The CIA's Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East

From the earliest generation of CIA operatives, the CIA's pro-Arab operations in the 1940s and 1950s have had a lasting impact on U.S.-Middle Eastern relations. In America's Great Game, acclaimed intelligence historian Hugh Wilford reveals the surprising history of these operations, tracing the work of the agency's three most influential and colorful officers in the region.

Kermit "Kim" Roosevelt, the grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, was the first head of CIA covert action in the Middle East. His cousin, Archie Roosevelt, was a Middle East scholar and chief of the Beirut station. These two Roosevelts joined forces with Miles Copeland, a maverick covert operations specialist who had joined the American intelligence establishment during World War II.

Endowed with deep knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs, these "Arabists" were heirs to an American missionary tradition that engaged Arabs and Muslims with respect and empathy. Yet they were also fascinated by imperial intrigue and eager to play a modern version of the "Great Game" - the nineteenth-century struggle between Britain and Russia for control over Central Asia.

Despite their good intentions, these CIA officers propped up authoritarian regimes, attempted to sway public opinion in America against support for the new state of Israel, and staged coups that destabilized the very nations with which they empathized. Their efforts, and ultimate failure, would shape the course of U.S.-Middle Eastern relations for decades to come.

Based on a vast array of declassified government records, private papers, and personal interviews, America's Great Game tells the riveting story of this merry band of CIA officers whose spy games forever changed U.S. foreign policy. From the 9/11 attacks to waterboarding to drone strikes, the relations between the United States and the Middle East have been caught in a downward spiral. And all too often, the CIA has made the situation worse.

However, this crisis was not a historical inevitability. The earliest generation of CIA operatives, in fact, were the region's staunchest western allies. With their deep understanding of Middle Eastern affairs, these "Arabists" sought to engage Arabs and Muslims with respect and empathy, while also indulging in imperial intrigue and the "Great Game" of geopolitical rivalry.

Kermit "Kim" Roosevelt, the first head of CIA covert action in the Middle East, and his cousin Archie Roosevelt, a Middle East scholar and chief of the Beirut station, teamed up with Miles Copeland, a maverick covert operations specialist. Together, they propped up authoritarian regimes, attempted to sway public opinion against Israel, and staged coups that destabilized the very nations they sought to understand and support.

Despite their good intentions, the actions of these CIA officers would have lasting consequences, shaping U.S.-Middle Eastern relations for decades to come. Based on extensive research, America's Great Game tells the riveting story of this merry band of CIA operatives whose spy games forever changed the course of American foreign policy in the region.

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