Company Man

Thirty Years of Controversy and Crisis in the CIA

By: John Rizzo

Narrated by: Pete Larkin

In 1975, fresh out of law school and working a numbing job at the Treasury Department, John Rizzo took "a total shot in the dark" and sent his résumé to the Central Intelligence Agency. He had no notion that more than 30 years later, after serving under 11 CIA directors and seven presidents, he would become a notorious public figure - a symbol and a victim of the toxic winds swirling in post-9/11 Washington. From serving as the point person answering for the Iran-Contra scandal to approving the rules that govern waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques", John Rizzo witnessed and participated in virtually all of the significant operations of the CIA's modern history.

In Company Man, Rizzo charts the CIA's evolution from shadowy entity to an organization exposed to new laws, rules, and a seemingly never-ending string of public controversies. Rizzo offers a direct window into the CIA in the years after the 9/11 attacks, when he served as the agency's top lawyer, with oversight of actions that remain the subject of intense debate today. In Company Man, Rizzo is the first CIA official to ever describe what "black sites" look like from the inside and he provides the most comprehensive account ever written of the "torture tape" fiasco surrounding the interrogation of Al Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah and the birth, growth, and death of the enhanced interrogation program.

Spanning more than three decades, Company Man is the most authoritative insider account of the CIA ever written - a groundbreaking, timely, and remarkably candid history of American intelligence.

©2014 John Rizzo (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"As insider looks go, this one is about as close-up as you can get." ( Booklist)

good...but...

very good overall, but can't help thinking it is a bit of a pr piece in certain respects. still, good insights and entertaining. read along with Legacy of Ashes for more complete view.

Very interesting

John Rizzo's account for his long-spanning career in the CIA accurately depicts the trying times the CIA has faced since the Cold War. A must read for those interested in learning more about this clandestine branch of the government.

Unique perspective

good presentation, tonality, and story
good example between protect us at all costs but don't go tto far. the back and forth

Politically bent

I got as far as the first few pages of chapter eight and I just couldn’t stomach it anymore. Chapter eight title “Dealing with devils” covers the years 1993 through 1998, and shortly after it opens he characterizes the Clinton Administration as “there had been a hostile takeover of the US government”. He says what he means is that the the executive branch of our government had passed from one political party to another. It did not sound or feel that way to me and after reading a few more pages I stopped. I knew from the preceding chapters that the author was politically bent but that was too much for me. It’s not surprising our country feels like it is heading to a political impasse when even top CIA bureaucrats feel that way about the people they serve. I hope he is happy with the executive we have now.

Interesting perspective

Long but good. Provided insight into the inner workings of the CIA. Some of it is Deep State propaganda, but overall quite interesting.