Book Review Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987 by Bob Woodward Copyright 1987 Review by Steve Fritsch
Recently, I have had a fascination with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and I have been reading numerous books about the agency, its history, its bureaucratic structure, and its long list of secret missions. I also recently saw The Good Shepherd, starring Matt Damon and directed by Robert DeNiro, a fictional account of the creation of the CIA. (I should note that, while I enjoyed the movie, I was disappointed with it as well. It was not nearly as good as I thought it was going to be.)
But like most movies, they aren't as fascinating as the real thing, and reading about the CIA is much more entertaining than any movie about it. One such book was Bob Woodward's Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987. After having read and enjoyed Woodward's 2002 bestseller Bush at War, dealing with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the military preparations for the invasion of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, I looked forward to reading more of his previous works. However, although I did enjoy Veil, it made me look at Bob Woodward in a whole new light.
Because I have not yet read Woodward's latest book, State of Denial: Bush at War: Part III, I will refuse to opine on it. However, as I witnessed the controversy surrounding State of Denial while reading Veil, I came to realize that Woodward appears to be a bit of a "hot dog" journalist. By this I mean that Woodward sees himself as a type of superstar reporter whose career and selling massive amounts of books means more than the release of potentially sensitive and secretive government information that is needed to fight terrororism. (To be fair to Woodward, he does seem to take seriously what he releases, but the damage he has done to U.S. security interests in regards to the release of secretive information in his books or at The Washington Post is yet to be seen and hopefully someday will be thoroughly examined.)
Regarding Veil, it deals with the CIA in the early 1980's under the leadership and direction of DCI (Director of Central Intelligence) William Casey. Chosen by President Ronald Reagan in 1980, Casey served until 1987 when he retired due to health problems and pressure from the Iran-Contra scandal. Woodward's account of Casey and his many interviews with him make for an interesting read as to how a DCI commands and operates. Woodward also does a good job of showing the conflicts and differences of opinion between Casey and the CIA with other parts of the government, mostly the State Department and Defense Department.
Additionally, Woodward does a good job detailing the major events regarding covert operations in various parts of the world. Of course, these include the invasion and rescue of Grenada, the military strikes on Muammar Qaddafi's Libya, the funding of the Contras in Nicaragua against the communist-backed Sandinistas, and the funding of the Afghans in their fight against Soviet occupation. It also delves into some little known, behind-the-scenes moments involving Saudi Arabia and Israel, which are very interesting.  The book also explains the difficulties that arise between the intelligence community and the White House versus Congress and its constant oversight.
During the 1980's, the CIA was still in the midst of heavy Congressional oversight that had started with the Church Committee following the Watergate scandal. There was intense controversy surrounding the CIA's role in certain foreign operations, some that included assassinations of foreign leaders. A large portion of the book is on the relationship between the Senate Intelligence Committee and the CIA and the Reagan Administration
In the end, however, Veil was still very enjoyable, though, if you are a Reagan fan, very little of it revolves around the President himself. The book mainly deals with Casey and his staff, including Oliver North. The book, having been published in 1987, only scratches the surface of the beginnings of the Iran Contra scandal. But for fans of Woodward, and for those interested in how the CIA and Congress interact, you won't be disappointed in Veil.