The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America - Hardcover

Bamford, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385521324 ISBN 13: 9780385521321

Publisher: Doubleday, 2008

Synopsis

James Bamford exposed the existence of the top-secret National Security Agency in the bestselling The Puzzle Palace and continued to probe into its workings in his follow-up bestseller, Body of Secrets. Now Bamford discloses inside, often shocking information about the transformation of the NSA in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 2001.

In THE SHADOW FACTORY, Bamford shows how the NSA’s failure to detect the presence of two of the 9/11 hijackers inside the United States led the NSA to abandon its long-held policy of spying only on enemies outside the country. Instead, after 9/11 it turned its almost limitless ability to listen in on friend and foe alike over to the Bush Administration to use as a weapon in the war on terror. With unrivaled access to sources and documents, Bamford details how the agency has conducted domestic surveillance without court approval, and he frames it in the context of the NSA’s ongoing hunt for information about today’s elusive enemies.

THE SHADOW FACTORY is a riveting read for anyone concerned about civil liberties and America’s security in the post-9/11 world.

About this title

Review

Praise for "Body of Secrets":
"Extraordinary....A galvanizing narrative brimming with heretofore undisclosed details." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"With a flair and clarity that rivals those of the best spy novelists, Bamford has created a masterpiece of investigative reporting." --"Publishers Weekly"

A "Washington Post" Notable Book

"Important and disturbing. . . . This revealing and provocative book is necessary reading . . . Bamford goes where the 9/11 Commission did not fully go."
--Senator Bob Kerrey, "The Washington Post Book World"

"Fascinating. . . . Bamford has distilled a troubling chapter in American history."
--"Bloomberg News"

"At its core and at its best, Bamford's book is a schematic diagram tracing the obsessions and excesses of the Bush administration after 9/11. . . . There have been glimpses inside the NSA before, but until now no one has published a comprehensive and detailed report on the agency. . . . Bamford has emerged with everything except the combination to the director's safe."
--"The New York Times Book Review
"
"Engaging. . . . Chilling. . . . Bamford is able to link disparate facts and paint a picture of utter, compounded failure--failure to find the NSA's terrorist targets and failure to protect American citizens' communications from becoming tangled in a dragnet."
--"The San Francisco Chronicle
"
"The bad news in Bamford's fascinating new study of the NSA is that Big Brother really is watching. The worse news . . . is that Big Brother often listens in on the wrong people and sometimes fails to recognize critical information. . . . Bamford convincingly argues that the agency . . . broke the law and spied on Americans and nearly got away with it."
--"The Baltimore Sun"

A "Washington Post" Notable Book
"Important and disturbing. . . . This revealing and provocative book is necessary reading . . . Bamford goes where the 9/11 Commission did not fully go."
--Senator Bob Kerrey, "The Washington Post Book World"
"Fascinating. . . . Bamford has distilled a troubling chapter in American history."
--"Bloomberg News"
"At its core and at its best, Bamford's book is a schematic diagram tracing the obsessions and excesses of the Bush administration after 9/11. . . . There have been glimpses inside the NSA before, but until now no one has published a comprehensive and detailed report on the agency. . . . Bamford has emerged with everything except the combination to the director's safe."
--"The New York Times Book Review
"
"Engaging. . . . Chilling. . . . Bamford is able to link disparate facts and paint a picture of utter, compounded failure--failure to find the NSA's terrorist targets and failure to protect American citizens' communications from becoming tangled in a dragnet."
--"The San Francisco Chronicle
"
"The bad news in Bamford's fascinating new study of the NSA is that Big Brother really is watching. The worse news . . . is that Big Brother often listens in on the wrong people and sometimes fails to recognize critical information. . . . Bamford convincingly argues that the agency . . . broke the law and spied on Americans and nearly got away with it."
--"The Baltimore Sun"

A Washington Post Notable Book
Important and disturbing. . . . This revealing and provocative book is necessary reading . . . Bamford goes where the 9/11 Commission did not fully go.
Senator Bob Kerrey, The Washington Post Book World
Fascinating. . . . Bamford has distilled a troubling chapter in American history.
Bloomberg News
At its core and at its best, Bamford s book is a schematic diagram tracing the obsessions and excesses of the Bush administration after 9/11. . . . There have been glimpses inside the NSA before, but until now no one has published a comprehensive and detailed report on the agency. . . . Bamford has emerged with everything except the combination to the director s safe.
The New York Times Book Review

Engaging. . . . Chilling. . . . Bamford is able to link disparate facts and paint a picture of utter, compounded failure failure to find the NSA s terrorist targets and failure to protect American citizens communications from becoming tangled in a dragnet.
The San Francisco Chronicle

The bad news in Bamford s fascinating new study of the NSA is that Big Brother really is watching. The worse news . . . is that Big Brother often listens in on the wrong people and sometimes fails to recognize critical information. . . . Bamford convincingly argues that the agency . . . broke the law and spied on Americans and nearly got away with it.
The Baltimore Sun"

About the Author

JAMES BAMFORD is the author of Body of Secrets, The Puzzle Palace, and A Pretext for War, and has written on national security for The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine. His 2005 Rolling Stone article “The Man Who Sold the War” won a National Magazine Award for reporting. Formerly the Washington investigative producer for ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings and a distinguished visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Bamford lives in Washington, D.C.

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0385521324
• ISBN 13: 9780385521321
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 395