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Name: Undaunted
Rating: 3.9 (22 reviews)
Author: John O. Brennan

John O. Brennan

My Fight Against America's Enemies, At Home and Abroad

3.9 (22 ratings)

30 mins

Topics

US History Biographies US Politics

Table of Contents

Undaunted
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What’s in it for me? Learn about the life and times of a former CIA director.

Keeping America safe is no easy task, but John O. Brennan has made it his mission for over 30 years.

Coming from a blue-collar background, Brennan spent much of his youth fantasizing about being a spy, and, as a young adult, he was fascinated by the world of Middle Eastern intelligence. This fascination turned into a career, and over several decades Brennan rose up the ranks to become the director of what he believes is the best intelligence service in the world: the CIA.

Brennan’s four years as CIA director could have been the capstone to his public service. But that hasn’t proven to be the case. Since leaving the CIA, Brennan has continued to speak out against the man he considers to be a different sort of threat to the USA: Donald Trump.

These blinks trace Brennan’s fascinating life story and reveal what’s motivated him over his many years in public service.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what happened at Brennan’s first polygraph test;
how the CIA got Bin Laden; and
how Brennan revamped the CIA.

John Brennan’s early experiences prepared him for a career in intelligence.

Just west of New York City, past the Hudson River, lies Hudson County, New Jersey. The county is small yet densely populated. It’s long been home to immigrants from all over the world –⁠ including John Brennan’s father, Owen, who sailed to America from Ireland in 1948.

Growing up in New Jersey, Brennan’s early life was pretty simple. The family was poor, so in order to afford movie tickets and ice cream he took on part-time jobs; he delivered newspapers and pharmacy prescriptions and stocked shelves at grocery stores. In his spare time, he read children’s encyclopedias on American history –⁠ including one where he learned about American spy Nathan Hale, which made him fantasize about becoming a spy himself. At Catholic school, a somewhat rebellious teacher taught Brennan to think independently and question other people’s claims – which prepared Brennan well for his later career.

The key message here is: John Brennan’s early experiences prepared him for a career in intelligence.

When he got to college, Brennan began taking courses on international relations and comparative politics. But it was the philosophy and theology courses that left the deepest impression on him. In particular, he was fascinated by the theories of war offered by Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas. Their ideas would travel the world with Brennan during his later roles in the CIA.

It was also at this age that Brennan got his first taste of life overseas. His cousin Tom was working at the US embassy in Indonesia and invited him to spend the summer there. When Brennan stepped off the plane in Jakarta, he felt as if a door to an entirely new world had been opened for him. The intense smells and the hot air were different than anything he’d ever experienced. The city also offered him his first exposure to the American diplomatic community, whose members impressed him with their patriotism and dedication.

This wasn’t Brennan’s only overseas experience during this time. At the beginning of his sophomore year, he received a brochure about the American University in Cairo, Egypt. On the way home that same day, Brennan happened to hear a radio broadcast about the assassination of Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal. The political intrigue deepened Brennan’s interest in the region, and a few days later he informed his parents that he wanted to go to school in Cairo.

Brennan entered the CIA as an analyst covering the Middle East.

Brennan departed for Cairo on September 15, 1975. He quickly became enthralled by the city’s intoxicating atmosphere, the dramatic backdrop of the pyramids, and the towering Sphinx. As well as the famous sights, he also fell in love with the Egyptian people, who were unfailingly welcoming and kind.

During his time in Cairo, Brennan began to learn Arabic. He also visited Jerusalem and the West Bank, a thrilling but humbling experience. He had to return to America only a few short months later –⁠ but this was not his last experience of the Middle East. In fact, his career would lead him back there soon.

Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Brennan made major leaps in his CIA career.

Early on in his tenure at the CIA, Brennan became well acquainted with the sacrifices the agency required. Long hours, extreme secrecy, and an erratic schedule all took their toll.

These challenges affected not only Brennan but also his wife, Kathy. In spring 1982, Brennan was selected to serve a two-year rotation as a political officer at the US embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. For Kathy, there were considerable drawbacks to living in the Middle East’s most socially conservative country –⁠ like the fact that she wouldn’t legally be allowed to drive. Even so, she agreed to accompany John.

The terrorist attacks of the early 2000s reshaped the American intelligence community.

George Tenet was a boisterous, jovial, and wise-cracking individual who served as the CIA’s deputy director and then director between 1995 and 2004. He was nicknamed the “space invader” due to his propensity to get a bit too up-close-and-personal during conversations. Not long after their first meeting, Tenet selected Brennan as his executive assistant. Later, in 1999, Tenet made him chief of staff. It was while in this challenging position that Brennan witnessed one of the greatest tragedies in modern American history.

The date of September 11, 2001, is etched into the collective consciousness of America. It was the day that a plane hijacked by radical Islamist terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center, reducing the towers to rubble and killing thousands. The tragedy also transformed the CIA.

