The Very Best Men

The Very Best Men chronicles four early CIA officers - Frank Wisner, Richard Bissell, Tracy Barnes, and Desmond FitzGerald - who shaped American intelligence operations during the Cold War. Their careers spanned from the agency's creation through the Bay of Pigs invasion in the early 1960s. These men came from privileged East Coast backgrounds, attending elite schools and moving in high society before joining the intelligence community. Thomas draws on interviews, declassified documents, and personal papers to reconstruct their professional and personal lives during a pivotal period in CIA history. The book documents key covert operations, internal CIA politics, and the complex relationships between these intelligence officers and multiple presidential administrations. The narrative follows their rise through the ranks and their roles in major Cold War events. The story of these four men serves as a lens to examine American power, institutional hubris, and the gap between noble intentions and real-world consequences. Their experiences raise enduring questions about the role of covert action in democratic societies.

Readers praise Thomas's detailed research and engaging portraits of the four main CIA operatives. Many note his balanced approach in showing both the operatives' idealism and their flaws. Reviews highlight the book's insight into Cold War decision-making and CIA culture of the 1950s. Specific praise focuses on the personal anecdotes and character development that make the history accessible. Multiple readers noted the value of understanding how these men's backgrounds and personalities shaped early CIA operations. Common criticisms include: - Too much focus on personal lives rather than operations - Difficult to keep track of numerous characters - Some sections drag with excessive detail Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (529 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (98 ratings) One Amazon reviewer wrote: "Thomas strikes the right balance between telling the human story while maintaining historical accuracy." A Goodreads critic noted: "The narrative sometimes gets lost in minutiae about the officers' social circles and family dynamics."

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🔸 The book follows four early CIA operatives - Frank Wisner, Richard Bissell, Tracy Barnes, and Desmond FitzGerald - who came from privileged Eastern establishment backgrounds and were nicknamed "Georgetown's Beautiful People." 🔸 Author Evan Thomas had unprecedented access to previously classified CIA files and conducted over 150 interviews with intelligence officers and their families to write this account. 🔸 The CIA agents featured in the book were responsible for some of the agency's most notorious operations, including attempts to overthrow governments in Guatemala, Indonesia, and Cuba. 🔸 Many of the operatives chronicled met tragic ends - Frank Wisner committed suicide in 1965, and both Tracy Barnes and Desmond FitzGerald died prematurely in their 50s. 🔸 These early CIA officers were largely inspired by their WWII experience in the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and believed they could reshape the world through covert operations, earning them the nickname "The Cowboys" within the agency.