Secret Intelligence

For the most part, this is a lucid review of the development of U.S. intelligence in the present century, from its amateurish thrashings during the 1919 ``Red scare,'' to CIA involvement in the Iran- contra affair. The authors discuss how technology has come to dominate the intelligence scene, and warn that its use in secret domestic surveillance threatens the roots of American democracy. Volkman and Baggett come down hard on the super-secret National Security Agency, which they call ``a rogue elephant on the loose.'' This decidedly negative survey of secret U.S. intelligence activities refers often to the inherent ability of such organizations to threaten Constitutional guarantees of freedom, but there is more warning here than argument, as the evidence they have procured is less than comprehensive. Secret Intelligence is a companion volume to a forthcoming PBS television series. Volkman ( Warriors of the Night ) is executive editor of Espionage magazine; Baggett is executive producer of the PBS series. Photos not seen by PW. (Jan.)