new from this very solid and informative account of early US intelligence efforts before the founding of the CIA in 1947.

[Richard Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful account of the beginning of the modern American intelligence system that arose during WW2. An informative non-fiction book that often reads as a historical thriller. Can't wait to read Reynolds' Hemingway spy book after my wife finishes it!

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend!

[Kea4 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reads like a history book. It’s packed full of information. I wish the text had been a little larger.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable history of the founding of American Intelligence apparatus.

[Cook Memorial Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 2022 staff favorite recommended by Rob. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...