The Mission

PRAISE FOR THE MISSION

‘No one has opened up the CIA to us like Weiner has, and The Mission deserves to win him a second Pulitzer’

John Simpson, Guardian

‘An in-depth exposé … A cautionary tale, exposing both the power of intelligence and its limitations’

Financial Times

‘A fascinating account’

Irish Times

‘A riveting, must-read, deeply reported continuation of Weiner’s prize winner, Legacy of Ashes’

Esquire, The Best Books of Summer 2025

‘The Mission is a fantastic read… . reminds us of the importance of the human element when it comes to high-stakes diplomacy, and the life-and-death decisions on which our national security depends’

Observer

‘In 2007, Weiner, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, rankled U.S. spy organizations with Legacy of Ashes, a chronicle of the C.I.A.’s 20th-century failings that won a National Book Award. He’s back with the story of the agency’s evolution since Sept. 11 — a period when American covert services took an increasingly militaristic role in the Middle East and, Weiner contends, pushed the business of war deeper into the dark’

New York Times

‘Mr Weiner meticulously documents a level of chaos, deception and politicisation in the upper echelons of the CIA that put in perspective current debates over Donald Trump’s own efforts to reshape and purge the agencies’

Economist

‘This masterful new history should be required reading… . Astonishing… . A singular triumph’

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

‘THE MISSION is a masterwork of storytelling, giving a human face to a secretive institution

Booklist

‘In this triumphant follow-up to Legacy of Ashes, National Book Award winner Weiner continues his history of the CIA… . Chilling… A crucial document of the present times’

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Tim Weiner has won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on American national security and the National Book Award for Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. At the New York Times, he covered the CIA in Washington and conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and many other nations. Legacy of Ashes was acclaimed as one of the year’s best books by The New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, Time, and many other publications. His five other books include the national bestseller Enemies: A History of the FBI. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Kate Doyle, an expert in human rights and freedom of information.