Scorpions' dance : the president, the spymaster, and Watergate / Jefferson Morley.
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Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at LARL/NWRL Consortium.
- 1 of 1 copy available at Lake Agassiz Regional Library. (Show preferred library)
Current holds
0 current holds with 1 total copy.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fertile Public Library | 973.924 MOR (Text) | 33500013621289 | New | Available | - |
Record details
- ISBN: 9781250275837
- ISBN: 1250275830
- Physical Description: vi, 326 pages ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York, NY : St. Martin's Press, [2022]
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Formatted Contents Note: | Arriba -- Defeated -- The Black World -- Monster Of Self-Possession -- Martyrs Of Tomorrow -- Freedom Of Action -- The Shadow -- Women -- The Silent Service -- Honeymoon -- Flattery -- Madman Theory -- Public Relations Job -- Sledgehammer -- Blackmail -- The Who Shot John Angle -- Our Side -- The Sorest Spot -- The Ruse -- Precipice -- Escape -- The Witness -- Magnificent -- Ghastly -- Interrogation -- Puritan Ethic -- Judgment. |
| Summary, etc.: | "For the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in: The untold story of President Richard Nixon, CIA Director Richard Helms, and their volatile shared secrets that ended a presidency. Scorpions' Dance by intelligence expert and investigative journalist Jefferson Morley reveals the Watergate scandal in a completely new light: as the culmination of a concealed, deadly power struggle between President Richard Nixon and CIA Director Richard Helms. Nixon and Helms went back decades; both were 1950s Cold Warriors, and both knew secrets about the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba as well as off-the-books American government and CIA plots to remove Fidel Castro and other leaders in Latin America. Both had enough information on each other to ruin their careers. After the Watergate burglary on June 17, 1972, Nixon was desperate to shut down the FBI's investigation. He sought Helms' support and asked that the CIA intervene-knowing that most of the Watergate burglars were retired CIA agents, contractors, or long-term assets with deep knowledge of the Agency's most sensitive secrets. The two now circled each other like scorpions, defending themselves with the threat of lethal attack. The loser would resign his office in disgrace; the winner, however, would face consequences for the secrets he had kept. Rigorously researched and dramatically told, Scorpions' Dance uses long-neglected evidence to reveal a new perspective on one of America's most notorious presidential scandals"-- Provided by publisher. |
Reviews
Author Notes
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2022 May #1
Morley (The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton, 2017) shares more of his insights into the role of the CIA in America's recent history. For much of the mid-twentieth century, Richard Helms was director of Central Intelligence. A trusted advisor to Lyndon Johnson, Helms was regarded by Richard Nixon as part of a Washington establishment lined up against his new presidential agenda. Conflict erupted with Nixon's 1972 reelection. As Morley characterizes their relationship, Helms and Nixon became like scorpions engaged in mortal combat. The need to end the Vietnam War made each more wary of the other. Then came Watergate and the revelation that the arrested burglars had worked closely with the CIA. As the Senate Intelligence Committee prodded the CIA over all sorts of issues, including the JFK assassination and attempts on the life of Fidel Castro, Helms became increasingly defensive of his agency's conduct over the years. The centrality of Nixon and Helms to so many pivotal moments in history makes Morley's revelations about their sparring even more intriguing. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.
JEFFERSON MORLEY is a journalist and editor who has worked in Washington journalism for over thirty years, fifteen of which were spent as an editor and reporter at The Washington Post. The author of The Ghost, Our Man in Mexico, and Snow Storm in August, Morley has written about intelligence, military, and political subjects for Salon, The Atlantic, and The Intercept, among others. He is the editor of JFK Facts, a blog. He lives in Washington, DC.
