Godson, Roy, ed. Comparing Foreign Intelligence: The U.S., the USSR, the U.K. and the Third World. Washington, DC: Pergamon-Brassey's, 1988.
Contents: Roy Godson, "Introduction: The New Study of Intelligence"; Kenneth G. Robertson, "The Study of Intelligence in the United States"; Christopher Andrew, "Historical Research on the British Intelligence Community"; John J. Dziak, "The Study of the Soviet Intelligence and Security System"; Dale F. Eickelman, "Intelligence in an Arab Gulf State" [Oman]; Adda Bozeman. "Political Intelligence in Non-Western Societies: Suggestions for Comparative Research."
Clark comment: This is a first step in seeking to move intelligence studies away from a country-specific paradigm to a more comparative approach. It does little more than suggest the potential usefulness of comparative studies, but that is all one can expect from groundbreaking works. Wark, I&NS 4.1, finds "solid value in the Andrew and Bozeman articles and useful material in Robertson, Dziak and Eickelman."
[OtherCountries/Oman; Russia/Overviews; Overviews/Gen/To89; RefMats/Bib/U.S./Topical; RefMats/Teachimg; UK/Reference][c]
Godson,
Roy, ed. Intelligence Requirements for the 1980s. 7 vols. Washington, DC: National Strategy Information Center, 1979-1985.
1. Elements of Intelligence. 1979. Rev. ed., 1983.
2. Analysis and Estimates. 1980.
3. Counterintelligence. 1980.
4. Covert Action. 1981.
5. Clandestine Collection. 1985.
6. Domestic Intelligence. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1986.
7. Intelligence and Policy. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1986.
Clark comment: These volumes consist of the collected papers and comments from colloquia held by the Consortium for the Study of Intelligence, beginning in 1979. Though sorely dated for analytic purposes today, they are useful for exploring the state of mind of individuals broadly supportive of intelligence activities during a period where intelligence was beginning to climb out of the hole dug for it in the 1970s.
It is interesting to Constantinides that several of the contributors later served as advisers to the Reagan campaign and/or transition team members. He also thinks that the "discussion sections are typically too short and too general." Pforzheimer notes that "many of the papers ... are of uneven quality"; however, there are others that "deserve to be read with great care and interest by professionals and non-professionals alike."
Robertson, I&NS 2.4, comments that "the emphasis on maintaining a unified approach, and a focus upon public policy issues, has meant that ... no attempt has been made to challenge [the series'] own conceptions and assumptions at a fundamental level." Nonetheless, the "series does have considerable unity of purpose and concepts.... Further, this unity of purpose is not at the expense of a diversity of views."
[CIA/Requirements; Reform/80s]
Godson,
Roy, ed. Intelligence Requirements for the 1990s: Collection, Analysis, Counterintelligence and Covert Action. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books,
1989.
According to West, PSQ 106.3, much of the material on the Soviet Union and East Europe in this compendium was severely outdated even before the book came out. In addition, because the essays were written for a conference, there is a tendency for material to be repeated and for individual subjects to be watered down. Nonetheless, "the book is interesting, easy to read, and enjoys the general support of the academic intelligence community." The FA 68.5 (Sep.-Oct. 1988) reviewer notes that, while "dominated by the perspective" of executive branch intelligence practitioners, this book presents "a useful summary of the issues that confront American intelligence."
[CIA/Requirements; Reform/80s]
Godson,
Roy, with Richard Kerr [Former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence]
and Ernest May [Professor of History, Harvard University]. Covert Action in the 1990s. Working Group on Intelligence Reform. Washington, DC: Consortium for the Study of Intelligence, 1992.
[CA/90s]
Godson, Roy,
and Wm J. Olson. International Organized Crime: Emerging Threat to U.S.
Security. Washington, DC: National Strategy Information Center, 1993.
[GenPostwar/NatSec]
Godson, Roy, and James J. Wirtz, eds. Strategic Denial and Deception: The Twenty-First Century Challenge. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 2002.
Richelson, IJI&C 16.1, comments that "[t]he examination of historical cases of denial and deception [D&D] as an aid to understanding the D&D issues of this new century is certainly reasonable.... There is a significant difference, however, between using historical studies as a complement to contemporary studies and as a substitute.... Also missing from the book is any detailed treatment of United States involvement with denial and deception.... Thus, Strategic Denial and Deception may benefit those unfamiliar with historical cases, but someone looking for a guide to the future will be sorely disappointed." Wirtz and Richelson exchange barbs in IJI&C 17.1/184-191.
[MI/Deception]
Godson,
Roy, Ernest May, and Gary Schmitt, eds. U.S. Intelligence at the Crossroads: Agendas for Reform. Washington, DC: Brassey's, 1995. JK468I6U18
Clark comment: This volume consists of 18 papers originally presented at meetings of the Working Group on Intelligence Reform or written by Group members. The papers range quite broadly across the intelligence landscape -- from definitional discussions to the intelligence industrial base to counterintelligence issues to military intelligence concerns and beyond.
For Cohen, FA 74.5 (Sep.-Oct. 1995), this "is considerably better than the run-of-the-mill collection of articles.... Individual contributions stand out, among them David Kay's superb description of Iraq's success at hiding its nuclear program from U.S. intelligence... The authors do not march in lockstep ... and represent a variety of political views.... Those interested in provocative but informed discussion of where American intelligence stands at the end of the Cold War, and where it should go, should start with this book."
Jonkers, AIJ 16.2/3, agrees, commenting that the "book is recommended reading for all interested in contemplating the structure of US intelligence in a changed world." Garthoff, PSQ 111.3, comments that while there "is some unevenness in the contributions and in gaps between them..., over all the book certainly makes a contribution to what should indeed be a major debate on an important subject of public policy." Collins, WIR 15.3, finds the book "a welcome collection of reading materials" for those teaching courses on intelligence.
To Warren, Surveillant 4.3, this "is the book for policy wonks with an intelligence focus.... The papers contain no startling pronouncements or innovative suggestions, but they do present a coherent background from which to view the current impetus for reform or reorganization of the intelligence community." Flanagin, NSLR, Oct. 1995, notes that this "compendium of papers ... is not a consensus report. The contributors represent different orientations ... and their differences of opinion are illuminating. The book offers a set of alternatives rather than a single agenda for reform."
[Reform/90s]
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