Mission Madness

A new and troubling account of the CIA’s 21st century challenges from intelligence beat Pulitzer Prize winner Tim Weiner

Since its creation in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has been America’s premier secret service. Tim Weiner, a former reporter for the New York Times, is no newcomer to this subject.  He began covering the intelligence beat in 1993 and wrote a book in 2007 entitled Legacy of Ashes, a searing criticism of the agency that won the National Book Award.  He has also garnered a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of national security.  

Legacy examined the first six decades of the CIA. The Mission takes up the story for the past 25 years—a roiling torrent of history that includes the 9/11 attacks, America’s “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rising threat (again) of Russia and China and the emergence of the Trump years.