5 comments about The Diary Of Samuel Pepys, 1666 (1666).

1. I've long been a student and a collector of information on the personalities of Restoration England, growing out of a desire to know more about the background in literature classes. The Restoration crowd loved life, and in this volume (and presumably the next) you see how tenuous their lives were -- 5000 a week in the City of London dying of plague, two fleets of 100 ships each at war in a narrow sea, everyone so intent on feathering their nest and getting their next place, and an honest man rarest commodity of all. I love all these diaries. I've learned to ignore a lot of the textural (not text) notes that tell you if there was a blot on the page, or the symbol was not quite clear, but the footnotes are amazing and so is the information. Love Sam; he could have done pretty much as he pleased with me, I fear. But in his daily strolls of 5 miles and more I fear I could never have kept up as he went up and down the town, up and down the river. I've been to London and took the boat tour on the Thames from the houses of Parliament down to Greenwich to see the naval museum and Queen's house -- and he would walk, day or night, from London to Depworth, to Woolwich, to Greenwich (though he'd borrow the boat if he could) and pay attention to all he passed. What a companion!

   Unfortunately for my budget's sake I started buying these in 3s and am now having trouble filling up 1666-1669. I will persevere, though, and anticipate a re-read of all or part probably every summer (while TV takes a dive and there's good light to read by until long into the evening). The only thing I have wished for is more portraits of the people he is speaking of--and the portraits by Huysmans and Lely that he reports having seen fresh painted. However, financially that may not have been doable. Will have to keep searching for a companion Restoration Portraits volume to keep me happy.

   Great reading - do start from the beginning to get into the swing of things. A random paragraph doesn't put you "in the life" like the unrolling panorama does. A better map of London at your elbow (though there is one in the back of each volume) will also increase your pleasure.




2. There are on the Amazon site two excellent, informative reviews of the Pepys' diaries. They say far more than my own contribution.
   I have read in and out of the Pepys' diary more than once. I did this in part because I have read many times that they are the ' best diaries' ever written. Without contending with that I found that they were not for me the most interesting. This probably shows more about my own shortcomings than it does about the work of Pepys.
   Pepys' work is filled with description of the life of the time. It is rich in perception of the great city of London in Restoration times. It is filled with personal anecdote, gossip including that relating to his prodigious sexual appetite and activity. It is a busy, businesslike work. And it tells more about a world outside than a world in.
   In the diaries I most love there is the quest of the soul to deeply understand itself and its relation to other people, and God. I find that the flurry of activity in the life of Pepys does not lead to this kind of reflectiveness. And thus for me the 'diary' is not a highly significant work personally.



3. It is kind of hard to match up these reviews of the Pepys' Diary with specific volumes, probably due to the nature of ISBN numbers. However, this review is about Volume 10, the Companion to the 10 vol. set of paperbacks (complete edition) by the University of California Press. IT IS a valuable book indeed, being 1700 entries, alphabetically arranged, on the details about the people and places mentioned in the Diary. It has 626 numbered pages and genealogical tables and maps.



4. When I started reading the diary, I expected it to be extremely boring and very old fashioned (seeing how it was written in the 1600's) - how wrong I was!!!
   Samuel Pepys (pronounced 'peeps') is a human, funny, moody man who has his ups and downs like the rest of us. His narrative during the plague records his concern about neighbors, and his real sorrow when people he knows succumb to it. He also records his experiences during the great fire of London in 1666 and his first mention of it strikes me as entirely human - he says that his maids wake him as they have heard of the fire and as it is not near his doorstep he simply goes back to bed as he's tired. He has arguments with his wife, and has cast a lusty eye upon the kings mistress for years! He also has, what I call 'mini affairs' where he kisses and fondles women quite regularly, (including his own maids) and seems to have no guilt about this whatsoever. Most mornings he 'drinks' his breakfast and at one point is outraged that his new wig is teeming with nits! An historical and very human read. Makes me realise that after 450 years we are all no different at all........



5. Very entertaining and enlightening. Pepys gives us a glimpse of what life was like in that period before the "Glorious Revolution" in England which was so important in the developement of democracy in England and the United States. Pepys was on the wrong side of that revolution - a loyalist to King Charles II, although he was never convicted of treason. Good thing, since there seemed to be a lot of beheadings, etc. in that era. Occasionally, it is not absolutely clear what Pepys is talking about, and sometimes the vocabulary is not easily understood,as language and customs have changed, but that is to be expected.

2 comments about BERNT BALCHEN; Polar Aviator.

1. Bernt Balchen is perhaps the most underappreciated hero of our times. A master flyer, an artist, a negotiator, and most of all, a soldier, Balchen's unassuming personality belied the fact that he had one of the most fascinating careers in aviation history. Balchen, unfortunately, was the victim of a vendetta by a man for whom he had done much, Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Byrd feared that Balchen would reveal that Byrd's famous first flight over the North Pole was in fact a fraud, and waged a life-long war against Balchen. Glines is a highly skilled biographer (Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner) and he makes the most of his talents here. His research is excellent, and he portrays Balchen in his true colors as a patriot who fought the Russians with the Finns in the First World War, then conducted clandestine operations with the Norwegian underground in the second. He was the confidant of the great flyers of the era, including Amelia Earhart, and was among the first to be capable of true instrument flight. Bernt Balchen Polar Aviator would make a fantastic movie, for it has everything--exploration, romance, combat, skullduggery, and most of all, heroism. Balchen was a strong, handsome man who would have been an Olympic boxer for Norway if he had not elected to learn to fly with the Norwegian navy. He became an expert in Polar matters, saved many lives, was important during the Cold War, and had thousands of friends who knew just what a hero he was. The United States government, however, allowed Senator Harry Byrd to block Balchen's promotion to general, forcing his retirment, and at one time, deported him! This is a great biography of a great man, done by a great biographer!



