"I highly recommend Immerman's history as a corrective.„ (Journal of American History, 3 January 2016)
“Written in clear terms with excellent summaries of complex events, The Hidden Hand makes a mass of history and bureaucratic strife manageable to newcomers of the subject. ... The redactions in this volume serve as an introduction for would-be scholars to the risks of researching so close to the circles of power and authority.„ (Intelligence and National Security, 6 February 2015)
“Richard H. Immerman, who teaches the history of American foreign policy and intelligence at Temple University, has produced a fine, concise history of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Hidden Handhas three major virtues: it is fair-minded, readable and up-to-date, including a useful insider's analysis of how the creation of the new position of National Director of Intelligence (NDI) in 2005 has affected the role of the CIA and its director.„ (Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, 1 January 2015)
“Meantime, as far as the book under review is concerned, It's a very well written piece of history and well referenced with numerous end-of-chapter source notes.„ (Nurturing Potential, 1 March 2014)
“Richard Immerman's brief history of the CIA is, Ibelieve, the best one currently available.„ - JohnLewis Gaddis, Yale University
“In this important book, Richard Immerman examines thetorturous history and mixed record of the CIA. Arguing that theagency was engulfed from its inception in controversy betweenintelligence analysts and covert operators, Immerman laments theagency's post-9/11 trajectory toward paramilitary operations. If you are looking for a good, short text in your courses onintelligence history, this should serve you well.„-Melvyn P. Leffler, Edward Stettinius Professor of AmericanHistory, University of Virginia
“The hidden Hand provides a balanced andinformative history of CIA covert actions, why they wereundertaken, and what they accomplished.„ -ThomasFingar, Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence forAnalysis
“Born in conflict and steeped in controversy, the CIAremains extraordinarily difficult to understand. But now it has afair and insightful biography. Richard Immerman bring to the taskthe skills of an accomplished historian and the personal experienceof having seen it from the inside. The result is fascinating andimportant." - Robert Jervis, author of WhyIntelligence Fails: Lessons from the Iranian Revolution and theIraq War