Chapter 2, Part 1 Summary

Starting with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late eighties, the C.I.A. faced a troublesome decline of interest and funding, while seeing an increase in bureaucracy. After a time, there were no overseas agents. All possibly 'dirty' agents were scrubbed. Field agent discretionary powers were stripped. This was happening at about the same time that Saudi-backed Islamic fundamentalists were beginning to train in the former fringe Soviet republics. There was also much C.I.A. in-fighting, and resources were diverted to narcotics and anti-nuclear proliferation issues. It took its toll on the organization; the vital 'south group,' with eight stations in central Asia (with close proximity to the Taliban and Bin Laden) had no agents at all by the mid-90s. The late 90s saw the resignation/retirement of many key personnel. Some ex-personnel testified before...