2. The existing review of this book that appears on the Amazon site is an excellent one that gives great details about the book. All I wanted to say is that as a fellow author, and of Norwegian descent, I regretted every time I had to put this book down.
   There is a song by the late Canadian Stan Rogers that includes the line: "Now you know what it is to scale the heights and fall just short of fame, and have not one in ten thousand know your name."
   That was written about someone else, but it sure fits in Balchen's case. A man always on the verge of being at least as famous as Admiral Byrd. A man of incredible courage, inventiveness, and grace in the face of hostilities, both of nature and of Byrd himself. This is an awesome biography that ought to be the catalyst for the re-writing of every history textbook. I thank Carrol Glines for making the enormous effort.

5 comments about Stonewall: A Biography of General Thomas J. Jackson.

1. I gave the book three stars for the information but the author's opinions make this book less valuable then it otherwise might have been. For instance he claims the fact that Jackson never lamented his decisions meant he never thought he made a mistake. Jackson wasn't the type of person to go around talking about feelings so no one knows if he did or not. Also the author claims he must have an child out of wedlock and cites sources (just the word sources and not actual people) while at the same time discounting others who claimed the rumors were a lie. The author is just a bit too judgmental and quick to believe things without any proof to back them up. The information may be okay but I found it hard to read with so many of the author's opinions being paraded around as facts.



2. This book is a "must read" for everyone looking for a balanced view of Jackson. Farwell's history of Jackson's military exploits and personal shortcomings (as in Florida prior to secession) are well supported by reference to original documents and by the author's personal research.



3. Biography's of great historical figures are frequently given to exaggeration. Farwell set out to give an account of the "real" Stonewall Jackson, rather than an overly ballyhooed legend. In some respects he did that, painting Jackson as an oddball, eccentric, prude, who bordered on insanity. While the book succeeded in painting Jackson as being more human, I felt the overall tone of the book was far too critical and cynical. It seemed every good thing Jackson did was credited to other soldiers or blind luck...while every bad thing Jackson did was blamed upon his ignorance, stubborness, or lack of sleep. In all honesty, I came away from the book wondering if the author had and "ax to grind" against Stonewall Jackson. Overall the book was well written, and would provide a reality check to those who envison Jackson as being super-human. But just as there are numerous puff pieces on Jackson that make him better than he was...I feel this book to be somewhat of a debunking, which makes Jackson look much worse than he was. In reality, he was somewhere in between. He was a good and godly man who had an uncanny ability to lead men in battle. But he was hard to get along with and a little too bull-headed at times. For a much more accurate view, I would suggest "Stonewall Jackson: The Man, The Soldier, The Legend" By James I. Robertson



4. Byron Farwell's biography of Stonewall Jackson is a comprehensive account of the life and military career of the famous Confederate general. Once I started reading the biography, I couldn't put it down, mainly because of the author's easy-to-read style (given that battles need to be described in reasonable detail). Useful maps accompany the text and enhance the reader's understanding, although the photographic section is somewhat brief.
   
   In contrast to some reviews here, I thought the author was fair and objective with Jackson: he cites first-hand accounts of Jackson's marches, battles and personality, though I'm not sure of the selectiveness or otherwise of these. If anything, he refrains from discussing and interpreting Jackson's strengths and weaknesses at length, leaving the reader to form his or her opinion. Given Jackson's personality, it would have been interesting to have included a comprehensive modern analysis of Jackson's psychological profile.
   
   I have yet to read other Jackson biographies, so I can't compare them with Farwell's biography, but I certainly don't regret buying this book. It made me appreciate the extreme hardships that Civil War soldiers experienced, and brought home the difficulties of serving under Jackson both as a soldier and as an officer, but at the same time it highlights Jackson's military genius and his 'warmer' side.



5. I must admit it was a "good influence" because it was of course heavily sanitized... and I remember it even finished BEFORE his death... leaving the hero marching with his troops to fight another day!... (pre-Chancellorsville ending). So maxims like YOU WILL ACHIEVE WHATEVER YOU PROPOSE TO YOURSELF... and similar I guess were/are "in the right spirit".
   
   As I have read other books by the same author... (and thought them very good and absolutely readable... which is always a BIG PLUS...), I decided to buy and read.
   In very few words, the man behind the myth is quite puzzling (probably and partially because of impairing deafness...) but less so if put in context... and that Mr. Farwell does brilliantly!.
   From birth to his death in the field of battle at Chancellorsville (actually he died from the wounds a few days later) his life is extremely well told, highs and downs... and thankfully calling a spade a spade.
   When he performed well he is acknowledged for it, when he was not at his best and did blunder we are told so without palliatives, and this makes him human and IF NOT A SEMI-GOD AT ALL.
   I am truly sorry for "deep at heart" southerners who sometimes swear by Jackson as he was God himself!... and never find any fault in him.
   He really was an outstanding C.S.A. general.
   And his loss probably influenced the war in the short term (I do not think he could have had a determinant influence in the long one...)
   In fact he was extremely lucky in some of his campaigns... but THAT is always a PLUS of successful generals.
   I do not read a lot of biographies (specially if they are penned/embellished by the man/woman themselves) but this one is very good and I can heartily recommend.
   
   ADB
   
   PS: THE GREAT ANGLO BOER WAR by the same author is also a must read.

5 comments about Lawrence: The Uncrowned King of Arabia.

1. This book fails in many ways. The reason it gets 2 stars instead of one is that it's hard to discuss Lawrence without some fascinating things coming through.

