The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America

by James Bamford

Hardcover, 2008

Description

Journalist Bamford exposed the existence of the top-secret National Security Agency in The Puzzle Palace and continued to probe into its workings in his follow-up Body of Secrets. Now Bamford discloses inside, often shocking information about the transformation of the NSA in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 2001. He shows how the NSA's failure to detect the presence of two of the 9/11 hijackers inside the United States led the NSA to abandon its long-held policy of spying only on enemies outside the country. Instead, after 9/11 it turned its almost limitless ability to listen in on friend and foe alike over to the Bush Administration to use as a weapon in the war on terror. Bamford details how the agency has conducted domestic surveillance without court approval, and he frames it in the context of the NSA's ongoing hunt for information about today's elusive enemies.--From publisher description.… (more)

Status

Available

Call number

327.1273

Genres

Politics, Government, Law and Public Policy

Publication

Doubleday (2008), Edition: 1, 395 pages

User reviews

LibraryThing member abirdman

Non-fiction presented in the form of a spy thriller. It's hard to tell what's true and what's "embellished." This book implies there were politics and other Washington shenanigans that kept the various US intelligence agencies from sorting out the many clues they had of the impending September 11th

terrorist attacks. A fascinating but not entirely convincing book.

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LibraryThing member Dystopos

Bamford provides a lot of detail in his description of what the NSA has been doing since September 11, 2001. He seems to stumble, however, every time he tries to draw any narrative threads or conclusions from his research. Fortunately, he provides end notes and an index. Although I don't feel as if

I've been greatly informed, I have a feeling that I'll go back to this book to contextualize bits of information I pick up elsewhere. I'm sure there aren't many other books with as many specifics, even if there are others that are more astute about the greater meanings.

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LibraryThing member LamSon

A fairly interesting look at the NSA, which Bamford has written about in several other books. It bogged down in the middle when he is describing some of the technology. I found it interesting that the NSA can listen in on phone conversations in Yemen. At the same time it was a little unnerving to

read about the vast effrot put into vacuuming of phone converstions, emails...LT book reviews.
With that in mind, "You guys at NSA are doing a great job."

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LibraryThing member jmcilree

It is a very interesting history of the NSA from pre 9/11 through 2007. He portrays Michael Hayden as power-hungry and somewhat incompetent. The power of the NSA is rather frightening, and somewhat comforting, when threats abound.

LibraryThing member KirkLowery

Bamford has made a career of writing about the NSA. In this volume he recounts the events of 9/11 from the NSA's viewpoint, showing how they screwed up, refused to acknowledge it, and proceeded to ask for -- and get, tons of money to increase their surveillance capabilities. As he tells it, with

the cooperation of the telcoms, the NSA now simply copies the Internet globally and mines the data. And who are the corporations who help it? Israeli companies founded by and staffed by former Israeli intelligence operatives or administrators.

Recent events about Snowden's revelations are old news in light of this 2008 book. What is clear is that the NSA is out of control, and the federal government does not want the NSA to be reigned in. Let's hope Congress will.

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LibraryThing member tmph

Ai, yi, yi. Must read about US Intelligence both foreign and domestic; the NSA; the telecoms; the foreign hardware/software companies involved. Whew.

LibraryThing member Paul_S

I expected this to have had been made obsolete by (now not so) recent findings but was surprised how much was already widely known even then. Somehow that's not how I remembered it but there it is. Even the book makes comparisons with older scandals - this is a never-ending cycle. All of it seems

laughably tame compared to the current situation. Well written, well researched book, still worth a read.

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