OSS
The Secret History of America's First Central Intelligence Agency
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OSS
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Narrated by:
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Joe Barrett
About this listen
In the months before World War II, FDR prepared the country for conflict with Germany and Japan by reshuffling various government agencies to create the Office of Strategic Services - America's first intelligence agency and the direct precursor to the CIA. When he charged William ("Wild Bill") Donovan, a successful Wall Street lawyer and Wilkie Republican, to head up the office, the die was set for some of the most fantastic and fascinating operations the US government has ever conducted.
Author Richard Harris Smith, himself an ex-CIA hand, documents the controversial agency from its conception as a spin-off of the Office of the Coordinator for Information to its demise under Harry Truman and reconfiguration as the CIA.
During his tenure, Donovan oversaw a chaotic cast of some 10,000 agents drawn from the most conservative financial scions to the country's most idealistic New Deal true believers. Together they usurped the roles of government agencies both foreign and domestic, concocted unbelievably complicated conspiracies, and fought the good fight against the Axis powers of Germany and Japan.
Colorful personalities and truly priceless anecdotes abound in what may arguably be called the most authoritative work on the subject.
©2005 Richard Harris Smith (P)2019 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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- By: John Lisle
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
In the summer of 1942, Stanley Lovell, a renowned industrial chemist, received a mysterious order to report to an unfamiliar building in Washington, D.C. When he arrived, he was led to a barren room where he waited to meet the man who had summoned him. After a disconcerting amount of time, William “Wild Bill” Donovan, the head of the OSS, walked in the door. Following this life-changing encounter, Lovell became the head of a secret group of scientists who developed dirty tricks for the OSS, the precursor to the CIA.
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5 out of 5 stars
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amazing book finished in less than a week
- By xander on 03-17-23
By: John Lisle
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Churchill's Band of Brothers
- WWII's Most Daring D-Day Mission and the Hunt to Take Down Hitler's Fugitive War Criminals
- By: Damien Lewis
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 126
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 106
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Story5 out of 5 stars 106
On the night of June 13th, 1944, a 12-man SAS unit parachuted into occupied France. Their objective: hit German forces deep behind the lines, cutting the rail-tracks linking Central France to the northern coastline. In a country crawling with enemy troops, their mission was to prevent Hitler from rushing his Panzer divisions to the D-Day beaches and driving the Allied troops back into the sea. It was a Herculean task, but no risk was deemed too great to stop the Nazi assault.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating story of incredible bravery.
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 10-02-21
By: Damien Lewis
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The Craft of Intelligence
- America's Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering for a Free World
- By: Allen W. Dulles
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 265
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 228
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 228
This classic of spycraft is based on Allen Dulles's incomparable experience as a diplomat, international lawyer, and America's premier intelligence officer. Dulles was a high-ranking officer of the CIA's predecessor - the Office of Strategic Services - and was present at the inception of the CIA, where he served eight of his 10 years there as director. Here he sums up what he learned about intelligence from nearly a half-century of experience in foreign affairs.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Absorbing
- By Jean on 12-14-17
By: Allen W. Dulles
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Donovan
- America’s Master Spy
- By: Richard Dunlop, William Stephenson - foreword
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 25 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 573
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 515
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 513
The fascinating biography of the man who laid the foundation for the CIA. One of the most celebrated and highly decorated heroes of World War I, a noted trial lawyer, presidential adviser and emissary, and chief of America’s Office of Strategic Services during World War II, William J. Donovan was a legendary figure. Donovan, originally published in 1982, penetrates the cloak of secrecy surrounding this remarkable man. The result is the definitive biography that Donovan himself had always expected Dunlop would write.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating Biography
- By Jean on 10-15-14
By: Richard Dunlop, and others
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In Deep
- The FBI, CIA, and the Truth about America's "Deep State"
- By: David Rohde
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 93
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 85
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Story4 out of 5 stars 85
Three-quarters of Americans believe that a group of unelected government and military officials secretly manipulate or direct national policy in the United States. This sweeping exploration examines the CIA and FBI scandals of the past 50 years - from the Church Committee's exposure of Cold War abuses, to Abscam, to false intelligence about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, to NSA mass surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden. It then investigates the claims and counterclaims of the Trump era, and the relentless spread of conspiracy theories online and on-air.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Pure Propaganda
- By S Wilkey on 05-21-20
By: David Rohde
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To Catch a Spy
- The Art of Counterintelligence
- By: James M. Olson
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 282
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 239
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 239
In To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence, James M. Olson, former chief of CIA counterintelligence, offers a wake-up call for the American public and also a guide for how our country can do a better job of protecting its national security and trade secrets. Olson takes the listener into the arcane world of counterintelligence as he lived it during his 30-year career in the CIA.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Horrible Narrator
- By NN on 10-01-19
By: James M. Olson
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Behind Japanese Lines
- With the OSS in Burma
- By: Richard Dunlop
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 597
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 544
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 540
The extraordinary firsthand account of an American special forces unit in the jungles of southeast Asia and their guerilla operations against the Japanese during World War II!
