Spies and Spooks: The (Mis)Adventures of the CIA

The Spy Chief Who Became President
George H.W. Bush's appointment as director of Central Intelligence in 1976 came on the heels of the Nixon resignation, congressional investigations and the Agee revelations. Still, Bush, who was reportedly fascinated by covert operations, managed to lift the morale of the battered agency in a tenure that lasted less than a year, abruptly ending when Jimmy Carter became President and gutted the agency's clandestine work. Bush's 355 days as director played a big role in his subsequent runs for President. According to Joseph Trento's The Secret History of the CIA, Bush as DCI met important anti-Castro Cuban-Americans who were key to his campaign for the White House.

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