Weiner attributes it wholly to information from a foreign intelligence service. Through analytic rigor, the agency made a near-perfect forecast of the 1967 Mideast War. To Weiner, it is tied to failure, because the CIA should have had better human sources inside the Soviet Union. According to Weiner, that was a failure "because no one listened." The development of the U-2 spyplane was a stunning technological achievement that offered a unique look behind the Iron Curtain. In 1948, the CIA accurately assessed the chances of war with the Soviets as nil. Backed by selective citations, sweeping assertions, and a fascination with the negative, Weiner overlooks, minimizes, or distorts agency achievements. That said, Tim Weiner's recently published book, Legacy of Ashes, paints far too dark a picture of the agency's past. There will be shortcomings and unpleasant surprises. Intelligence work, focused as it is on the uncertain, the unknown, and the deliberately hidden, comes with great difficulty and risk. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ - The CIA is no stranger to criticism.
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