Betrayal (Gertz book)

For other books, see Betrayal (disambiguation) § Literature.

Betrayal

Author	Bill Gertz
Language	English
Subject	Clinton administration
Genre	Non-fiction, politics
Published	1999
Publisher	Regnery Publishing
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback, paperback), e-book
Pages	291 pages (paperback)
ISBN	0-89526-317-3

Betrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American Security is a 1999 book by reporter Bill Gertz. ^[1] It was first published on May 25, 1999 through Regnery Publishing and centers upon the Clinton administration. ^[2]

Synopsis

In the book Gertz argues that:

• Bill Clinton's foreign policy strategies of "appeasement" with China and Russia have resulted in a betrayal of American interests, leaving "the United States weaker militarily as its enemies grow stronger and the world becomes more dangerous."
• Clinton's policies compromised national security by opposing development of a missile defense system similar to one the Russians are developing.
• "The Clinton administration's sale of sophisticated computer and satellite technology to China was influenced by campaign contributions to the Democrats from Chinese and American executives."

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed, but has received praise from former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey, Jr. ^{[3] [4] [5]} John R. Bolton wrote a mostly favorable review for Betrayal, commenting that it was a "rather straightforward reporting covering about six years of a dangerously flawed presidency". He also criticized it for "[depending] on government sources leaking classified information" but also stated that "this unfortunate fact only underlines just how corrosive the Clinton administration’s approach has been." ^[6] The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists also commented on Gertz's usage of leaked sources, which they felt weakened the book along with the author's "zeal to blame Bill Clinton for security failings both real and imagined". ^[7]

References

1. Duong, Thanh (2002). Hegemonic Globalisation: U.S. Centrality and Global Strategy in the Emerging World Order. Ashgate Publishing. pp. 172–173. ISBN   0754630137 . Retrieved 10 August 2015.
2. Diamond, John (May 21, 1999). "BOOK AIRS CLASSIFIED DATA ON N. KOREA, RUSSIA; STIRS CONCERN AMONG U.S. AIDES". The Buffalo News (Buffalo, NY) (subscription required). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
3. Diamond, John (May 22, 1999). "CIA Praises Book That Exposed Agency". AP Online (subscription required). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
4. Corry, John (July 1, 1999). "Lies, Distortion, Betrayal-And Tunnel Vision". The American Spectator (subscription required). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
5. BORRON, STEPHEN W. (June 6, 1999). "Gertz's "Betrayal" Brings National Defense Damage to Light". The Washington Times (Washington, DC) (subscription required). Retrieved 10 August 2015.
6. Bolton, John R. "A Legacy of Betrayal (review)". American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
7. Stephen I., Schwartz (January 1, 2000). "Betrayal: How the Clinton Administration Undermined American Security.(Review)". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (subscription required). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.

External links

• Booknotes interview with Gertz on Betrayal, May 30, 1999.