Intelligence_ From Secrets to Policy - Mark M. Lowenthal [1]
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Copyright © 2009 by Mark M. Lowenthal
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lowenthal, Mark M.
Intelligence : from secrets to policy / Mark M. Lowenthal.—4th ed. p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-87289-600-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Intelligence service—United States. 2. Intelligence service. 1. Title.
JK468.16L65 2009
327.1273—dc22 2008039013
For
Michael S. Freeman
1946-1999
Historian, Librarian, Friend
Preface
In years past, when academics who taught courses on intelligence got together, one of the first questions they asked one another was “What are you using for readings?” They asked because there was no standard text on intelligence. Available books were either general histories that did not suffice as course texts or academic discussions written largely for practitioners and aficionados, not for undergraduate or graduate students. Like many of my colleagues, I had long felt the need for an introductory text. I wrote the first edition of this book in 2000 to fill this gap in intelligence literature.
Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy is not a how-to book: It will not turn readers into competent spies or even better analysts. Rather, it is designed to give readers a firm understanding of the role that intelligence plays in making national security policy and insight into its strengths and weaknesses. The main theme of the book is that intelligence serves and is subservient to policy and that it works best—analytically and operationally—when tied to clearly understood policy goals.
The book has a U.S.-centric bias. I am most familiar with the U.S. intelligence establishment, and it is the largest, richest, and most multifaceted intelligence enterprise in the world. At the same time, readers with interests beyond the United States should derive from this book a better understanding of many basic issues in intelligence collection, analysis, and covert action and of the relationship of intelligence to policy
This volume begins with a discussion of the definition of intelligence and a brief history and overview of the U.S. intelligence community. The core of the book is organized along the lines of the intelligence process as practiced by most intelligence enterprises: requirements, collection, analysis, dissemination, and policy. Each aspect is discussed in detail in terms of its role, strengths, and problems. The book’s structure allows the reader to understand the overall intelligence process and the specific issues encountered in each step of