   First, Asher makes himelf part of the biography. He discusses his own personal travels in a manner that add absolutely nothing to the reader's understanding. The final paragraph of the book begins with "I." Further, the frequency and manner in which he interjects himself in the book is highly annoying.

   Second, there are numerous factual problems with the book. At one point Asher refers to Turks shooting their rifles at Bedu who are over two miles away. Even a trained sniper with modern equipment wouldn't take that shot. Further, his description of Lt. Junor's plane crash is at odds with other accounts. Asher says the plane erupted in flames even though there are published photos of the crashed plane that show otherwise. Lastly on this point, Asher doesn't use Tunbridge's writings on Lawrence's days in the RAF as reference material. It's a surprising omission.

   Third, as other reviewers noted, Asher writes extensively about Lawrence's psyche. This would be sensible if Asher was either trained in psychology or referenced studies by those who are; unfortunately, neither is the case. Instead there are a few bibliographical references to works on psychology, but none specific to Lawrence. Asher's vehement discussion of Lawrence's mother makes the reader wonder whether the author or the subject had the greater maternal relationship issues.

   Fourth, is Asher's style, or more accurately, styles. At times he uses the contemporary jargon of British soldiers, whereas at other points he writes in a very stilted manner adding unnecessary Latin phrases to the text. His best writing is when he's providing background or contextual material such as the discussion of British military actions elsewhere in WWI.

   Lawrence was one of the most fascinating personalities of the 20th century. He deserves a much better biography.




2. This is a large and invovled biography of T E Lawrence, written by an author who starts out as an admirer, and remains so to the end, though to a much lesser degree.

   Though there is a lot of information about the battles in the desert, i found this book most interesting when the author explores Lawrence's psyche and personality, and attempts (not always successfully or believably) at the truth behind the myth. He tests a lot of the claims about the great man, and mainly finds them wanting. This book is especially strong when it admits that it comes to no definate conclusion - rather, the author presents the facts as he sees them and lets the reader decide.

   This book is probably one of the better Lawrence biographies out there at the moment (though i would not say nearly the best) as it delves into the contradictions of the man and the myuth, and isn't afraid to 'pull punches' and not make excuses for the more troubling aspects of Lawrence's personality.

   I finished this book wondering why such a genius felt compelled to fabricate so much about his life, but also seeing him as more ' three-dimensional' than the common myth.




3. I am by no means a Lawrence scholar. I picked the book up at a discount because at the time I was preparing for a deployment to Iraq and was reading everything I could on the recent history of the Middle East. I found the book well written and fascinating. Historicaly accurate? Who knows? But it was a great introduction to a Western icon closely tied with the rise of the Saudi kingdom and the current map of the Middle East. After reading this I read Lawrence's own "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" and who knows what the absolute truth was regarding Lawrence and his exploits. All I know is that this book made for a good reading. I appreciated Asher's insights into Arabic culture and customs. Certainly as we struggle to win the "hearts and minds" of the people in Iraq, any scholarship that helps us to understand how a Westerner can succesfully interact with the Arab peaple is a welcome read.



4. Whether or not you truly want to delve into the life of Lawrence of Arabia and this particular biography depends, I think, on whether you want to preserve the dynamic image of him as portrayed in the movie Lawrence of Arabia by David Lean or want to dig deeper into the eccentric world of the real T.E. Lawrence. I myself am no Lawrence scholar and have something akin to a passing interest in him as a sort of mythological figure like Wyatt Earp or Daniel Boone. This particular book was picked up randomly at a library book sale for a quarter to supplement my knowledge of T.E. Lawrence beyond the movie and to help me prepare to read his memoir Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which I've heard is quite literary and even difficult without a bit of background on Lawrence and the Arab revolt.
   
   As a writer and a scholar, Asher is reasonably capable and has adequate credentials to tell his tale. What has been mentioned in other reviews and which I'll echo here is that he unfortunately wants to interrupt the flow of Lawrence's biography by interjecting his first-person accounts of his travels around the same areas Lawrence traveled. Although this story-telling technique doesn't ruin the book, it slows down the pace and adds little if anything the reader needs or wants to know. To me, it serves as an annoying distraction. It's typical also for Asher to want to pick apart the mind of T.E. Lawrence and give some debatable theories about the motives behind Lawrence's actions. Certainly, Asher appears to do his homework and his assumptions about Lawrence seem well supported, but what is hard to take is the unequivocal nature of Asher's assertions. He himself never doubts his assumptions.
   
   However, if the reader can accept that Asher's views are valid, then the reader should also be prepared to discover that Lawrence was more than a little eccentric, something bound to undermine the beautiful myth around the man. Aside from the details given about Lawrence's truly weird need for self-debasement in the form of flagellation as well as his decision to spend his adult life after Arabia as an enlisted man in the military, what bothered me most about Lawrence as discussed by Asher was his tendency to play with facts, an inclination apparently noted by other biographers. Given the reality that reality is often subjective, I do like to know the facts as accurately as they can be reported. Apparently, Lawrence seems to have appreciated the value of propaganda and chose to exploit it to achieve his ends, which are not terribly clear. Therefore, it's hard to know the whole truth about what happened during the Arab revolt, and Asher finds numerous holes in Lawrence's story. I'm happy to report that Asher does make clear that Lawrence accomplished much of what he claims to have accomplished, so Lawrence was indeed a dynamic fellow and the right person at the right time to do what he did, but he also makes clear that there are bizarre, masochistic motives that drive Lawrence. Therefore, if you want to truly know the man behind the myth, read on. If you want to preserve a myth, watch the movie, and then read an encyclopedia for broad details about Lawrence's life and the Arab revolt.



