WIN Short-Form Book Reviews

by Robert Hutton, Pegasus Books, 03 September 2024

Review by Jeffrey Uncapher, former defense industry reporter, longtime AFIO member

First, this is a very well researched book on the life and times of Dudley Clark and his A Force, set against the backdrop of wartime Cairo and the events in the Middle East. Clark, an obscure British military officer, was born into a successful family who raised him to become a young subaltern in the First World War. Due to fortuitous circumstances of his upbringing, he developed a lifelong interest in the theatre, magic and the arts of illusion, which he put to use in operations during the war. Using excellently sourced notes from family members and friends, Clark is described as a very bright and focused man who knew that creating illusions in the mind of his audience was key to controlling their reactions or, in the case of war, their actions.

The book is replete with examples of tradecraft, on all sides, that shifted the fortunes of war at critical times. The insights of Japanese intelligence gathering is particularly interesting. Hutton fleshes out incidents such as the posting of Colonel Bonner Fellers to Cairo and the impact of the Italians copying the American code books, which lead to Rommel receiving his intelligence on US interests as fast as Washington DC did until the British figured out what was going wrong in the desert. The cast of characters in this passion play are a fascinating group of spooks as well. The work that Clark did was replicated many times over as the war progressed and eventually his deceptions became more macabre and well known.

Mr Hutton has written a beautiful tribute to a most fascinating man, who cross-dressed (his arrest by the Spanish police for that practice did not phase him nor his handlers for long). The book is impeccably sourced and fills a much needed gap in the understanding of the war in the Middle East and Africa. Mr. Hutton is a fine writer and great researcher. This is an excellent book.

Jeffrey Uncapher is a former reporter in the defense industry and aerospace realm. He has published works in magazines, including Defense Daily, Military Space, and Special Warfare. He served in the US military and in the community for the last thirty five years. He is a long term member of AFIO and has a special interest in HUMINT.

by Joe Keogh, Joe Ball, Greg Moore Amazon Books 16 May 2024
Review by John Driscol* Former CIA Executive, Directorate of Operations

 As mentors on the topic of marketing new ideas into a hierarchical and doctrinally driven organization, the authors are unimpeachable. Collectively, they bring almost a century of experience in intelligence operations that they have applied to teaching methods of promoting change and new thinking. This skill is sorely needed in the Intelligence Community (among others), making this book a worthy read.

The 9-11 Commission Report observed “four failures” that contributed to the deadly attacks on that day. “Failure of Imagination” was paramount among them, and all intelligence organizations still struggle with that today.“Bureaucracies are not known for fostering imagination,” states the 9-11 Commission Report. The observation is so understated as to be almost comical, were it not for its consequences. This book, comprising eight chapters, provides a roadmap for the intrepid officer who cares more about his country than about himself and is willing to make the effort to challenge “the way we do things.”

In the 1960s, Dr. George Land did landmark work on creativity for NASA in an effort to identify the most creative people for the Apollo Program. They were needed for the most challenging problems. Dr. Land developed a successful test for creativity. NASA applied it and that put America on the moon in 1969. Dr. Land did not stop there: he tested five-yearolds, ten-year-olds, fifteen-year-olds, and adults with the same test. His findings were stunning. Among the five year-olds, 98% scored in the “genius” range of creativity. By age 10, the percentage dropped to 30% and, by age 15, it sank to 15%. For adults, the rate was 2%. The results seem to indicate that we are all born creative and with imagination, but it is systematically driven out of us.

My 30-plus-year career saw many creative, innovative ideas and efforts fail. Good ideas, whose time was right, had the necessary funding, and were led with commitment, but could not produce the change they desired. The authors identify many of the conventional roadblocks that are encountered, offer sound advice and ideas to navigate them, and provide excellent examples of past events that illustrate the concepts.

Chapters two and four are particularly illuminating. They focus on capturing attention for your ideas — how to brief them successfully — and the barriers to innovation. Each chapter offers specific and practical advice in these areas and offer much to think about. Officers at all levels would benefit from an examination of the tips offered in these two chapters.

The authors have done yeoman research in the area as well. Excellent examples accompany each chapter. They also explore the intellectual underpinnings of innovation, resistance to change and emotional intelligence as a barrier to innovation. The combination of theory, example, and practical tips make the book a worthy read — not just for intelligence officers, but for anyone trying to produce needed organizational change.

If there is a criticism, it is that the book is long overdue.

*John Driscol is a former CIA Executive who has developed short-duration, high-impact leadership development programs for CIA, FBI, DEA, ICE, CBP, ODNI, the US Departments of State and Treasury, and the US Air Force. During his three-decade career at CIA, in addition to serving in command positions domestically and overseas, he also established the first Directorate of Operation’s unit to focus on talent management and career development in ways more commonly seen in top-tier private sector corporations, the US military, and other agencies of the Intelligence Community that were more evolved in these areas.