Although the book have a good background of the historical topic, I thought Gates humped around too much working the chapters and could have better followed the time chronology throughout. I learned a lot I didn't know reading the book but was pretty bored while reading it.

I used this book for a research paper a long time ago and ended up reading the whole thing.

Gates reveals extremely controversial events that are unlikely ever to be talked about in the mainstream and I am now in the personal belief that the CIA should be abolished on the basis of specific things that they've done. He didn't really have that much to do with the Nixon and Ford administrations, but the Carter/Reagan/Bush administrations....yikes.

The only problem I had with this book is that, while very revealing, the author shows an obvious bias that is very confusing (the bias doesn't get in the way in the book). It appears he was indoctrinated to believe that the CIA is never wrong in the things they do, and shouldn't be upheld for their 'mistakes'-(illegal activity). So while he mentions things the CIA did that are definitely wrong, he doesn't believe they are lol. Like in example, the CIA sought finding ways to ignore laws passed by congress or finding loopholes in them, so they wouldn't get in trouble for the things they were specifically outlawed against doing. It really enforces the idea that our government has culturally transformed into a Mafia mindset. I recommend reading this regardless of your opinions on interventionism, if you want a clearer view on America's foreign policy during the Second half of the Cold War. For a better understanding on how our contemporary hawkish policymakers think (the very intelligent ones at least), I recommend reading The Grand Chessboard and Strategic Vision by Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Analytical, symmetic overview of cold war foreign policy by current secretary of defense...lacks conspiratual insight.

This memoir from Robert M. Gates relates his career in the White House, serving five presidents, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush. His role had included deputy director of the CIA, deputy national security adviser and finally director of the CIA. The narrative provides a fair bit about the role which intelligence plays in policy decisions, the politics and infighting between personalities within each presidency, the hardline often adopted against the USSR with Gates relating that the Soviets had considered him as a hardliner.

What is astonishing is the revelation of the continuity of policy-making between all five presidencies, with succeeding presidents, often adopting and continuing the policies of the previous.

There is also a large section on the winding down of the USSR and how Gorbachev, often seen as a benign, well-meaning leader today, was actually rather hardline and was lost in his reforms of the collapsing empire and had lost control of the entire process, leading to the demise of the Warsaw Pact.

There is also the narrative of Gates' career progression from the CIA to that of the director and how he was embroiled in the Iran-Contra scandal despite having played no part.

All in all, this is a well-written memoir that serves to inform on the decision-making and policy-making at that highest echelon.

After watching "The Company" a few weeks ago, I wanted to learn more about the CIA and the Cold War. After a few chapters into it, it is strategic overview of the past five presidencies' foreign policy.

Robert Gates's first book is an under-appreciated historical account of an under-analyzed conflict. The Cold War, despite being the defining global conflict of the last 75 years, is largely discussed today in basic strokes: the USSR's fall was inevitable, and the US hastened that fall through aggressive foreign policy in the Reagan era. The CIA, meanwhile, receives a largely murky reputation from the conflict -- responsible for disastrous regime change throughout the Cold War and home to a lot of other catastrophic bureaucratic overreach, most notably Iran-Contra. While these statements are all generally true, they lack the nuance and perspective that Gates's book provides.

Gates had a unique vantage point from which to write this book, at the time having worked his way from an entry-level CIA analyst to Director of Central Intelligence, plus numerous significant roles on the National Security Council. He details CIA's internal culture and operations in a way that almost no other public figure has done, describing the exclusionary hubris of Directorate of Operations and the constant internal struggles between D.O. and Analysis, not to mention the external feuds with other branches of government. Furthermore, he gives an excellent timeline of the numerous global conflicts of the late Cold War. I learned a lot about conflicts in Angola, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and elsewhere that you don't ever hear about in the news or the history books. And ultimately, Gates's argument is valid, although not objectively true: the CIA, and the US more broadly, needed to combat the Soviet Union's international aggression, and their tactics in many of these countries ultimately helped ensure the USSR's collapse.

