THE PRESIDENT'S BOOK OF SECRETS
The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America's
Presidents from Kennedy to Obama by David Priess
Every president has had a unique and complicated
relationship with the intelligence community. While some have been coolly
distant, even adversarial, others have found their intelligence agencies to be
among the most valuable instruments of policy and power.
Since John F. Kennedy’s presidency, this relationship has
been distilled into a personalized daily report: a short summary of what the
intelligence apparatus considers the most crucial information for the president
to know that day about global threats and opportunities. This top–secret
document is known as the President’s Daily Brief, or, within national security
circles, simply “the Book.” Presidents have spent anywhere from a few moments
(Richard Nixon) to a healthy part of their day (George W. Bush) consumed by its
contents; some (Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush) consider it far and away
the most important document they saw on a regular basis while commander in
chief.
I picked this book up not looking for the juicy details of
secrets for the Presidents but to learn about the process. That is the mechanism of Presidential
decision making. There were few if any secrets. There was lots of information about how
choices were made, some wise, some botched
for a myriad of reasons. I delayed reading this book till after this
years Presidential campaign began in earnest and then delayed it even longer. It became a frightening
book to say the very least and the reason is quite simple. I imagined this
process and the contents it contains on a day by day basis in the hands of the
most unqualified and dangerous MAN in American History to be nominated by a
major political party for the Presidency of the United States ever………
Then after the electorate chooses Hillary, go ahead and read
this most interesting book, in a calm manner, somewhat,though not perfectly assured, that the fate of
our nation rests in reasonably intelligent hands