The President's Book of Secrets
The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America's Presidents from Kennedy to Obama
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Narrated by:
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Jason Culp
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By:
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David Priess
About this listen
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.
The details of most PDBs are highly classified and will remain so for many years. But the process by which the intelligence community develops and presents the Book is a fascinating look into the operation of power at the highest levels. David Priess, a former intelligence officer and daily briefer, has interviewed every living former president and vice president as well as more than 100 others intimately involved with the production and delivery of the president's book of secrets. He offers an unprecedented window into the decision making of every president from Kennedy to Obama, with many character-rich stories revealed here for the first time.
©2016 David Priess (P)2016 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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By the time Henry Kissinger was made secretary of state in 1973, he had become, according to a Gallup poll, the most admired person in America and one of the most unlikely celebrities ever to capture the world’s imagination. Yet Kissinger was also reviled by large segments of the American public, ranging from liberal intellectuals to conservative activists. Kissinger explores the relationship between this complex man's personality and the foreign policy he pursued.
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A dissapointment
- By Mike From Mesa on 12-16-13
By: Walter Isaacson
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Good Hunting
- An American Spymaster's Story
- By: Jack Devine
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story is the spellbinding memoir of Devine's time in the CIA, where he served for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations, responsible for all of the agency's spying operations. This is a story of intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering - all the more gripping when the fate of our geopolitical order hangs in the balance. But this audiobook also sounds a warning to our nation's decision makers.
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Fascinating, An education on spying
- By Anthony on 12-13-15
By: Jack Devine
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Days of Fire
- Bush and Cheney in the White House
- By: Peter Baker
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 29 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Theirs was the most captivating American political partnership since Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger: a bold and untested president and his seasoned, relentless vice president. Confronted by one crisis after another, they struggled to protect the country, remake the world, and define their own relationship along the way. In Days of Fire, Peter Baker chronicles the history of the most consequential presidency in modern times through the prism of its two most compelling characters, capturing the elusive and shifting alliance of George Walker Bush and Richard Bruce Cheney as no historian has done before.
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A balanced account of the W and Cheney White House
- By Scott on 11-15-13
By: Peter Baker
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Hubris
- The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War
- By: Michael Isikoff, David Corn
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 18 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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This fast-paced, behind-the-scenes narrative tells the inside story of how the Bush administration used bad intelligence to sell and then justify the Iraq war. Veteran reporters Michael Isikoff and David Corn take the reader behind the scenes at the White House, the CIA, the Pentagon, the State Department, and Congress, where controversial decisions and turf battles were fought in the highest circles of the Bush administration.
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Hubris
- By Pamela on 12-19-06
By: Michael Isikoff, and others
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Known and Unknown
- A Memoir
- By: Donald Rumsfeld
- Narrated by: Donald Rumsfeld
- Length: 30 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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A powerful memoir from the late former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. With the same directness that defined his career in public service, Rumsfeld's memoir is filled with previously undisclosed details and insights about the Bush administration, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also features Rumsfeld's unique and often surprising observations on eight decades of history. Both a fascinating narrative and an unprecedented glimpse into history, Known and Unknown captures the legacy of one of the most influential men in public service.
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Inside view of five decades in politics
- By Brooks on 02-19-11
By: Donald Rumsfeld
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Reagan at Reykjavik
- Forty-Eight Hours That Ended the Cold War
- By: Ken Adelman
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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A dramatic account of the historic 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Iceland - the turning point in the Cold War - by Ken Adelman, Reagan's arms control director and a key player in that weekend's world-changing events. In October 1986, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met for a forty-eight-hour summit in Reykjavik, Iceland. Planned as a short gathering to outline future talks, the meeting quickly turned to major international issues, including SDI ("Star Wars") and the possibility of eliminating all nuclear weapons.
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Outstanding Tribute
- By MOV on 11-17-23
By: Ken Adelman
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The Pentagon's Wars
- The Military's Undeclared War Against America's Presidents
- By: Mark Perry
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pentagon's Wars is a dramatic account of the deep and divisive debates between America's civilian leaders and its military officers. Renowned military expert Mark Perry investigates these internal wars and sheds new light on the US military - the most powerful and influential lobby in Washington.
By: Mark Perry
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The One Percent Doctrine
- Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11
- By: Ron Suskind
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Abridged
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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Ron Suskind takes you deep inside America's real battles with violent, unrelenting terrorists, a game of kill-or-be-killed, from the Oval Office to the streets of Karachi.
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The Agenda is Clear
- By Penny on 09-28-11
By: Ron Suskind
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The Gatekeepers
- How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency
- By: Chris Whipple
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The chiefs of staff, often referred to as "the gatekeepers", wield tremendous power in Washington and beyond; they decide who is allowed to see the president, negotiate with Congress to push POTUS's agenda, and - most crucially - enjoy unparalleled access to the leader of the free world. Through extensive, intimate interviews with 18 living chiefs (including Reince Priebus) and two former presidents, award-winning journalist and producer Chris Whipple pulls back the curtain on this unique fraternity. In doing so, he revises our understanding of presidential history.
