Secret Empire

Eisenhower, the CIA, and the Hidden Story of America's Space Espionage

By: Philip Taubman

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Paperback | 24 February 2004 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
472 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 13.97 x 3.56

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In a brief period of explosive, top-secret innovation during the 1950s, a small group of scientists, engineers, businessmen, and government officials rewrote the book on airplane design and led the nation into outer space. Led by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, they invented the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes and the first reconnaissance satellites that revolutionized spying, proved that the missile gap was a myth, and protected the United States from Soviet surprise nuclear attack. They also made possible the space-based mapping, communications, and targeting systems used in the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Veteran New York Times reporter and editor Philip Taubman interviewed dozens of participants and mined thousands of previously classified documents to tell this hidden, far-reaching story. He reconstructs the crucial meetings, conversations, and decisions that inspired and guided the development of the spy plane and satellite projects during one of the most perilous periods in our history, a time when, as President Eisenhower said, the world seemed to be "racing toward catastrophe."
This is the story of these secret heroes, told in full for the first time.

Industry Reviews

Tom Wolfe Author of The Right Stuff It's hard to believe that the story of the biggest and most radically conceived espionage operation of the twentieth century hasn't been told before now....In this absorbing book, Philip Taubman shows us the entire Secret Empire for the first time.

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Preface	p. xi
Cast of Characters	p. xvii
Reimagining Reconnaissance 1946-1954
"Racing Toward Catastrophe,"	p. 3
The Origins of Strategic Intelligence	p. 35
Stargazing in Santa Monica	p. 57
Seeing Air	p. 72
"I Think I Have the Plane You Are After,"	p. 84
A New Spy Plane Takes Flight 1954-1956
The Role of a Lifetime	p. 113
"This Thing Is Made Out of Toilet Paper,"	p. 128
Photographing the President's Cattle	p. 149
Big Game Hunting	p. 169
Vaulting Into Space 1956-1976
Earthbound	p. 193
Creating Corona	p. 212
"Go Off and Build That Thing,"	p. 241
Heartbreak	p. 270
"Capsule Recovered Undamaged,"	p. 298
A Stradivarius, Not a Cracker Box	p. 325
Epilogue: Losing the Inventive Spark	p. 356
Notes	p. 371
Bibliography	p. 403
Acknowledgments	p. 421
Index	p. 427
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Secret Empire

Eisenhower, the CIA, and the Hidden Story of America's Space Espionage

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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