I have some mild criticism for this book too, however. Throughout the account, Gates's tone and mentality seem a touch on the arrogant side -- like many stereotypes of the CIA, he has immense pride for his organization's work and clear disdain for Congress and the White House (most of the time). Perhaps driven by former Sec. of State Shultz's criticisms of CIA, Gates seems overly defensive about CIA's intelligence assessments and track record throughout the 80s; as a reader in 2020, these comments seemed unnecessary and out of context. Finally, his primary political argument isn't fool-proof. He largely makes the point that detente was an ineffective strategy that gave the Soviets significant advantages around the world, but in doing so, he also comes across as slightly hawkish and dismissive of arms control agreements and nonaggression movements. All the same, political ideology isn't a reason to criticize a book, and on a factual level, Gates's work is excellent.

Thus, on the whole, I did enjoy this book. While not the most approachable or engaging political nonfiction, it contains important and oft-forgotten lessons about international affairs and the role of the CIA. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read more recent works by Gates or is curious about the Cold War or CIA.

Well-done blend of fact and some honest opinions. Gates obviously did much research in addition to his personal recollections of the Cold War during the 70s and 80s which makes his book particularly interesting.

Although I enjoyed this book, in general I don't read books that focus on history. I must say that it took me much longer than usual to read this book because I found some parts very dense with acronyms, names and dates. Not that those parts were bad, just not easily consumed by someone who typically prefers fiction or science.

I feel like I now have a much better grasp of how the Cold War unfolded both in public and behind-the-scenes.

This is not a book about covert actions or cloak and dagger "spy stuff". It is a book about the other side of the CIA - the analytical piece that forms most of the foreign policy decisions of the US President. Will be of interest to those who grew up in the height of the cold war and who want to understand the goings on in the White House during those years. Requires a certain knowledge of the history of that era - otherwise you will be googling people's names to see who they were. Most importantly Gates is entirely non-partisan and gives each President he served under (Nixon, Ford, Carter, Regan, Bush) praise in areas that they were generally heavily criticized for. Worth reading for cold war history buffs and political junkies.

I spent a few days with this, and only intended to find out if Gates had a background in the military. However, it was so well written, and his story was so interesting that I read the whole book. It was like being a 'fly on the wall' at the nexus of power in Washington DC through five different administrations. I especially liked his impressions of Jimmy Carter. Gates feels that Carter is by far the smartest of our recent presidents, and he was so thoughtful and contemplative that his enemies interpreted this as weakness. And, nothing could be farther from the truth. (Simple minds seem to require simple solutions). Also, Gates seems to feel a fair degree of disgust for the partisan politics which emerged in the Regan era. Although, it is evident that Gates had the greatest admiration for this president, he felt that the people under him were a bit too concerned with party loyalty. And, although I'm sure that this was even worse under George W. Bush's regime. Also, William Casey, the head of the CIA under Regan, comes across as a very strange individual. Usually he is vilified, but Gates shows why he took some of the 'extreme' positions, and why he felt they were justified. And, finally, Robert Gates comes across as someone who only did what he felt was right, and had no political ax to grind. When you finish the book, you feel you have read what really happened, and not a recreation of events to fit a particular political agenda.

Yet another well written and intellectually honest book from one of the greatest unsung heroes our terribly difficult but wonderful political system.

I met Mr. Gates at a speech he gave at the Reagan Library during the political campaign of Donald Trump's successful, yet terrible bid for the presidency. I remember asking him what it would take for him to enter that political campaign as a presidential candidate. He responded with a question: "I assume you really meant to ask how much he wanted to be divorced!" I doubt he could have given me a more honest answer.

I have a profound sense of respect, admiration
and affection for him. This book, From the Shadows, reinforces those emotions and feelings and even enhances them.

This is a marvelous and insightful read.

David W. Long
Judge of the Superior Court (Ret.)

Good book which brings the insight of an insider over an important span of American history between US-USSR/Russia relations.

Great read, compelling thoughts on the Cold War and relations between the two major super powers, being the Soviet Union and the United States, alongside the relationship of Gorbachev and Reagan proving excellent in comparison to previous presidential relations with the USSR. Does Gates hold an agenda though due to his position within the CIA and stating his favourite president to work under (from all eight of them) was indeed Reagan, either way Gates creates a wonderful read.