Barack Obama inspired Brennan to return to government service.

In late January 2008, Brennan was serving as president and CEO of an intelligence analysis firm called The Analysis Corporation. That particular month, he was visiting Dubai for a board meeting when he turned on CNN. It was broadcasting a speech by Barack Obama, who had just won the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary. Obama’s eloquent, inspiring rhetoric articulated a hopeful dream for America’s future.

Brennan had never registered as a Democrat or a Republican, and he’d voted for candidates of both parties over the years. However, after hearing that speech, Brennan decided to get involved with Obama’s campaign.

Brennan bore witness to the CIA operation that brought Osama Bin Laden to justice.

As Obama’s principal homeland security and counterterrorism advisor, Brennan was suddenly faced with a host of unfamiliar responsibilities. Though he had considerable knowledge of counterterrorism, he had never been on the policy side of discussions. And homeland security was a different ballgame entirely. Early in the administration, Brennan had to step up to help tackle new issues like the H1N1 flu pandemic.

He was also responsible for liaising between Obama and the intelligence community regarding lethal strikes. Because unpiloted military drones were so destructive, the president personally approved any strikes against terrorist targets outside of Iraq and Afghanistan.

As the CIA’s director, Brennan drove major changes.

Obama’s first term as president was slowly drawing to a close, and Brennan was beginning to make plans to leave government service. He was fairly confident that Obama would be reelected, so he was in no rush to head out the door. Yet it seemed to him that the beginning of a second term for Obama was a good time to leave. He had spent four years in the White House on top of his previous 25 years at the CIA, and he was ready for a break.

But that wasn’t to be. Two days after Obama was reelected, the FBI announced that the CIA director, David Petraeus, was under active investigation. After the announcement, Petraeus resigned, leaving open the position of CIA director. On January 7, 2013, President Obama nominated Brennan.

The biggest challenge Brennan faced as CIA director was dealing with the fallout from the RDI program.

The CIA’s RDI program, with its controversial “enhanced interrogation techniques,” had ceased long before Brennan became the agency’s director. Even so, Democrats, including President Obama, continued to criticize it strongly. Obama publicly referred to CIA practices as “torture,” much to Brennan’s chagrin. Additionally, two days after his inauguration in 2009, Obama had signed an executive order to end the program.

Despite Obama’s actions, Democrats weren’t satisfied. In part, they were genuinely outraged over what they saw as human rights violations. But that wasn’t all. They also had partisan concerns in mind and wanted to score political points by dragging the Republican Bush administration through the mud.

Brennan’s dealings with Russian officials were fraught and tense.

Brennan’s first visit to Russia as CIA director was in June 2013. While in Moscow, he had the opportunity to meet Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the Federal Security Service, or FSB – the successor organization to the KGB. It has a well-deserved reputation for obeying the Kremlin’s every order,⁠ even when it asks them to commit murder and torture.

Bortnikov was affable and relaxed, and he greeted Brennan with a smile. However, Brennan didn’t return the pleasant welcome. At the meeting, Brennan delivered a stern rebuke of the FSB’s transgressions, which included, among other offenses, the physical assault of Americans in Russia. In response, Bortnikov tried to lessen the tension with a grin and an admission that some of his officers may have gotten “carried away,” as he put it, in the course of their duties. This was Bortnikov’s typical demeanor in all their subsequent meetings.

In spite of the personal costs, Brennan has been an outspoken critic of Trump.

After first learning about Russia’s interference in the election, Brennan began consuming everything he could get his hands on about what the Kremlin had been up to. He and his deputy quickly came to an agreement that the threat was serious –⁠ they needed to brief the president.

The CIA, FBI, and NSA pulled together a joint team to coordinate their intelligence, cross-check information, and develop a comprehensive understanding of the situation. They also discussed whether the USA should hit Russia back with a cyber attack of its own.

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What is Undaunted about?

Undaunted (2020) sketches the life of former CIA director John Brennan, from his humble beginnings in a blue-collar New Jersey household to his rise through the ranks of the CIA. Packed with political intrigue and personal anecdotes, it’s a remarkable and surprising look at a man who has dedicated his life to keeping America safe.

Best quote from Undaunted

America had finally realized the long-held promise that the threat posed by the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks would one day be eliminated.

—John O. Brennan

Who should read Undaunted?

People interested in espionage, intelligence work, and international affairs
Americans curious about the CIA’s inner workings
Memoir lovers

About the Author

John Brennan began his 30-plus-year CIA career as an analyst specializing in the Middle East and ended it as the agency’s director under President Obama. Prior to that appointment, he was Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Since leaving government service, Brennan has consulted for several private companies and serves as a senior intelligence and national security analyst for NBC and MSNBC.

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Biography & Memoir Politics

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