The Quiet Americans

At the end of World War II, the United States dominated the world militarily, economically and in moral standing – seen as the victor over tyranny and a champion of freedom. But the Soviet Union was already executing a plan to expand and foment revolution around the world. The American government’s strategy in response relied on the secret efforts of a newly-formed CIA.The Quiet Americans chronicles the exploits of four spies who ran covert operations across the globe, trying to outwit the ruthless KGB in Berlin, parachuting commandos into Eastern Europe and directing wars against Communist insurgents in Asia. But their efforts often went awry, thwarted by a combination of stupidity and ideological rigidity – and more profoundly, the decision to abandon American ideals.By the mid-1950s, the Soviet Union had a stranglehold on Eastern Europe, the US had begun its disastrous intervention in Vietnam and America, the beacon of democracy, was overthrowing democratically elected governments and earning the hatred of much of the world. All of this culminated in an act of betrayal and cowardice that would lock the Cold War into place for decades to come.

‘A darkly entertaining tale about American espionage, set in an era when Washington’s fear and skepticism about the agency resembles our climate today.’ -- New York Times
'Anderson’s look at four men who ran covert operations around the globe after World War II is as thrilling as it is tragic, as each man confronts the moral compromises he made in the name of democracy.' -- Washington Post

Scott Anderson is a veteran war correspondent who has reported from Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Northern Ireland, Chechnya, Sudan, Bosnia, El Salvador and many other war-torn countries. His previous book, Lawrence in Arabia, was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and was shortlisted for the US National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography. Scott Anderson is a veteran war correspondent who has reported from Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Northern Ireland, Chechnya, Sudan, Bosnia, El Salvador and many other war-torn countries. His previous book, Lawrence in Arabia, was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and was shortlisted for the US National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography. After training at Yale Drama School, Rob appeared on Broadway before moving to Los Angeles to split his time between acting for theatre, television and film. In 2003 his audiobook narration career began, and he has since loaned his sonorous voice to hundreds of titles in almost every genre. He has won nine Earphones Awards, received nominations for several Audie Awards and was named one of AudioFile Magazine's Best Voices of 2010.

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