
About this episode
Patrick G. Eddington’s tenure at the CIA spanned the transition from the Cold War to the new era of American interventionism in the Persian Gulf and the Balkans. In his book, Long Strange Journey: An Intelligence Memoir, he tackles a whole slew of questions; Why was President George H.W. Bush so surprised that Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait? Did America’s intelligence community fail to warn him of the threat, or did he ignore their predictions of an invasion? Why did the CIA and the Pentagon deny so vehemently for so long that sick Desert Storm veterans were exposed to Iraq’s chemical agents?
Should we be weary of surveillance technology that our foreign intelligence uses overseas? What if that technology was used domestically? What is it like to work with America’s intelligence community? What was Gulf War syndrome? How do you become a whistleblower?
Further Reading:
Long Strange Journey: An Intelligence Memoir, written by Patrick Eddington
The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception
Crisis of Conscience: Whistleblowing in an Age of Fraud, written by Tom Muller
Related Content:
The CIA Listens to Free Thoughts, Free Thoughts Episode
The Inhumanity of Torture, Free Thoughts Episode
Deconstructing the Surveillance State, Free Thoughts Episode
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