At The Center Of The Storm: My Years At The CIA

The Story

In the whirlwind of accusations and recriminations that has attended the postndash;9/11 world, one man's vital testimony has been conspicuously absent. Candid and compelling, AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM is George Tenet's memoir of his life at the CIA ndash;ndash; a revelatory look at the inner workings of America's top intelligence agency and its dealings with national leaders at home and abroad. Beginning with his installation as Director of Central Intelligence in 1997, Tenet unfolds the momentous events that led up to 9/11: his declaration of war on Al Qaeda in 1998, CIA operations inside Afghanistan, the worldwide operational plan to fight terror, his warnings to White House officials in the spring and summer of 2001, and the plan for a response laid down just six days after the attack. In his gripping narration of the runndash;up to the war in Iraq, Tenet provides fresh insights and background, including a privileged account of how the famous 'sixteen words' made it into the President's State of the Union speech, the real context of his own nowndash;famous 'slamndash;dunk' comment, and the CIA's views of the rise of an Iraqi insurgency. Finally, in addition to the backstage story of the headline events, Tenet will offer his thoughts on the future of U.S. intelligence and its role in foreignndash;policy decisions, setting forth an informed plan for how we can forge a more secure world.