Stansfield Turner (1923–2018)
Author of Burn before Reading: Presidents, CIA Directors, and Secret Intelligence
About the Author
Stansfield Turner was born in Highland Park, Illinois on December. 1, 1923. He was admitted to the United States Naval Academy in 1943. He received degrees in politics, economics, and philosophy from Oxford University in 1950. As he rose through the ranks during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, he show more commanded a minesweeper, a destroyer, a carrier group, and a fleet. He served as president of the Naval War College from 1972 to 1974. He was an admiral commanding the southern flank of NATO when President Jimmy Carter asked him to become the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Turner became director on March 9, 1977 and served for all four years of Carter's presidency. Turner spent his remaining years writing and lecturing on the C.I.A. and American national security. He wrote several books including Secrecy and Democracy: The CIA in Transition and Burn Before Reading: Presidents, CIA Directors, and Secret Intelligence. He died on January 18, 2018 at the age of 94. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (U.S. Navy Portrait)
Works by Stansfield Turner
Burn before Reading: Presidents, CIA Directors, and Secret Intelligence (2005) 105 copies, 2 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1923-12-01
- Date of death
- 2018-01-18
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Amherst College
U.S. Naval Academy
Exeter College, Oxford - Occupations
- naval officer
intelligence officer
college president - Organizations
- Central Intelligence Agency
U.S. Navy
U.S. Naval War College
University of Maryland - Awards and honors
- Bronze Star
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (show all 15)
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Navy Occupation Service Medal
China Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Service Medal - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Highland Park, Illinois, USA
- Places of residence
- Naples, Italy
Great Falls, Virginia, USA
Redmond, Washington, USA - Place of death
- Redmond, Washington, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
This book's title, "Burn Before Reading", might imply that it will be filled with relevations of inside secrets of the CIA, contain details of exciting exploits of CIA operatives, etc., but that really isn't the case. Written by a former CIA Director, Stansfield Turner, it's much more a history of the Agency, it's management and budgeting issues, its growth and setbacks. It might be better to consider it as a listing of Who's Who in the CIA from its formation through the G.W. Bush show more Administration, ending with several ideas to improve the efficiency and organization of the Agency. If you're truly interested in how the CIA has evolved over the years, you'll gain some insights. But if you're looking for an exciting inside look into the workings of the Agency, trust the middling Goodreads ratings, and select a different book. show less
Frank discussion of the history, failures, and realtionship btw the CIA and the White House by a former CIA Director. Well worth reading.
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Statistics
- Works
- 7
- Members
- 230
- Popularity
- #97,993
- Rating
- 3.3
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 20
- Languages
- 1