A revelatory new biography of the sinister, powerful, and paranoid man at the heart of the CIA for more than three tumultuous decades.

Legendary head of the CIA James Jesus Angleton was one of the most powerful unelected government officials in American history. Virtually untouchable, he operated beyond the view of the public, Congress, and even the president himself.

In this gripping biography — the first in over 20 years — investigative reporter Jefferson Morley reveals the man behind the myths: from Angleton’s friendship with the poets Ezra Pound and TS Eliot, to his links with the underground gay milieu of mid-century Washington; from the intelligence secrets he unwittingly shared with British double agent Kim Philby, to his obstruction of the investigation into the JFK assassination; and from his initiation of the US’s first foray into mass surveillance of its citizens, to his obsession with hunting for communist moles — a search that nearly destroyed the Agency.

Yet during Angleton’s seemingly lawless reign, he also proved himself to be a formidable adversary to America’s enemies, acquiring a mythic stature within the CIA that continues to this day. Here, Morley uses exclusive interviews with colleagues and friends, and never-before-seen correspondence, to piece together a detailed and fascinating portrait of one of the most influential spies of our times.