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5 out of 5 stars
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The OSS in Burma
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 08-03-14
By: Richard Dunlop
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The Jedburghs
- The Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France 1944
- By: Will Irwin
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 158
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 97
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 102
The first full history of the pioneering Special Forces units of World War II, dropped behind German lines into France to assist with the D-Day landings, told by a former U.S. Special Forces colonel with unique access to surviving veterans.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Really Enjoyed It
- By Alex on 01-19-06
By: Will Irwin
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Hunting the Jackal
- A Special Forces and CIA Soldier's Fifty Years on the Frontlines of the War Against Terrorism
- By: Billy Waugh, Tim Keown
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,730
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,524
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,514
For more than half a century, Special Forces and CIA legend Billy Waugh dedicated his life to tracking down and eliminating America's most virulent enemies. Operating from the darkest shadows and most desolate corners of the world, he made his mark in many of the most important operations in the annals of US Spec Ops. He spent seven and a half years behind enemy lines in Vietnam as a member of a covert group of elite commandos.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hunting the Jackal - epic accounting of SOF/SOG and CIA IV
- By Eric on 01-08-18
By: Billy Waugh, and others
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SAS Ghost Patrol
- The Ultra-Secret Unit that Posed as Nazi Stormtroopers
- By: Damien Lewis
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 50
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 42
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Story5 out of 5 stars 41
On a scorching September day in 1942, the Special Air Service (SAS), a special forces unit of the British Army, pulled off one of the most daring, top-secret ruses of the Second World War. The plan (sanctioned by Churchill): cover a grueling 2,000 miles of the Sahara desert to attack German general Erwin Rommel's seemingly impregnable port fortress in North Africa from the rear to break free and arm more than 30,000 Allied POWs.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Superlative
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M). on 05-24-21
By: Damien Lewis
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A Man Called Intrepid
- The Incredible WWII Narrative of the Hero Whose Spy Network and Secret Diplomacy Changed the Course of History
- By: William Stevenson
- Narrated by: David McAlister
- Length: 21 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 550
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 480
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 480
A Man Called Intrepid is the account of the world’s first integrated intelligence operation and of its master, William Stephenson. Codenamed INTREPID by Winston Churchill, Stephenson was charged with establishing and running a vast, worldwide intelligence network to challenge the terrifying force of Nazi Germany. Nothing less than the fate of Britain and the free world hung in the balance as INTREPID covertly set about stalling the Nazis by any means necessary.
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3 out of 5 stars
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You have to wonder ...
- By Mike From Mesa on 04-15-14
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Intrepid’s Last Case
- By: William Stevenson
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 13
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 11
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
Intrepid's Last Case chronicles the post-World War II activities of Sir William Stephenson, whose fascinating role in helping to defeat the Nazis was the subject of the worldwide best seller A Man Called Intrepid.
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3 out of 5 stars
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This needed an editor
- By Greg Camp on 10-29-24
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Black Ops
- The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior
- By: Ric Prado
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,145
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,031
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,029
Enrique Prado found himself in his first firefight at age seven. The son of a middle-class Cuban family caught in the midst of the Castro Revolution, his family fled their war-torn home for the hope of a better life in America. Fifty years later, the Cuban refugee retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general. Black Ops is the story of Ric’s legendary career that spanned two eras, the Cold War and the Age of Terrorism.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Impressive and Inspiring!
- By medardo on 03-12-22
By: Ric Prado
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The Devil's Chessboard
- Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government
- By: David Talbot
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,255
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,981
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,986
An explosive, headline-making portrait of Allen Dulles, the man who transformed the CIA into the most powerful - and secretive - colossus in Washington, from the founder of Salon.com and author of the New York Times best seller Brothers.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Disturbing. Makes you question the company line.
- By KTS on 02-06-16
By: David Talbot
What listeners say about OSS
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-14-24
Very through and insightful!
Excellent book very well researched! A must listen for anyone interested in espionage and in how it all began!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Evan
- 01-23-20
Evan's Review
The book wasn't what I expected. I thought the author would go more in the work of oss with operaterations during the WW11 but instead when more in personalities.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Scott H
- 07-13-21
A book on political science of WWII
This book is more about the political atmosphere of WW2, and where the individuals of the OSS stood in that atmosphere, than what the OSS actually accomplished.
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2 people found this helpful