Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team
Former British intelligence officer Smith (The  Emperor's Codes) shines a light on one of the U.S. Army's blackest  agencies and best-kept secrets, the Intelligence Support Activity—aka the  Activity—in this extensively researched and crisply written exposé.  The Activity was established, after the failed attempt to rescue the American  hostages in Iran in 1980, as "a dedicated special operations intelligence unit"  to provide signals, imagery and human intelligence to other black units: e.g.,  the army's Delta Force. Although opposed by army traditionalists, the Activity  proved itself in operations from El Salvador to Iraq, playing important roles  in tracking down Colombian drug czar Pablo Escobar, Somali warlord Mohamed  Farah Aideed and several prominent Bosnian war criminals. Since 9/11 and  Operation Iraqi Freedom have exposed the shortcomings of U.S. intelligence, the  size and scope of the Activity has, according to the author, "dramatically  increased." Drawing on recently declassified documents and confidential  interviews with key participants, Smith has produced an important primer for  anyone hoping to understand the (usually quiet) successes and the  (well-documented) failures of U.S. intelligence in the last 25 years. 16 pages  color photo insert.(Mar.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.