Burn before reading : presidents, CIA directors, and secret intelligence / Stansfield Turner.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and "Wild Bill" : America's first central intelligence apparatus -- Harry S Truman, Souers, Vandenberg, Hillenkoetter, and Smith : the founding of the CIA -- Dwight D. Eisenhower and Allen Dulles : the CIA is thrust into action -- John F. Kennedy, Dulles, and McCone : scandal and confusion on the New Frontier -- Lyndon B. Johnson, McCone, Raborn, and Helms : the value and price of loyalty -- Richard Nixon, Helms, Schlesinger, and Colby : the CIA despised -- Gerald Ford, Colby, and George H.W. Bush : the CIA under a microscope -- Jimmy Carter and Turner : the DCI empowered -- Ronald Reagan, Casey, and Webster : the resurrection of "Wild Bill" -- George H.W. Bush, Webster, and Gates : confusion and compromise at the Cold War's end -- Bill Clinton, Woolsey, Deutch, and Tenet : the CIA without the Cold War -- George W. Bush, Tenet, 9/11, and beyond : quo vadis?

A CIA director offers a glimpse into the complicated relationship between the United States presidents and their CIA chiefs. The way the U.S. government gathers intelligence information has become front-page news. In this book, former CIA director Turner highlights pivotal moments between presidents and their CIA directors--detailing the decisions that continue to shape the intelligence community and our world. This behind-the-scenes look at the CIA's relationship with the presidents, from World War II to the present day, reveals how intelligence gathering works, and how personal and political issues often interfere with government business.--From publisher description.