3.5 stars

A thoroughly researched & engagingly written biography of CIA dissenter Philip Agee, this book focuses on the influences that shaped his political activism throughout his life & the nuanced reasons for his turning. Though at points a bit repetitive, the narrative keeps the central question (why did he do it?) in focus. It’s an interesting read, more of a story of political activism than one focused on espionage.

[What I liked:]

•I found it helpful how in chapter 1 the writer made a distinction between Agee’s defection (deemed an “ideological conversion” with intent to bring down the CIA) & whistleblowing (exposing narrow problems to bring reform). The writer discusses various definitions of whistleblowing in light of recent scholarship, & establishes why he thinks Agee is so unique compared to other figures like Snowden & Ellsberg. It’s a solid start to the book.

•Exploring the why & how of Agee’s turning is the main theme of this book & the writer maintains this throughout the book. The story traces Agee’s personal life events, the greater political atmosphere, & shifts in Catholicism from the 1950’s through Agee’s death in 2008. This approach worked well I think, showing where Agee’s convictions were buoyed by or bucked the trends & influences around him.

•The book is well researched, & the writer includes a selected bibliography & some photographs in the notes. A number of primary sources were used, including Agee’s personal papers, as well as interviews with people he knew throughout his life.

•I’m not an expert on this subject, but I feel that the writer gave a nuanced portrayal of Agee’s motivations. He paints Agee as neither an evil traitor nor a righteous crusader, but as a complex person whose agenda & motivations evolved over time. Some common misconceptions are cleared up (such as Agee being responsible for Richard Welch’s death), & claims about Agee’s cooperation with the DGI &/or KGB are addressed with as much evidence is available without drawing unverifiable conclusions.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•At times the narrative felt a bit repetitive, with certain phrases being repeated or certain points being heavily emphasized. This was not a major issue for me though, & overall the structure is sound & the book well edited.

CW: descriptions of torture

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

This is the first biography of Philip Agee, a CIA operative in the 1950's and 60's who worked to support several authoritarian regimes as part of his job. Name a linchpin hotspot during those years, and he was probably there. However, Agee reached a point where he could no long square this work with his conscience and he resigned from intelligence work. He went public about what he had been doing for the U.S. government and, most significantly, revealed the identities of agents and others who had worked undercover for the CIA. There is still controversy over whether many of these people were later murdered as a result, but there is no doubt that careers were ruined.
This book is on the academic side and for readers who have been following the life cycles of the CIA, this book will definitely fill in some important gaps in what has been written about. Agee was a colorful character, and this book does his story justice.

Stevenson, Jonathan. A Drop of Treason: Phillip Agee and His Exposure of the CIA. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press: 2021. 328 Pages. $27.50

The U.S. Intelligence Community in the mid-1970s was rife with investigations by Congress, the press, and exposé’s biographies written by former intelligence operatives. Phillip Agee wrote Inside the Company: CIA Diary after he left the CIA. The book chronicled CIA operations in Latin America and soon become one of the top reads for students in intelligence studies programs worldwide. Jonathan Stevenson is an editor at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and was previously professor of strategic studies at the U.S. Naval War in his new book looks at Agee from his early years in a devout Catholic family, attending Notre Dame University, joining the CIA, and the decades after leaving the agency as a “stateless” man.

Phillip Agee and fellow CIA officer Victor Marchetti left the CIA within months of each other, both were disillusioned with CIA operations conducted overseas and U.S. foreign policy. Both wrote exposés that exposed operations and named names of CIA officers and foreign agents. However, Stevenson points out “Agee was certainly the only publicly disaffected American intelligence officer to confront the CIA on full-fledged ideological grounds and to oppose American Strategy and foreign policy on a wholesale basis.”

After authoring the book Inside the Company, Agee remained what Steven called Agee “a public pest” after having the U.S. State Department denied him a U.S. passport Agee spent his years in Europe and Latin America writing and supporting governments that were counter to the established U.S. foreign policy. The CIA often considered him to be under the control of either the Soviet Union’s KGB or Cuban Intelligence. His work became the foundation for the U.S. Congress to pass the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982 or as it was known in the Intelligence Community as the “anti-Agee Act” which makes the disclosure of intelligence officers’ identities unlawful.

Stevenson’s work is professionally researched and documented he leads the reader through many of the tumultuous periods of U.S. foreign policy such as the Iran-Contra Affair as well as Agee personal issues with the U.S. and foreign governments. His writing is well balanced and makes for an enjoyable read for both the historian and the intelligence aficionado. I highly recommend A Drop of Treason to anyone interested in the U.S Intelligence Community.