5. Having read a few books about T.E.Lawrence and his own tome I found Michael Asher's book easily the most enjoyable of the lot. Any man who took the time to physically visit the routes Lawrence (claims) to have made, has something to say. A very worthwhile book.
   
   Damien in Dublin.
   
   Sands of Death: An Epic Tale of Massacre, Cannibalism, and Survival in the Sahara
   Two Against the Sahara: On Camelback from Nouakchott to the Nile

4 comments about Leadership & Strategy: Lessons From Alexander The Great.

1. 
   This book distills the essence of the world`s greatest leader.Comparing Alexander with other outstanding leaders and modern theories , the author
   explains the most effective ways of leadership and the strategies valuable to modern leaders.



2. The author vividly describes the story of this amazing leader's life and battles and masterfully intertwines it with useful tips for today's bussiness life. Enjoyable to read from page 1 till the end. Excellent.



3. This book will teach you lessons of leadership by looking back in history to one of the greatest leaders of all: Alexander the Great. You'll enjoy learning timeless leadership skills through history tales from thousands of years ago, and comparative analyses of some contemporary leaders.. Great read!



4. This book describes in detail the enduring leadership lessons from the ruler of the ancient world and analyzes what made him so successful.
   
   You will eventually understand why so many leaders in history have been inspired by Alexander the Great and what lessons have they learned from him.
   
   The book does an excellent job presenting Alexander and identifying his "secrets". It shows how Alexander's timeless strategies have been--and can be--applied to gain a competitive advantage. The author carefully explains the skills and principles valuable to leaders, managers, and strategists.
   
   A must read for leaders and for those who aspire to become leaders.

5 comments about By Duty Bound: Survival and Redemption in a Time of War.

1. I gave this book the highest rating because I liked it,I liked it alot. I have often read books using this style, main event and reflections on youth. Ware and Engel did a terrific job presenting each story. I have often read books with this format but I didn't reflect on my own youth. Although quite different I began thinking about the ways I used to earn money as a child. Race for me was Native Americans and Whites. When I was in Vietnam in 1968-1970 (two tours) I understood the bond that war brings together and dissmisses beliefs and values for a stronger emotion, survival. I would read another book by this team if one would come out and recomend it to my friends.



2. I received this book from the author as a gift, having met him when he was speaking to an organization of families of service members who lost loved-ones in Afghanistan or Iraq.
   
   The author is extraordinarily charismatic and inspiring and this book provides wonderful insight into the life-experiences that made him the man he is today. While I had learned about Jim Crow laws in high school history, this book provided deeper insight into the harsh adversity, resignation and palpable fear that so many black Americans faced. The author paints vivid pictures both of his upbringing and his service in Viet Nam.
   
   In response to the 2-star rating (Boddy): I found myself wanting to read the next installment of this story when I finshed, but that in no way detracted from this book - rather it illustrates its strength. America is blessed to have leaders like General Ware!



3. I read this over two days, that's how enjoyable and interesting this book is. Ware has led an amazing life, and I really thought he brought to life what life was like growing up poor and black in rural Jim Crowe Mississippi.
   
   The book switches back and forth from a straight retelling of Ware's life, to a day by day retelling of the three harrowing weeks Ware spent in the Vietnam jungles with his co-pilot, a Grand Dragon of the KKK.
   
   But for all the self-examination, there are a few nits. Ware considers himself someone who never quits, who always strives to succeed. Yet he never comes to grips with why he was married and divorced as often as he was, why in the space of a few years he moved from the Marines, to college (which he dropped out of), to a great job with General Dynamics Corp. (which he abruptly left), to becoming an officer with the San Diego Police Department (which he abruptly left on a bet), to finally becoming an Army Helicopter pilot in Vietnam.
   
   Still, his is an inspirational and moving story, gripping and suspenseful. In his introduction, he blames the bureaucrats and politicians in DC for losing the Vietnam War, yet he never suggests we might be having the same problem now in Iraq. And his "Domino theory" of why we were in Vietnam was disproved by history.
   
   But read this book not for Ware's misguided political analysis, but for the amazing accomplishments he achieved in defense of his country. He is a true American patriot.



4. One of the best war stories I've ever read...I could not put this book down and had to read it thru in one sitting...entertaining and gripping yet still honest. Having flown missions all over "the Nam" 71-72 I could relate from start to finish and extend a salute to a True American War Hero. This book should be required reading for our youths of today.



5. In the course of everyone's life, most of us will face very difficult and challenging series of events, when these events occur, one has two choices to make, you can either allow those challenges to mold you to becoming something positive, or allow it to destroy you and set a stage for continuous failure. General Ware chose the upside of these two choices. After reading his compelling story, it allowed me to evaluate myself and the choices I must make in my life. I was fortunate to have the opportunity read General Ware's book. It outlined the path that was paved for him to reach and accomplish his goals, for me, that was monumental.
   
   Being born from both cultures, my mother Vietnamese and my father African American, who also served in this war, one can appreciate the struggles and determination of one of our heroes, General Ware. He made a change in two very different geographical locations, the United States and Vietnam, yet face with a very familiar enemy, racism. Because he refused to fail and continued to strive for perfection with every obstacle, he forces us as American's to look deep within ourselves and recognize if we are part of the solution or the problem. I am proud to be an American and humbled to know my father and General Ware's efforts were not in vain. I salute you General Ware and thank for your continuous sacrifice for peace, both here at home and abroad. I encourage everyone, from all cultures and background, to read this compassionate story of a young man who started with a DREAM, and with that dream developed and created a magnificent HOUSE, a house that can never be wavered or destroyed.

5 comments about Flawed Patriot: The Rise and Fall of CIA Legend Bill Harvey.

