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From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War

robert m. gates

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As the only person to rise from entry-level analyst to Director of the CIA and to serve on the White House staffs of four Presidents, Robert Gates is uniquely qualified to tell the unprecedented inside story of the Cold War. Drawing on his access to classified information and top-level involvement in policy decisions, Gates lays bare the hidden wars and operations the United States waged against communism worldwide. Ever certain that the fifty-year struggle with the Soviet Union was indeed a war, Gates makes candid appraisals of Presidents, key officials, and policies of the period. Among his disclosures how Carter laid the foundations for Reagan's covert wars against the Soviets; CIA predictions of a conservative coup against Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Union; CIA and KGB "black operations" against each other; the secret relationship between Pope John Paul II and the Soviets; and three secret CIA-KGB summits.

From the Shadows is a classic memoir on the career of a CIA officer at the center of power during a time when the threat of global annihilation informed America's every move.

607 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1996

This edition

Format
607 pages, Paperback
Published
January 9, 2007 by Simon \u0026 Schuster
ISBN
9781416543367
ASIN
1416543368
Language
English

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About the author

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robert m. gates

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Community Reviews

Rating(3.7 / 5.0, 39 votes)
5 stars
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39 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Acrobation
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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An amazing perspective across quite the swatch of time/presidential administrations. My only complaint is that it is both too short and too long (so I guess it is just right...) - so many key critical moments get just a brief mention (Abel Archer got only 2 or 3 pages) and sometimes it was a bit of a push to keep going through the book. The specific moments are covered in detail elsewhere and the main point of this book is the long arc of winning the cold war.

Sometimes Gates' biases showed through (almost an apologist for the CIA) but overall I felt it was a very insightful and honest perspective from someone with a keen insiders view. Definitely worth reading and studying.

I would love to see an update to this book and many of the perspectives now.
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SeriousSarcasm
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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The title may lead you to believe this is a collection of cloak and dagger stories recently (as of the original publication) declassified and now available for public consumption. I suspect the title was the publisher's choice meant to drive up book sales. Regardless, this is a fine and worthy read but a spy novel it is not. This is Gates' first-hand view of his service under five presidents and the major muscle movements of diplomacy, espionage, and military defense that most contributed to ending the Cold War.

The reader should keep in mind when the book was published when asking why certain events were not covered or were covered minimally. All in all, I would say this is an important work for anyone wishing to understand the Cold War and particularly how and why it fizzled out rather than turning hot.
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syufrea
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Great insight to history!

Great read!

Bob Gates gives us detailed info on history that has shaped our world. I highly recommend this required reading.
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prophet001
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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An interesting but self serving view of the nuts-and-bolts workings of the CIA. The author is generous to some former residents of the Oval Office but it shows it’s age as it finishes with the first Bush administration. This is the unHolywood side of the game of mirrors and will probably appeal to policy wonks.
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apaulagize
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Reading a historical memoir is always a dicey proposition - what was selected, and what was repressed, and why? In this book, the CIA and Gates always come up roses, and I don't believe that was an accident. Nevertheless, the tale of the demise of the Soviet Union was well told from his vantage point. I also bumped the rating up a bit for having the courage to praise Carter's foreign policy and how it enabled Reagan and Bush's successful conclusion of the cold war. But that was also used to justify the Reagan policies so, again, who knows...
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RomanceZero
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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A good read but thought it was lacking something. Was hoping for more details about his experiences when part of the NSC staff and as DCI
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jirioxy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Super boring imo. He just retells history. Idk I don’t remember much besides not being captivated at all
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Gyro_Mozzarella
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Enjoyed reading. Recommended for all.

I could not put this book down. Enjoyed learning from the past at a level I am not at. Makes a good course in college to teach.
Eli
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