Lessons on change and reform from 50 years of public service. Lessons on change and reform from fifty years of public service paperback january 10, 2017 by robert m. If you read only one book by a washington insider this year, make it this one. After working for six presidents in both the cia and the national security council, he was happily serving as. Gates served as secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011.
In his memoir duty, the former defense secretary robert m. Gates has bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in history, and memoirs of a secretary at war 2014 was written with a historians eye for complex detail and accuracy. A full list of bill gates favorite books in 2019and from. Gates provides revelations about major decisions made from late 2006 to 2011. Gates gives us a forthright, impassioned, sometimes conflicted account of his four and a half years as defense secretary in his fascinating new memoir duty, a book that is highly revealing about decision making in both the obama and bush white houseshis writing is informed not only by a keen sense of historical context, but also by a longtime washington veterans understanding of how the levers of government work or fail to work. He served as secretary of defense under presidents george w. How the rothschild cabal is driving america into one world government by robert gates, sr. Lessons on change and reform from fifty years of public service. Written by a former director of the cia, this is the story of americas and the agencys role in the collapse of communism in the soviet union and eastern europe. In his memoir, robert gates right wrote that president obama did not always live up to budget agreements and suspected top brass of conspiracies against the commander in chief. Memoirs of a secretary at war made waves around washington, d.
The place to start is gates recently published book, duty. Gates gives us a forthright, impassioned, sometimes conflicted account of his four and a half years as defense secretary in his fascinating new memoir duty, a book that is highly revealing about decision making in both the obama and bush white houseshis writing is informed not only by a keen sense of historical context, but also by a longtime washington veterans understanding. Gates is hardly the first official to engage in such a doublecross, but its a surprise because hes always conducted himself with class. He scores several points above the selfseekers out there. He also served as an officer in the united states air force and worked for the central.
Memoirs of a secretary at war paperback may 12, 2015 by robert m. Republican robert m gatess account of his years in the bush and. After serving six presidents in both the cia and the national security council, robert m. Novels bill gates thinks everyone should read business. He was known as a savvy manager of the bureaucracy and a ruthlessly efficient defense secretary. Former secretary of defense robert gates on his new book. After the war he flew in the berlin airlift, where he saw firsthand what it meant to. The five books on my endofyear list will help you start 2020 on a good note. Robert gates, secretary of defense under both a republican and a democratic president, in his book, a passion for leadership, offers advice for anyone who wants to reform an organization from a leadership position. He was an officer in the united states air force and worked for more about robert m. Youve been very generous with your time, but national security stuff is complicated. The release of former secretary of defense robert m. Lessons on change and reform from fifty years of public service by robert m. January 10, 2014 critics say former defense secretary robert gates new book takes shots at president obama and other members of his cabinet.
Obama military strategy blasted by robert gates, leon. Gates has 12 books on goodreads with 17940 ratings. Gates called the book clever, funny, and moving, and even remarked that it was one of the most profound novels hes read in a long time. Bush, bridging the two administrations and earning a. In duty, on the other hand, robert gates gives us a pretty solid and fair account of his time in office as secretary of defense. He served as defense secretary under presidents obama and george w. Gates began his career serving as an officer in the united states air force but was quickly recruited by the central intelligence agency. Gates believed that he had left washington politics behind for. Memoirs of a secretary at war is a valuable work by a unique public figure.
Memoirs of a secretary at war is a nonfiction book written by robert m. Robert michael gates is an american statesman and university president who served as the 22nd united states secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. Gates was also an officer in the united states air force and during the. He skillfully posits solutions and resultant actions within those discussions. The word among admired government executives is, bob gates is one of the good guys. Gates received a call from the white house in 2006, he thought hed. Paperback, 448 pages, published 2011 by red anvil press isbn.
However, there is more to this book than catty, if entertaining, swipes at. The book was written by katherine boo, an awardwinning western journalist who spent three years getting to know the people of annawadi, a. Gates, who served so influentially as secretary of defense during the crucial years 20072011, deserves critical examination. Thats not to say that gates is just trying to get the facts out there. Gates served in that position under obama and president george w. The ultimate insiders story of five presidents and how they won the cold war, and more on. With iraq in a profound downward spiral and many believing that afghanistan could be next, the legacy of robert m. From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vividly written account of his experience serving presidents george w. To judge from the pages of his book, many of his expressions of outrage were indeed motivated by selfserving bureaucrats or members of congress who.
Gates served for 26 years in the cia and the national security council. Memoirs of a secretary at war 2014 was a yes, i was in charge, but hundreds of people were key and this is who they are and what they did book, not an ego trip. Gates served for 26 years in the central intelligence agency and the national security council, and under president george h. As the only person to rise from entrylevel analyst to director of the cia and to serve on the white house staffs of four presidents, robert gates is uniquely qualified to tell the unprecedented inside story of the cold war. Robert michael gates is an american statesman, scholar, intelligence analyst, and university president who served as the 22nd united states secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. Its very difficult to communicate with the public about, secretary gates. Gates received a call from the white house, he thought hed long left washington politics behind.
Memoirs of a secretary at war, and from the shadows. No doubt, some of the key players during gates tenure as secretary, dec. From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vivid account of serving presidents george w. He was a member of the national security council staff in four administrations. Bush but was retained for service by president barack obama. June 30, 2011 robert gates and president obama salute during a farewell ceremony for gates as outgoing defense secretary.
Gates is the author of duty, and a passion for leadership. Gates gives us a forthright, impassioned, sometimes conflicted account of his four and a half years as defense secretary in his fascinating new memoir duty, a book that is highly. Historians and policy wonks will bask in the revelations gates provides on major decisions from late 2006 to 2011, during the last part of the george w. Gates gates feared congress might again legislate defeat, restricting funding for the surge and forcing an abrupt termination of the war. Congress every day i was in office and the dramatic contrast between my public respect. Gates is a wonderful storyteller who weaves his powerful characters into compelling discussions of the problems of the world. In a new memoir, former defense secretary robert gates unleashes harsh judgments about president obamas leadership and his commitment to the afghanistan war, writing that by early 2010 he had. He also served as an officer in the united states air force and worked for the central intelligence agency before being appointed director of the agency by president george h.
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