1. Flawed Patriot has a great topic in Bill Harvey. The author's direct knowledge seems to be based on Harvey's career in Germany . The research of the late Mr. Stockton of much of the career of Bill Harvey appeares flawed. The drama of Bill and CG's adoption of a daughter in Germany is in line with what they told my wife and me in Rome,Italy in the mid 1960s. The events surronding Bill's return to Washington from Rome are not fair and complete and appear to be based on interviews that lack some of the facts.
   Based on my personal knowledge and my research as an intelligence scholar and professor, Flawed Patroit does no justice to the pioneering work of Bill Harvey in clandestine collection, covert action and technical intelligence operations. In my opinion, Bill Harvey ranks amond the Top Ten Clandestine Service Officers in the history of the Central Intelligence Agency.



2. This book has a brilliant title. Bill Harvey was indeed a Patriot. And he certainly had flaws. His drinking was a problem from early in his life and combined with smoking was at least partly responsible for the heart attacks that killed him at the relatively early age of 61.
   
   He was also not exactly what you would call a team player. He was fired by J. Edgar Hoover for breaking regulations. His relationship with Robert Kennedy might best be called hatred. While he did some brilliant work, like identifying Kim Philby as a KGB agent and the famous tunnel into East Berlin, his relationship with the Mafia and rumors about being involved in the JFK assassination are not the sort of things that help get promotions within an organization like the CIA.
   
   This is both an interesting biography of a full fledged master spy, and a history of the early days of the CIA and the Cold War. The author worked for Harvey in Berlin for two years before becomming a journalist and now a biographer.



3. There's a lot of great info in this book, but unless you're REALLY into FBI/CIA/Bill Harvey, it's very dry reading. It jumps around a bit, but if you persevere, you'll find some interesting tidbits here and there.



4. This book should be read by every citizen seeking to understand where American government has gone wrong over the past 60 years. Flawed, yes, but critically important to our understanding of misguided actions and indeed meglomania in power centers too far removed from public scrutiny and democratic control.
   
   The problem with so-called "patriots" like William Harvey is that their arrogance and self-absorption - so evident in his acute alcoholism - tends to prevent basic comprehension that they quite rightly serve at the request of others, in particular those individuals entrusted through elective office with preserving those principles and practices that define our democratic form of government.
   
   William Harvey was a misfit granted far too much power by a rogue system of covert power that had grown exponentially under a corrupt and complicit Eisenhower-Nixon administration that had knowingly condoned repeated violation of laws and human rights at home and abroad through programs of assassination, coups, private wars, invasions, government destabilizations, media infiltration, propaganda, domestic spying, illegal surveillance, complicity with war criminals and organized crime figures, manipulation of or otherwise destruction of evidence, and lying to congress and executive branch superiors, including even the president.
   
   Harvey was, ultimately, the exact opposite of a patriot. He was in fact, an assassin and traitor.
   
   Robert Kennedy, as chief law enforcement officer for the United States and a key government official entrusted by the president with overseeing sensitive foreign operations, had every right to micro-manage affairs in order to prevent the insubordination of Harvey and others who sought to control events in violation of superiors' orders and U.S. government objectives. If anything, Kennedy was far too lenient in merely reassigning this arrogant, reckless, and insubordinate loose cannon, especially after Harvey's reckless unilateral actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis came close to causing a nuclear World War III.
   
   Most egregiously, Harvey and others within the CIA like David Atlee Phillips, after participating in the assassinations of their superiors, then went before Congress and lied to the American people, having destroyed or buried documents to the contrary, and retained or even manufactured others that would tend to portray them in a favorable light, while falsely incriminating those now unable to defend themselves and correct the public record.
   
   As for the author's difficulty in composing and arranging such a major work as this, it is to his credit that this book could even be published considering the CIA's suppression of facts, disinformation, and gross manipulation of media in this and other countries around the world.
   
   Kudos to the author for creating an important work that contributes to greater public awareness and understanding of the forces that have undermined democracy in America.



5. This book features a poorly chosen title and many flaws in composition. However, it provides the reader with a reasonable introduction to an unsung (buried) American hero of the Cold War. More importantly, if the reader reads carefully and between the lines, there is much to learn about the CIA, large bureaucracies (ala Niskanen), what it takes to gather human intelligence, imperial politics, and the future of the American intelligence establishment.
   
   First, to Bill Harvey. Sure, he had flaws ("Show me a hero and I'll show you a bum.") He was irrascible, blunt, opinionated, contempuous of those that hadn't paid their dues, and a three-martini lunch drinker. Leave off the drinking and you have Billy Mitchell, Dick Pick or Henry Ford. Harvey was the first CIA giant in positive intelligence collection, initially as an agent handler (case officer), then holding a series of supervisory positions. His output was prodigious, often working twenty hours a day, and he thought others should work as hard as he. He is remembered best for the Berlin tunnel tap on Soviet phone lines, but that was only the tip of the iceberg.
   
   On the negative side, he simply didn't "fit in." He was a Midwesterner from a non-elite university (Indiana University), different in manners, speech, social connections and attitude from the effete (as he called them) Eastern Ivy-Leaguers then as now populating the CIA (and indeed, all Federal bureaucracies.) If one thinks this is no longer the case, allow me to say that the situation is much, much worse today. The enemy (red) states cannot provide leaders in government unless they have been vetted fully through attendance in the Ivy League or Seven Sisters (like Bush, Obama, Clinton, etc.)
   
   In addition, Harvey tended to "spook it up" by packing and being devious and clandestine, rather than playing the social circuit and always being "hail and well met." It should be kept in mind that there were (are) NO "spies" in the Agency, and acting like one was anathema. Lastly, Harvey did not brown-nose those who required such action like Hoover, Bundy, Lansdale, MacNamara and Robert Kennedy. His was the Protestant work-ethic -- his good work would open the necessary doors for him. But it didn't.
   
