Reading Notes/Study questions for Andrew reading
The broad question to ask yourself throughout this reading: how much did the arrival of the Cold War in 1947 alter the US approach to foreign intelligence?
Introduction (1-4): read closely—introduces the main arguments that Andrew will be making throughout his book
3-49: can skim over most of this section, which discusses US naivete regarding intelligence, but read the section on Wilson closely. The role of William Wiseman is also important.
50-74: Discusses role of intell in 1919 peace conference and subsequent diplomatic events. Can be skimmed.
75-80: FDR background in intelligence. Keep this in mind as you read later on: to what extent, if at all, did FDR’s background in intelligence affect his later actions as President?
80-92: summary of early FDR actions as president on intelligence matters: can be skimmed.
92-105: constitutional questions are worth considering here; to what extent was FDR justified in taking the actions that he did? Pay attention to the origins of the US-UK intelligence alliance and the roles of Stephenson and Donovan.
105-122: Pearl Harbor and intelligence: we covered this last time in class--can be skimmed.
123-127: SIGINT--read very closely. Is Andrew persuasive in his argument on SIGINT's importance?
128-149: intelligence and WWII: read closely, note role of OSS in Operation TORCH, nature of BRUSA alliance. How should we characterize the OSS--was it a comprehensive intelligence agency?
149-156: read closely. How can you explain Truman's actions toward Donovan? What does this say about the role of the presidency and intelligence?
156-170: important section on relationship between President and intelligence community
170: some of you might find very interesting the Hillenkoeter record: successful on "collegiality," weak on matters of substance
171-177: Truman, CIA, and covert operations: this is an extremely important section for setting up the course as a whole.
178-182: counterintelligence: how should we, as historians, evaluate the US response to the internal Soviet threat? How important is this issue in terms of understanding the US intelligence history?
182-198: intell and Korean War--read closely.