Portrait of a Cold Warrior de Smith, Joseph Burkholder - c1976

New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, c1976. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/fair. 22 cm, 448 pages, index, DJ somewhat soiled and worn: small edge tears/chips, larger piece missing at bottom of front DJ. The author was a Harvard graduate who served as a Japanese language specialist during World War II and during the Korean War as an operations officer in covert action with the CIA. His 20-year career in covert operations included tours of duty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico. The author was a high-ranking officer in the CIA, serving for 25 years from 1950 through the collapse of the Vietnam War. He wrote two books, Portrait of a Cold Warrior, about his life and work in the CIA, and The Plot to Steal Florida, portraying history and intrigue during the James Madison era. This is alleged to be the only CIA memoir which was not submitted for vetting and changes by the CIA prior to publication; the rules were changed after (and because of) its publication. There are rumors that many copies of the original hardback edition were bought up and destroyed.