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Interesting, but lacking in political objectivity
- By Stephen Watson on 09-04-17
By: Chris Whipple
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The Insurgents
- David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War
- By: Fred Kaplan
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Based on previously unavailable documents and interviews with more than 100 key players, including General David Petraeus, The Insurgents unfolds against the backdrop of two wars waged against insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the main insurgency is the one led at home by a new generation of officers - including Petraeus, John Nagl, David Kilcullen, and H. R. McMaster - who were seized with an idea on how to fight these kinds of "small wars" and who adapted their enemies' techniques to overhaul their own army.
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How to fight a war and win
- By Chupuk on 05-03-16
By: Fred Kaplan
What listeners say about The President's Book of Secrets
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Carter Merkle
- 10-05-16
Good for what it is.
You must enjoy the minutiae of Presidential routine to stay with this book. The comparison of styles between the Presidents is interesting as are aspects of the book's changes over time.
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- Brian
- 08-23-16
About CIA | Not What I was Hoping For
I cant recall if I read the dam summary or not, regardless, I was hoping for some juicy government secrets (sshhhhh!)
This book did a great job on telling the story centered around a publication delivered to the Presidents over the decades, however it was more about the CIA than anything else.
No juicy secrets uncovered, just a history over the PDB's evolution.
Would I out right recommend this book to anyone? Hahaha...NO!
Are you a history buff and find anything about the guvment interesting? Well then, this book is right up your alley.
Although it was disappointing on the basis that this book was not what I was expecting, this should not discount the fact that the author did a good job showing the reader (or listener) on a very narrow subject matter such as the PDB, how it transformed throughout the years & how different personalities shaped the document even through criticism at the highest level of guvment (POTUS).
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2 people found this helpful
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- James Paris
- 02-11-22
A fascinating and enlightening look at the Presidents Daily Briefing
As a citizen of the United States (and, as a person who has a healthy curiosity of the presidency), I found that this book has enlightened me on one of the most important roles of the President of the United States: the safety and security of the nation. This is facilitated perhaps in many ways, but one of the most basic and initial ways is through the President’s Daily Briefing (PDB). In his book, David Priess offers a thorough and revealing look into the PDB and it’s rich and interesting history. There are things that obviously cannot be revealed. But “The Presidents Book of Secrets” will give the reader an insight into what the President must use in consultation with other security experts to maintain the nations safety and security. I, for one, am glad that we have a vast network of folks working on this in the various national agencies. I also gained and cultivated a healthy respect for our nations leaders as a result. You will definitely enjoy this book if you are interested in learning how the President of the United States gets his information at the start of his day and how this PDB shapes what is potentially going to happen during that day…and beyond.
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- Ryan Honomichl
- 11-22-23
Bush Jr was the “golden age of the PDB?!
The author asserts that George bush Jr was the golden age of the president daily brief. That’s a stunning admission considering bush Jr was in charge during the greatest intelligence failures in us history (9/11 and Iraq). It really tells you how bureaucratic and delusional these right wing nuts really are. Let’s stop pretending he’s something other than an abject failure.
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- Talonas
- 11-18-16
Goes great paired with Drift by Rachel Maddow
this book lends insight into what was going through the minds of our Modern Day Presidents and seriously goes great with Drift. The two combined layer a comprehensive overview of US Intelligence and Military changes that we should all be keenly aware of. A must read.
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- Jason R. Seetin
- 07-24-16
book about crybabies
Would you try another book from David Priess and/or Jason Culp?
No chance
What do you think your next listen will be?
Something with action
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Narrator wasn't too bad.
Do you think The President's Book of Secrets needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No chance. This is a book full of people whining. Presidents whining because they didn't want to read the PDB or it didn't have the right info, and Intel personnel whining because the presidents never patted them on the heads saying, "good boy. That's a good boy!"
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- CHUCK
- 06-13-19
Boring Book
Struggle to finish the book. A few interesting facts but I didn't find it worth the time to listen to.
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- William Hill
- 11-07-24
presidents should be able. to comprehend
I found the variance between this expensive work apalling who knows what will happen if we don't take ibmndormatiob serious.
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- Bruce M. Anderson
- 07-27-16
Beyond boring
This book has no real substance. It is all
about process and not content. And the process is boring. There is very little historical substance other than who wrote and read what. I would recommend skipping it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Michael
- 09-07-16
about the report and nothing but the report
Extremely limited book tells you who liked the report, who didn't like it, how the report changed form in ridiculous detail. If you want to see the presidency through a soda straw with this stupid report always in the foreground, go ahead and get it.
Oh...don't expect to see or read one though! They let Putin read one but not us! Lol.
Waist of time.
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3 people found this helpful