The Ghost

The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton

By: Jefferson Morley

Narrated by: John Pruden

From World War II to the Cold War, Angleton operated beyond the view of the public, Congress, and even the president. He unwittingly shared intelligence secrets with Soviet spy Kim Philby, a member of the notorious Cambridge spy ring. He launched mass surveillance by opening the mail of hundreds of thousands of Americans. He abetted a scheme to aid Israel's own nuclear efforts, disregarding US security. He committed perjury and obstructed the JFK assassination investigation. He oversaw a massive spying operation on the antiwar and black nationalist movements and he initiated an obsessive search for communist moles that nearly destroyed the Agency.

In The Ghost, investigative reporter Jefferson Morley tells Angleton's dramatic story, from his friendship with the poet Ezra Pound through the underground gay milieu of mid-century Washington to the Kennedy assassination to the Watergate scandal. From the agency's MKULTRA mind-control experiments to the wars of the Mideast, Angleton wielded far more power than anyone knew. Yet, during his seemingly lawless reign in the CIA, he also proved himself to be a formidable adversary to our nation's enemies, acquiring a mythic stature within the CIA that continues to this day.

©2017 Jefferson Morley (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Writing

Intriguing and well written account of the people who were involved in or at least knew why JKK was assassinated

Secrecy Kills Democracy

Jefferson Morley has dawn every tax payer and citizen a great service through this work. His skill at turning complex research into accessible narrative benefits both the dilettante and expert readers alike.

If you work in government or politics, this is mandatory reading. I wish it was available 30 years ago when I started my career.

This is a well written story of a fascinating man

This is a well written story of a fascinating man. Morley exposes crimes against the country but puts the man in context both personal and historical.

Well-written, effectively organized

A welcome addition to the best books about Angleton and the CIA, with a fair amount of new material about these subjects.

Traitor

Turns out this low life was a traitor. Many of tge political low life's like Dick Cheney

More of the truth about the assassination of JFK

It is difficult as for an American, who was a teenager when JFK was assassinated, to comprehend the evil forces that could kill the President of the United States and get away with it! The more the truly evil people who contributed to the unspeakable horror, our nation faced in 1963 are exposed, the more justice, finally prevails.
James Angleton is truly a monster, and I believe he was correct when he said he would be going to hell after he died.

solid political biography with solid narration

great history and biographical sketch. Narration serves the material, clear with just the right amount of energy and delivery.

Intrigue

Deeply captivating 👍Although I grew up during 60s thru 70s, learned how deceptive & naive media was in those days. There’s always more to story than just the 👁️ 👍

Shining light on an American enigma

What did you like best about this story?

Well written and presented. There's lots of conspiracy fodder here, but presented in a clear-headed way. Jefferson Morley fleshes out one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of spycraft, and lays out how James Angleton infected a nation with his virulent form of Cold War paranoia.

How much damage can one Bureaucrat Spy commit?

Pretty interesting book that opens the door to the inner workings of the CIA. It took me a while to get into it but James Angleton had his fingers in EVERYTHING and book became more and more compelling One can't help but wonders what secrets he sheltered on Lee Harvey Oswald....