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This is the never-before-told story of the 'dark side' of the Bush administration's war on terror, and of one of the CIA's biggest failures — the kidnapping, rendition, and torture of the wrong man — as told by a person who conducted the interrogation. It is an indictment of the CIA's enhanced interrogation from the inside, from a very senior operative. It is also the story of a patriot — Glenn Carle — and his struggle to do the right thing. And, of course, to some of his ex-colleagues he is regarded as a traitor for revealing the truth.
The book is Carle's affirmation that only the truth can lead us from the dark. He had years of training and experience leading up to his encounter with the captive who the CIA believed might hold the key to finding bin Laden. This was his apotheosis as a career spook in the Directorate of Operations, yet Carle immediately struggled to reconcile his orders to make his captive talk with the oath he had sworn to uphold the letter and the spirit of the law. Furthermore, as the interrogation began and he built rapport with his subject, another problem started to gnaw at him. This man wasn't who he was alleged to be; he was low level at best. But while Carle's scepticism grew, his superiors continued to insist that they had the right man. The suspect was moved to one of the CIA's most notorious black sites, and subjected to 'enhanced interrogation techniques'.
Initially enthusiastic about his role at the CIA, Carle eventually began to question the policies of the war on terror because of his involvement in this interrogation. Throughout the operation he had to grapple with the most difficult question a patriot can face: what do you do when your government tells you to do something that is morally abhorrent?
Carle's journey often reads like an international thriller, but it is a true tale of international intrigue, deceit, and betrayal. It is also an extraordinary and intimate portrait of the war on terror.
About The Author
Glenn Carle was a member of the CIA’s Clandestine Service for 23 years and worked in a number of posts on four continents. His last position was as deputy national intelligence officer for transnational threats, where his office was responsible for strategic analysis of terrorism, international organised crime, and narcotics issues. He retired in March 2007 and now lives in Washington, DC.
‘[A] thoroughly documented insider’s view of illegal activities undertaken on the ‘dark side’ of the global war on terror ... Firsthand knowledge of what many have already suspected about the American intelligence community’s methods.’ — Kirkus
‘Carle captures the spirit of the CIA – its bureaucracy, dedication, machismo – in a voice that manages to be descriptive, analytical, reflective, and philosophical in turn’ — Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
‘Glenn Carle’s book The Interrogator is a disturbing tale of the extremes to which the Bush administration was prepared to go in its Global War on Terror.’ — Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson
‘This haunted, powerful book may well be the best and most truthful first-hand account of life inside the CIA ever published.’ — Charles McCarry
‘Glenn Carle’s The Interrogator is a remarkable memoir—for its searing personal honesty, for its portrait of the amoral secret bureaucracy of the CIA, and most of all for its revelation of how a decent American became part of a process that we can only call torture.’ — David Ignatius, columnist for the Washington Post and author of Body of Lies
‘In The Interrogator, Glenn Carle has done more than simply lift a part of the curtain behind which are lurking despicable men such as John Yoo and Douglas Feith, he has turned the stage lights on those who stand out front and continue to receive rave reviews from the rabid right wing, men such as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.’ — Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Other Reviews
'Glenn Carle's book The Interrogator is a disturbing tale of the extremes to which the Bush administration was prepared to go in its Global War on Terror. Faceless bureaucrats sacrificed the core values that made the United States a great country, while ignoring the counsel of experts on the ground. This is a damning story and a nation of laws would demand an investigation into whether crimes were committed. We fear that we are no longer that nation.' - Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson
ISBN: 9781921844164
ISBN-10: 1921844167
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 336
Published: 1st August 2011
Publisher: Scribe Publications
Dimensions (cm): 23.0 x 15.2
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