Shadow Warrior: A Look Back At William E. Colby And The CIA

Joseph C. Goulden, a veteran journalist and author of several books on espionage and intelligence, reviewed Randall B. Woods book on former CIA director William Colby for the Washington Times.

Seventeen years after his death, former Director of Central Intelligence William E. Colby remains a controversial figure among many persons in and around the intelligence community. Did he betray generations of fellow officers by going public with a so-called “family jewels” list of CIA misdeeds over the years? Or did the disclosure save the agency from dissolution by an angry Congress?

Disappointingly, despite the sprawling length of “Shadow Warrior,” Randall B. Woods, a professor at the University of Arkansas, does not attempt to answer that basic question. At hand is a book that relies heavily upon secondary sources and offers very little fresh information about Colby. Further, Mr. Woods drops some conspiratorial hints that should raise eyebrows among those familiar with the intelligence world. (For instance, he has rogue CIA contract officer Edwin Wilson forging documents to smear a prime minister of Australia in the 1970s, something that escaped the attention of the myriad investigators and writers who explored his villainous career.)

You can read the rest of the review via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/10/book-review-shadow-warrior/