   Harvey never prospered from his work financially or otherwise, in marked contrast to most bureaucrats in Washington. Vacations were not in the cards, and over time he simply burned out. He had been ridden hard and put away wet. And it wasn't Harvey who blabbed to Philby -- it was Angleton. Harvey worked hard to neutralize Philby even though counter-intelligence wasn't his brief, and was eventually successful.
   
   But to my main point: why is this book so important?
   
   1) It exposes the Kennedys (particularly Robert) for their ineptitude and negative impact on US intelligence (see also Hersh; "The Dark Side Of Camelot.") The decline of the Agency definitively started with the Bay of Pigs, a disaster brought about by the fecklessness of Ted Bissel (an Ivy-Leaguer) and Kennedy's lack of resolve. Then Robert went on his well-documented micro-management crusade with the Agency in his attempt to assassinate Castro for revenge. Harvey was involved in this, although the evidence is that he fought RFK over this activity and was sacked as a result. Not covered, unfortunately, was the gutting of Military Intelligence by JFK at the same time. He moved the vast majority of military agent handlers back into uniform and terminated their sources. When the Soviets staged their forces in East Germany before invading Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Army's operations that would have reported this were gone, and the Agency had failed to replace them. A significant intelligence failure was the result.
   
   2) The Agency never recovered after Harvey's demise, and became increasingly politicized over the years by a succession of kow-towing heads who stressed form over substance. Human intelligence was essentially eliminated except for walk-ins, and the result is today we have the likes of Valerie Plame supposedly undergoing five years of training and then being sent to Africa where, as a striking blond, she would easily disappear into the background. The Agency also moved from non-diplomatic cover to almost exclusively diplomatic cover so its members could enjoy the social perks that had become so important. Dirty work like what Harvey did was eschewed as being only for the unwashed. It should also be noted that Harvey was given almost no training before becoming a case officer, but today training and playing at being a case officer is more often the approved activity than doing something productive. After all, to be productive one must take risks, and risk aversion is the guiding commandment today. Harvey must be spinning in his grave.
   
   3) The Agency that had been lauded by Khrushchev ("You and I read the same reports every morning") morphed into a social club of Ivy-League bureaucrats more involved in turf wars and appearances while trusting to electronic surveillance for maintaining the flow of intelligence. As a result, human intelligence as to the intentions of others went by the wayside, never to be regained (at least not yet). Risk-takers were not wanted and were indeed an embarrassment by their constantly calling for action and producing operations plans that had to be scuttled on one pretense or the other. (I once had an operation involving a part-time prostitute disapproved because of her lack of morals. I guess the Germans should have turned down Mata Hari.) There would be no more Harveys and no more American patriots or heroes in the Agency. And the world is a more dangerous place.
   
   I once had to meet with the brother of a resident agent (spy) who had been arrested by the opposing counter-intelligence service. She had performed extremely well, but attention was drawn to her when my superiors decided to increase her access by providing her with a Moped. She received twenty years after being tortured and confessing, but lasted less than two years before dying in prison. Her brother asked me if her sacrifice had been worth it. I know what I said, but I leave it up to the reader to decide for himself. All I can say now is that her sacrifice made the reader a little safer while growing up.
   
   Harvey's hard work also made the reader a little safer while growing up. Everyone should learn about Harvey even if I don't think this book is necessarily the best vehicle. Personally, I believe the US was well-served by him, and to infer anything else is to betray one's own arm-chair, Monday morning quarterbacking ignorance.

5 comments about Babylon by Bus: Or, the true story of two friends who gave up their valuable franchise selling YANKEES SUCK T-shirts at Fenway to find meaning and adventure in Iraq,.

1. This book was a serendipitous discovery and is a very enjoyable and enlightening read. On one level it's a riveting and picaresque tale of modern day Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer-like adventures; on a more serious level it is good cultural history of how the US dug itself ever deeper into a hole from which there seems little chance of a happy return.Great summer reading.One laughs and cries simultaneously.



2. These guys are over the top in every sense, but perhaps that's fitting for a war and occupation that somehow makes their antics seem quaint. Initially arriving in Baghdad as little more than idiotic war tourists, the intense reality of post-invasion Iraq quickly sinks into them, and they find themselves deeply and emotionally invested, while still remaining outsiders to the CPA (despite bunking in a hallway in the Palace).
   
   Is this book well written? I don't know. It has a certain amateur rawness to it that is authentic, even unanalyzed, which is welcome relief from the many excellent but highly impersonal books by authors such as George Packer and Anthony Shadid that are not able to capture the day-to-day intensity the way these guys do.
   
   I was in Iraq, working in the NGO sector, for over 4 months prior to their little adventures. While I wasn't a part of their Valium and pot subculture, their depiction of the general scene rings true. I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in understanding what it really meant to be down in the trenches of post-war Iraq reconstruction in those early days when hope was still an option and tireless devotion was an emotional and moral imperative, no matter what your political views or position on the war.
   
   Another reviewer wrote that "the narrative lacks content and purpose". Maybe that's exactly as it should be when describing an occupation that meets the same description.



3. This book, while edgy and occasionally sarcastic, was a breath of fresh air this summer. With raw wit and crystal vision, Ray and Jeff have been able to capture a moment in time that most will never experience. Thank you for sharing your first hand account of your experiences. There were many laughs and many tears.



4. I love the approach. as a fellow traveller and adventurist, I felt jealous reading through the good times, hard times, and strange times these two young people come across.
   
