“Richard Schroeder’s compelling new book reveals how an under-appreciated U.S. President, Harry Truman, put together an intelligence framework that remained in place for decades and contributed to winning the Cold War. It is a story well told and highly recommended!”—noted intelligence historian H. Keith Melton
“An important and long overdue contribution to America’s national security history. The Foundation of the CIA properly honors the members of President Truman’s “Missouri Gang,” whose collective legacy was a responsible intelligence Agency that has served Democratic and Republican Presidents alike for seventy years.”—Robert Wallace, author with H. Keith Meltonof Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda
“Schroeder knows his history and has aggressively explored primary and secondary sources. Anyone with an interest in early U.S. intelligence history or the Roosevelt/Truman era especially will appreciate this book. Perhaps its greatest contribution is its extensive treatment of the first Director, Roscoe Hillenkoetter.”—David M. Barrett, Professor of Political Science, Villanova University; author of The CIA and Congress: The Untold Story from Truman to Kennedy
“Relates how Mr. Truman moved to create a new intelligence organization from the wreckage of OSS and replaced it, first with the Central Intelligence Group (CIG) and then the Central Intelligence Agency.”—Washington Times
"This is a timely book that adds perspective to the CIA’s origins, while clarifying the obstacles that were overcome by dedicated officers who should not be forgotten.”—Studies in Intelligence
“A valuable addition to the scholarship about intelligence history, with the unique history of political infighting of the day and focused on the colorful personalities of the key Missouri Gang leaders. Schroeder's work is recommended for readers looking for a good understanding of the CIA's origins and its evolution during the Cold War era.”—Denver Posse of Westerners