Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987

The Veil by Bob Woodward is a book that both recounts the CIA’s covert activities during the six year tenure of William Casey and serves as a portrait of the man who believed that the CIA had been neutered by the Carter Administration and numerous Congressional inquiries into agency activities particularly after Watergate. Casey is almost as important to the story as any action the CIA undertook. He’s an old covert operations man dating back to WW2 who believes that taking covert action off the table deprives the United States of a vital strategic tool in an increasingly dangerous world where the Soviet Union has seemingly made numerous gains throughout Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.That’s the mindset and mentality the reader must understand as they read The Veil and the series of covert actions that Casey’s CIA undertook or considered in places as diverse as Iran, Afghanistan Nicaragua, Lebanon, Grenada, and Libya among others. Casey’s America under threat…have to look strong worldview leads to him green lighting more and more risky operations, which ultimately gave us Iran Contra, but the CIA was not a policy afterthought anymore.The Veil is both an intriguing fly on the wall account of covert action and presidential decision-making and a cautionary tale of what happens when a person’s beliefs are held so strongly that they become blinded to the consequences of action.

Got it for my husband as a gift and he really enjoyed it. Book is very interesting and in great condition

Detailed read. A bit heavy going. Took three attempts to complete but that’s more about me than this fascinating insight.

Real eye opener.

Such a great redux of the complex affair that dominated the political headlines of my teens. All you need to know in an easy and fun to read format.