How America Lost Its Secrets
Edward Snowden, the Man and the Theft
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Narrated by:
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Michael Bybee
About this listen
A groundbreaking exposé that convincingly challenges the popular image of Edward Snowden as hacker turned avenging angel, while revealing how vulnerable our national security systems have become - as exciting as any political thriller, and far more important.
After details of American government surveillance were published in 2013, Edward Snowden, formerly a subcontracted IT analyst for the NSA, became the center of an international controversy: Was he a hero, traitor, whistle-blower, spy? Was his theft legitimized by the nature of the information he exposed? When is it necessary for governmental transparency to give way to subterfuge?
Edward Jay Epstein brings a lifetime of journalistic and investigative acumen to bear on these and other questions, delving into both how our secrets were taken and the man who took them. He makes clear that by outsourcing parts of our security apparatus, the government has made classified information far more vulnerable; how Snowden sought employment precisely where he could most easily gain access to the most sensitive classified material; and how, though he claims to have acted to serve his country, Snowden is treated as a prized intelligence asset in Moscow, his new home.
©2017 Edward Jay Epstein (P)2017 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
The Perfect Weapon is the startling inside story of how the rise of cyberweapons transformed geopolitics like nothing since the invention of the atomic bomb. Cheap to acquire, easy to deny, and usable for a variety of malicious purposes, cyber is now the weapon of choice for democracies, dictators, and terrorists. Two presidents - Bush and Obama - drew first blood with Operation Olympic Games, which used malicious code to blow up Iran’s nuclear centrifuges, and yet America proved remarkably unprepared when its own weapons were stolen from its arsenal.
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mix of information and propaganda
- By Inthego on 06-14-19
By: David E. Sanger
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The Watchers
- The Rise of America's Surveillance State
- By: Shane Harris
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 15 hrs
- Unabridged
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Our surveillance state was born in the brain of Admiral John Poindexter in 1983. Poindexter, President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser, realized that the United States might have prevented the terrorist massacre of 241 Marines in Beirut if only intelligence agencies had been able to analyze in real time data they had on the attackers. Poindexter poured government know-how and funds into his dream---a system that would sift reams of data for signs of terrorist activity.
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Important context for privacy debate
- By Keefer on 09-17-11
By: Shane Harris
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The Assassination Complex
- Inside the Government's Secret Drone Warfare Program
- By: Jeremy Scahill, The Staff of The Intercept, Edward Snowden - foreword, and others
- Narrated by: George Newbern, Jeremy Scahill - introduction, Glenn Greenwald - afterword
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Major revelations about the US government's drone program - best-selling author Jeremy Scahill and his colleagues at the investigative website The Intercept expose stunning new details about America's secret assassination policy.
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well put together
- By TibHip on 05-11-16
By: Jeremy Scahill, and others
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The 9/11 Commission Report
- Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
- By: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
- Narrated by: Ken Borgers, Sal Giangrasso, Charlton Griffin, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9-11 Commission, was created by congressional legislation and the signature of President George W. Bush in late 2002. This independent, bipartisan commission had the task of producing a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the attack, including preparedness and immediate response, and providing recommendations designed to guard against future attacks.
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Absolutely Outstanding Historical Document
- By Louie on 08-02-04
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Code Warriors
- NSA's Codebreakers and the Secret Intelligence War Against the Soviet Union
- By: Stephen Budiansky
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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The National Security Agency was born out of the legendary codebreaking programs of World War II that cracked the famed Enigma machine and other German and Japanese codes, thereby turning the tide of Allied victory. In the postwar years, as the United States developed a new enemy in the Soviet Union, our intelligence community found itself targeting not soldiers on the battlefield, but suspected spies, foreign leaders, and even American citizens.
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Did Vladimir Putin Steal the American Election?
- By Cynthia on 12-01-16
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Circle of Treason
- CIA Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed
- By: Sandra V. Grimes, Jeanne Vertefeuille
- Narrated by: Janet Metzger
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Circle of Treason is the first account written by CIA agents who were key members of the CIA team that conducted the intense "Ames Mole Hunt." Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille were two of the five principals of the CIA team tasked with hunting one of their own and were directly responsible for identifying Ames as the mole, leading to his arrest and conviction.
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The hunt for a mole
- By Jean on 01-15-14
By: Sandra V. Grimes, and others
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The New Nobility
- The Restoration of Russia's Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB
- By: Andrei Soldatov, Irina Borogin
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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While Vladimir Putin has been president and prime minister of Russia, the Kremlin has deployed the security services to intimidate the political opposition, reassert the power of the state, and carry out assassinations overseas. At the same time, its agents and spies were put beyond public accountability and blessed with the prestige, benefits, and legitimacy lost since the Soviet collapse.
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A little difficult to follow
- By Jairus on 12-10-10
By: Andrei Soldatov, and others
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The Puzzle Palace
- Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization
- By: James Bamford
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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In this remarkable tour de force of investigative reporting, James Bamford exposes the inner workings of America's largest, most secretive, and arguably most intrusive intelligence agency. The NSA has long eluded public scrutiny, but The Puzzle Palace penetrates its vast network of power and unmasks the people who control it, often with shocking disregard for the law.