   It's a escape and completely trendy approach to what had been going on in Iraq, pre-Abu Girab



5. If you have visited Fenway Park in the past decade, then you are well aware of the colorful T-shirts that are hawked outside the Park. The "YANKEES SUCK" T-shirts are part of the soft underbelly of the culture of Red Sox Nation. I find the phrase and Red Sox fans' continued use of the phrase to be sophomoric, at best. But, it is what it is, and it is part of the Fenway experience.
   
   The two young ne'er-do-wells who conceived of the T-shirt franchise are Ray Lemoine and Jeff Newman. They made a lot of money selling those souvenirs of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, and decided to travel the world. If you are a rich, young Red Sox fan, what constitutes the ultimate "Road Trip"? Their peregrinations led them eventually to Iraq in 2004, in the early days of the U.S. occupation of Baghdad. They found work volunteering for a non-government agency that was set up to serve as a liaison between the Coalition Provision Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi people. From their unique perspective, they observed and wrote about the initial stages of the U.S. efforts to bring order out of the chaos of the post-Saddam era. In collaboration with Donovan Webster, they assembled their thoughts into the book, "Babylon by Bus." Their account provides an interesting counterpoint to the memoirs I have read and recounted in the pages of The White Rhino Report.
   
   These hard-drinking sons of the counter culture offer their unique perspective on what they observed on the ground in Baghdad. A quotation on the book's dust jacket sums up very well the zeitgeist of this book:
   
   "If Iraq is a Shakespearean tragedy, `Babylon by Bus' is its Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, without the funny ending."
   
   Their route to Iraq took them through Israel and included dangerous encounters with Israeli security officials as they attempted to visit Nablus in the Palestinian West Bank. Their brief sojourn in Israel was memorable and prompted an observation that I found intriguing:
   
   "This experience was about as far away as a person could get from the Israel Jeff had experienced with his grandmother and her church tour group. His three days with them in Jerusalem and over to Qum'Ran and Ein Gedi hid many truths about this place and its always rolling conflict. In the American Church Tour Version of Israel, a strange fusion of evangelical Christianity and Zionism, all Arabs are reduced to being street peddlers, friendly waiters, and the smiling face of `Holy Land' souvenir shops." (Page 21)
   
   Ray and Jeff eventually made their way via Amman, Jordan to Baghdad, where they were offered lodging and an opportunity to volunteer for a fledgling NGO called the Iraqi Assistance Center (IAC). For these "Kings of New England" living in Baghdad's Green Zone, Red Sox sensibilities would often obtrude themselves upon the dusty landscape of daily living:
   
   "The Green Zone was a constant reminder of 9/11, right down to the offices and desks of soldiers and civilians. Among them, `Wanted Dead or Alive: Bin Laden' posters were the most popular. Jeff hung up a picture of Sox slugger Manny Ramirez to lighten the mood." (Page 68)
   
   A case of Manny being Mahdi!
   
   The book is a loosely woven fabric that highlights massive confusion and bureaucratic gridlock interspersed with inspiring vignettes of individual courage, humanity and good will. Ray and Jeff at one point were responsible for overseeing the distribution of a warehouse full of items intended to help the Iraqi people to improve their quality of life. Their stories of adventure and quixotic misadventure in trying to find the right allies in setting up this distribution network are among the most entertaining and the most disturbing in the book. Their non-profit endeavors led them to the boiling cauldron that is Fallujah.
   
   I will share their commentary on their experience of Fallujah as a way of summarizing their overall thesis for this book:
   
   "In 1920, Fallujah had provided the spark in Iraq's nationwide uprising against the British, with the initial fighting costing five hundred British lives and six thousand Iraqi ones, prompting Arabist T.E. Lawrence to later write:
   
   `The people of England have been led in Mesopotamia into a trap . . . it will be hard to escape with dignity and honor. Things have been far worse than we have been told, our administration more bloody and inefficient than the public knows. It is a disgrace to our imperial record and may soon be too inflamed for any ordinary cure. We are today not far from a disaster. Our unfortunate troops . . . under hard conditions of climate and supply are policing an immense area, paying dearly every day in lives for the willfully wrong policy of the civil administration in Baghdad.'
   
   Did America's leaders think she was exempt from history?" (Page 137)
   
   If Lemoine and Neumann were to design a T-shirt that would succinctly offer their commentary of the mismanagement of resources they observed in Baghdad during the inchoate stage of the occupation of Baghdad, the T-shirt might read:
   
   "YANKEE IMPERIALISM SUCKS"
   
   We might not agree with their assessments, but through their sweat and months of volunteer activities on the ground in Baghdad, Lemoine and Neumann have earned the right to offer their experiences and observations.
   
   Al

3 comments about Major General Maurice Rose: World War II's Greatest Forgotten Commander.

1. Maurice Rose, a tall, handsome soldier was a stand-offish person with those around him. No one in the 3rd Armored Division really got to know much about his personal life. Married twice, he kept his life so secret that his two sons, by different wives, did not know the other existed until many years after some digging by one of the authors.
   Rose was a brave man, single-minded, whose only mission was to defeat the Nazis as quickly and as throughly as possible. Whether that was due to his Jewish background (which he seemed to shun) or not is problematical. He demanded absolute loyalty from his men. He would not accept any excuse from any of his subordinate commanders -- accomplish your mission or move on!
   This book sheds a lot of light on the man whom General J. Lawton Collins regarded "as the top notch division commander in the business at the time of his death." I heartily recommend it especially to those who are interested in the fighting in North-west Europe during WWII.



