A Spy's Journey: A CIA Memoir

Book Description
For thirty-five years, Floyd Paseman served in the Operations Directorate of the Central Intelligence Agency. From spy in the field to the top ranks of the Company’s career agents, he experienced it all as well as seven different presidential administrations. While Paseman’s account of his long service has enough real-life derring-do to keep the reader engaged, of even greater interest, however, are Paseman’s observation on politics and the CIA, especially how change of presidential administrations could bring sweeping, and often negative changes to the agency. "Floyd L. Paseman was the chief of the East Asia covert operations division from 1992 to 1994, after 25 years spent mostly in Asia. It was a post Shackley had held two decades before. Shackley was all about statistics. Paseman is all about people, which is why he was able to recruit a Chinese spy, an exceedingly rare find in the 1970's. He believes covert action -- trying to change the course of history, as opposed to stealing secrets through espionage -- should always be the last choice for the C.I.A. That was a hard-won lesson. A Spy's Journey is a pleasure to read, the most personable memoir by a senior spy since David Atlee Phillips's 1977 classic, ''The Night Watch.'' If you wonder what it's like to breakfast on moose lips and vodka in Mongolia, this is your book. Paseman had fun -- until suddenly, in 2001, he decided it wasn't fun anymore." - NYTimes Sunday Book Review


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During his 35 years at the CIA, Paseman moved up through a dozen promotions, serving as station chief in Germany at the height of the Cold War and chief of the East Asia division at Langley headquarters. His firsthand experience informs his evaluation of the agency's operations and its evolution since the early 1960s. Paseman makes a persuasive case that the United States needs more effective agents on the ground. For example, the United States did not have a single agent in Iraq before the war. He states flatly that the 9/11 attack was a failure of U.S. intelligence and argues that intelligence gathering can be improved by ensuring that people in the field have a thorough knowledge of the language and culture of the country where they are working. That type of agent takes time to develop, but electronic devices cannot replace what can be gained through direct observation by a trained agent. One of the best CIA memoirs published in a long while, this excellent introduction to the world of espionage is recommended for all collections.-Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.


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