Eclipse: The Last Days of the CIA

Making judicious use of classified material obtained from ``a source inside the executive branch,'' Perry examines the bitter internal debate over CIA policy and leadership from the death of director William Casey in 1987 to the swearing-in of Robert Gates in '91. Perry staunchly defends Casey's immediate successor, former FBI head William Webster. Charged with rebuilding the agency's public image and internal morale, Webster was, the author shows, unable to overcome the barriers placed in his path by White House officials and obstructionists in the CIA itself. Perry traces the meteoric rise of Gates and the circumstances of his controversial nomination by President Bush. A powerful but widely hated figure, Gates was viewed as an amateurish upstart by many of his colleagues. Perry's study is the most revealing inside look at the Central Intelligence Agency to date. Perry is author of Four Stars: The Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photos. (Sept.)