2. If you're a World War II history enthusiast this book is an outstanding selection. The authors, Steven L. Ossad, and Don R. Marsh, did a tremendous job researching Major General Rose's life. They have conducted thorough research that explains everything about him from his faith to his tragic death in March of 1945. I particularly like the footnotes. They provide an easy way for the reader to get background on an event or person the authors have written about. I'd highly recommend the book.



3. It is, by definition, impossible to determine the "Greatest Forgotten Commander" of any war, but if the authors have not managed the feat indisputably, the life of General Rose has set the barrier so high that one is hard put to think of a "remembered" commander who is so great. To this day, the division he commanded holds the record for the longest opposed advance in a single day.
   
   The life of Maurice Rose is truly inspirational, but what few personal effects remained of his life were almost completely destroyed in a flood. Messrs. Ossad and Marsh have performed a spectacular feat of bringing this important personage alive. There is much of the inner man we can never know, of course, and much of the book is pure military history as it should be, but you get enough of a glimpse of the man to get a sense of what he was like. The authors do not hesitate to criticize his flaws, but that honesty just makes the man that much more impressive.
   
   The authors "bookend" the story with a detailed description of the General's last day (although at least two U.S. generals more senior to Rose and two other division commanders were killed during World War II, to my knowledge, Rose is unique at that rank to have been killed by small arms fire rather than bombs or artillery, a tribute to the General's habit of "leading from the front"). I would have liked a little more information about the fate of the division after the General was killed, but that is available elsewhere.
   
   The general's conversion from Judaism to Christianity is speculated upon in some detail, but the willingness to redefine oneself is uniquely American and it is one of the things which make General Rose a uniquely American hero.

4 comments about Counterspy: Memoirs of a Counterintelligence Officer in World War II and the Cold War.

1. The tail end of the war in Europe and the subsequent delicate peace which was really the start of the cold war had to have been an interesting time. And during this time Mr. cutler was semi drafted into the OSS and assigned to counter espionage. First he was working on finding people to send into Germany and subsequently stationed in Berlin he was seeking out the remains of the German spy organization and working to counter the activities of the Soviets who were also looking for the Germans with a view of turning them into Soviet agents. It was a very interesting time with a great deal of intermixing between the Russians and the Americans, before the big breaks that were to come later.
   
   In 1946, Mr. Cutler was faced with the decision to remain with the OSS, becoming the CIA, or leave. He left to join civilian life. Still he retains his interest in intelligence matters, and in the last chapter offers some comments and advice on the CIA and it's actions regarding Watergate, the Church Committee, and 9/11. I wish he had added another chapter or two on this area, but perhaps that's another book.



2. Bravo to Richard Cutler! Counterspy is a fascinating, perceptive, extremely well written and thoroughly enjoyable memoir and history of espionage during the latter part of World War II and the early post-war period. I have read other books on the general subject - including Peter Grose's biography of Allen Dulles, Gentleman Spy, Joseph Persico's Roosevelt's Secret War, and Anthony Cave Brown's biography of Gen. William Donovan, Last Hero. Cutler's book more than holds its own - and adds much that is new. His is a high stakes adventure story - where the stakes are real, and Cutler is on the front lines. His characters are vividly drawn. He brings alive for the reader at a remove of some sixty years a certain very important place (or places), time and challenge.



3. An elegantly written, enjoyably readable book about a dangerous and often inelegant time in world history, Richard Cutler presents an inside account of the Allied intelligence systems that contributed to the defeat of Nazi Germany and to confound the ambitions of Stalin's Soviet Union in the post-war period. The author skillfully balances his account of the massive international struggle with the personal experiences and reflections of this intelligent, charming and cultured (and lucky) young man in wartime London, as well as in Wiesbaden and Berlin immediately after the death of Hitler and the German surrender. His portrayals of various individuals, ordinary men and women functioning in extraordinary circumstances, and his thoughts on the role of personal character in the context of mammoth international events are most interesting and revealing of the importance of the individual for good and for ill on all sides of this conflict. He portrays politicians and journalists of the time candidly, warts and all, and the comparisons to our own point in history are cautionary and disturbing. The author served this country and its allies well in wartime and his book serves history just as well. Those interested in the history of WWII, the Cold War, and cloak-and-dagger stories, will, of course, find this book most fascinating. But also those who are interested in travel sagas, theater, personal development and psychology will find this author's observations and reflections to be of value. It is a must-read book.



4. A well written personal memoir about intelligence operations during WWII by someone who was part of the effort to uncover German spies and plant Allied agents behind the lines. His
   conversion from fledging lawyer to intelligence officer provides
   insight into how America built its intelligence capabilities in a hurry. Cutler gives a vivid picture of the people and events
   around him in London, Wiesbaden, and later Berlin as America
   struggled to become fluent in the unseen world of espionage.
   Unlike many books about spies and spying, this is no third party report. Cutler was there, and draws the reader into the intracacies of intelligence work, theirs and ours. His keen
   observations on the people and personalties he worked with give life to the events he describes. Trying to vet operations and individuals was and still is a difficult, inexact process, especially in wartime. Trying to determine whom you could trust and and how to differentiate between reliable people and sources
   and disinformation and opportunists trying to milk the situation
   became even more complex after the German surrender as Russian
   agents were trying to turn friendly Germans into Soviet moles.
   The world of obscure shadowy people were all in play in postwar Berlin. His descriptions of the people he met and places he went in his work paint for the reader a good sense of what that portion of Europe and people were like in the postwar world.
   All this is pertinent today, as we see the need for more and better intelligence on other parts of the world. Cutler's book gives some idea of how that information is collected by
   people living in the shadows. His comments on how intelligence has been coordinated into our national plans and actions, for
   better or worse, deserve wider attention.
   A fascinating book that makes you think as you enjoy reading it. Excellent