Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era
Emerson describes how the Pentagon set up its own clandestine "mini-CIA" following the bungled attempt to rescue the hostages in Iran in 1980. A leak in 1983 led to a widespread investigation by certain Army officials and the Justice Department, resulting in secret court-martials and the conviction of several key Army officers who had "decided they knew what was best for the country." More recently, some of the original players participated in a reincarnation of the scheme called "Enterprise," according to Emerson (The American House of Saud). Part business empire, part military-intelligence operation under late CIA director William Casey and National Security Council staffer Oliver North, the Enterprise operation reportedly provided a framework for retired Air Force Gen. Richard Secord and Iranian-born businessman Albert Hakim to control elements of U.S. foreign policy while making huge profits. Emerson focuses on what he sees as the central paradox of covert operations: they are necessary, but they tend to spin out of control. First serial to U.S. News & World Report.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.