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Great NSA genesis - but watch the publication date
- By E. M. on 12-05-18
By: James Bamford
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Stonewalled
- My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama's Washington
- By: Sharyl Attkisson
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Seasoned CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson reveals how she has been electronically surveilled while digging deep into the Obama Administration and its scandals, and offers an incisive critique of her industry and the shrinking role of investigative journalism in today's media.
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Great Reporting
- By Michael G. Boyd on 12-30-14
By: Sharyl Attkisson
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Countdown to Zero Day
- Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon
- By: Kim Zetter
- Narrated by: Joe Ochman
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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The virus now known as Stuxnet was unlike any other piece of malware built before: Rather than simply hijacking targeted computers or stealing information from them, it proved that a piece of code could escape the digital realm and wreak actual, physical destruction—in this case, on an Iranian nuclear facility.
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Amazingly detailed, sober and above all, damning
- By Greg on 11-22-14
By: Kim Zetter
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Your Government Failed You
- Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters
- By: Richard A. Clarke
- Narrated by: Richard A. Clarke
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Abridged
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In Your Government Failed You, Clarke looks at why failures have continued and how America and the world can succeed against the terrorists. But Clarke goes beyond terrorism to examine the recurring U.S. government disasters. Despite the lessons of Vietnam, we've gotten involved in Iraq. Drawing on his 30 years in the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and Intelligence Community, Clarke discovers patterns in the failure and suggests ways to stop the cycle.
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Stellar Criticism
- By Tim on 04-01-09
What listeners say about How America Lost Its Secrets
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Andy R
- 04-22-17
interesting information
the book was slow in parts, but it was overall informative. need three words 3
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- Terry Masters
- 01-23-17
Excellent Investigative Report on Snowden Etc.
This will be an interesting read for anyone interested in the Snowden affair. The author avoids politicizing the events and offers a thorough and engaging description of Snowden's actions as well as relevant history of intelligence/counterintelligence. The book is a relatively objective, well-sourced study, containing a great deal of information and analysis often omitted or glossed over in portrayals of this often over-simplified topic.
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- M.A.
- 01-28-17
There's more to the story than headlines suggest.
Would you consider the audio edition of How America Lost Its Secrets to be better than the print version?
The audio edition is very good. I intend to go back and read the Kindle edition in order to give more "think" time to the complex issues & questions raised in the book.
Who was your favorite character and why?
There is no favorite character...unless it's us. We want security. We want privacy. We want it all. Reality doesn't work that way. We have to become informed & make decisions.
What about Michael Bybee’s performance did you like?
A very calm but definite voice. Emphasis only as needed. Not over dramatized.
If you could give How America Lost Its Secrets a new subtitle, what would it be?
Known knowns, known unknowns, and unknown unknowns.
Any additional comments?
An excellent book. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand privacy/security issues beyond sound bites, and comprehend the implications of Snowden's breach of our security.
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- Phineas Tanekhen
- 01-01-18
Well Done
A balanced analysis on the IC (past and present), the Contractor Industries that support the IC, those who've betrayed the IC (Ames, Hansen) their Russian "handlers" and the serial malingerer, covert narcissist that is Ed Snowden.
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- M. Gettler
- 11-22-23
Boring. Mono tone. Useless detail.
Gave up 1/2 way thru. Droned on and on. Could be half as long. Very blah narration.
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- Leland
- 08-16-17
An important book during a critical time
Ripped from the headlines here is the story that has captivated a nation .. the theft of national secrets. The author did a great job writing this book. It asks the question should the govt keep secrets from the public or risk it being leaked?
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1 person found this helpful
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- Js Mom
- 05-25-17
Excellent and well-researched depiction
This book was extremely well-researched. The author explored many many different angles to the story and seems to present a very unbiased depiction of what occurred and what America lost because of Snowden. I learned a lot about this case, American and international espionage, and our intelligence agencies.
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1 person found this helpful
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- JW
- 03-20-17
Rewriting the narrative
I was conflicted about the Snowden story. I hold some libertarian values, although I have since come to believe libertarianism is rooted in idealistic naivety. . . A truly libertarian from of government is not practical given realities of human nature. Everyone is not an ethical humanist. Society benefits from protection of consequences, even unintended ones, of stupid and self-destructive decisions.
I challenge anyone that considers Snowden to be a patriotic hero to read this book, consider the facts, and explain why you still think he is an American patriot. There were other ways to accomplish his alleged mission without hand delivery intelligence to our political enemies. I am open minded, my mind can be changed, but it would take one hell of an argument to convince me is is not a narcissistic traitor. Much like Putin, he is a great liar. Convincing, sincere delivery. I completely understand how people find both Putin and Snowden credible and honest. Even when I KNOW Putin is lying, I find him believable. That might be the trait that Trump so admires about Putin--80% approval rating, in part, because he is a MUCH better liar than Trump. Trump is better than average liar, I think he is able to believe his own BS, but he is no Putin.
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3 people found this helpful
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- THE NOBLE MARRIAGE
- 05-23-17
Yes! Well done
This was well researched, written and narrated.
I'm blown away at the lengths the author took to get this scoop
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- Henry Wodnicki
- 02-26-17
An eye opener
Very well researched and non biased recounting of the events of the greatest compromise of American security
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