What are you reading?

[Notanaviator]

Wasn’t aware. I’ll check out the speech.

Is this the “the US can actually stay in long wars much longer than they think, people that haven’t served in the first place just have a defeatist attitude” one? Caveat there that I haven’t read the speech, only a portion of an article about the speech.

 

[DanMa1156]

Just finished Against the Tide: Rickover's Leadership Principles and the Rise of the Nuclear Navy. It had some great stories, especially for someone like myself who was pretty unaware of how we transitioned from Diesel subs to a Nuclear Navy fairly rapidly under Rickover's guidance demands and extreme knowledge of the topic. It also showed how Rickover was aware of his own flaws and built teams around him that ensured those blemishes didn't reflect poorly on nuclear subs at large. Guy was a total genius and rode every new nuclear sub well into his 80s. Where the book failed was as a corporate leadership lesson type book in the vein of It's Your Ship - in Against the Tide, the author asks a few questions at the end of each chapter like "have you have encountered a boss that does..." or "think about a time that your team did..." but that's about it. But the stories about the author's challenges and trials with subs and Rickover are great and show a time and culture of the Navy I think many of us might be simultaneously critical of and nostalgic for - for example - as a DH (or was it XO?) the author took two of his subordinates and handed them cash - one to go to Bethesda Naval Hospital to find errors with interpreting data on radiation exposure and the other who was hired as a night janitor at Kodak and happened to "bump into" an "unlocked drawer" to uncover Kodak had shipped the navy bad film (which was used to measure exposure to radiation). Author took said data, sent it straight to Rickover, passed his previously failed inspection, and the new inspection consisted of someone from Naval Reactors buying him a dinner per Rickover's orders. I cannot imagine a scenario where even a CO would feel empowered nowadays to just temporarily "reassign" two of his subordinates to uncover something you suspect to include getting hired somewhere else. There were a couple other instances of this in the book - like I said, interesting stories of a different era.

 

[wink]

I've read some accounts of one of Saddam Hussein's interrogators and they are pretty interesting, one of the things he did to establish a rapport with Saddam was to read his poetry. Apparently the poetry was atrocious but he was able to pretty decent rapport with him and glean a lot of info from the interrogations.



Bullshit. You don't have to read a book from one of the creators of program, and provide him royalties, in order to have a informed opinion on a pretty well covered program. You don't think the guy won't give the most favorable account possible to defend himself?

Everyone from SERE to General Mattis and countless cases of domestic police 'enhanced interrogation' with disastrous results have discounted the effectiveness the torture used in 'EIT'. Of course the guy is going to claim his methods worked, he is one of the primary ones response for developing them. But the greatest irony I see in the whole mess is he taught at the school where they teach that the methods they used aren't effective. And they aren't. Then there is the simple fact that it goes against our core values, not to mention laws, as a nation.

A much more comprehensive review and criticism of the author's work was published in the CIA's Studies in Intelligence, to include pointing out several false claims and glaring omissions the author makes in his book, it is lengthy but well worth the read.

So, I took the time to read your link while touring Normandy. Thought that was appropriate. I never did see anything regarding how Mitchell had previously preached EITs would not work. You must have read that somewhere else. I also did not find Jens' review as critical or devastating you made out. In fact, I agree with most all of it, especially this part here.

"For all its problematic aspects, Enhanced Interrogation is well worth reading for the CIA interrogation history “completist.” While self-serving in many respects, it constitutes useful testimony from one of the last major players in CIA’s post-9/11 enhanced interrogation experiment who had
not yet penned their own account of the program."

Your man Jens sounds like he is recommending it. Calls it well worth reading and useful. I thought that is what I was saying. So yeah. Thanks for the vector.

@Brett327 be careful. Another crazy uncle there you wouldn't want at your Thanksgiving table. This guy Jens who @Flash thinks so much of is "telling" you that the book is part of the complete history on the subject. Maybe if I worded it like him rather than saying an opinion about the subject would not be fully informed (complete) without reading the book, you would not have lost your cool.

Of course, I respect your opinion, and I know it regarding this subject from debates years ago. But in the end, I don't think it is a good idea for senior members of AW, let alone one highly accomplished such as yourself, put a chill on the free exchange of opinion, in the form a book recommendations in this highly successful thread.

Now, back to the less controversial. Hate to stir things up. Who has picked out their big beach read for summer vacay?

 

[Notanaviator]

I know most people love it, but I just find reading a book while sitting in a beach to be pure torture.

 

[Judge Q]

I know most people love it, but I just find reading a book while sitting in a beach to be pure torture.

Same here, can't focus while doing it, the things just don't go together.

 

[Pags]

Same here, can't focus while doing it, the things just don't go together.

It's more of the idea...so feel free to consider the "beach" term expansive enough to include the deck of a beach house, a couch in a beach house, or even a hammock near a lake. Basically, a book being read whilst you have minimal real world responsibilities.

 

[Flash]

"For all its problematic aspects, Enhanced Interrogation is well worth reading for the CIA interrogation history “completist.” While self-serving in many respects, it constitutes useful testimony from one of the last major players in CIA’s post-9/11 enhanced interrogation experiment who had
not yet penned their own account of the program."

Your man Jens sounds like he is recommending it. Calls it well worth reading and useful. I thought that is what I was saying. So yeah. Thanks for the vector.

Lots of folks recommend Mein Kampf to delve into Hitler's motivations, so there is that too.

But in the end, I don't think it is a good idea for senior members of AW, let alone one highly accomplished such as yourself, put a chill on the free exchange of opinion, in the form a book recommendations in this highly successful thread.

Which is pretty much exactly what you did to start this little brouhaha, so you got that going for you.

 

[wink]

Lots of folks recommend Mein Kampf to delve into Hitler's motivations, so there is that too.



Which is pretty much exactly what you did to start this little brouhaha, so you got that going for you.

And your beach read this summer is what?

 

[Flash]

And you beach read this summer is what?

Good point. Here are some I've bought already or will soon for summer, I'm on a bit of a Reece/EA/ASW/Maritime Patrol kick right now:

The Listeners: U-boat Hunters During the Great War

Coastal Command at War

Consolidated-Vultee PB4Y-2 Privateer: The Operational History Of The U.S. Navy's World War II Patrol/Bomber Aircraft

Spyflights of the Cold War

Sparks Over Vietnam: The EB-66 and the Early Struggle of Tactical Electronic Warfare

Black Cat Raiders of World War II

 

[Recovering LSO]

The Good Soldiers - David Finkel. This book has been out for several years, and is by the same author who wrote Thank You For Your Service, another good read. Strongly recommend both for anyone who is interested in an up close, personal, and heart-wrenching story of an Army infantry battalion circa 2008. Finished in two days.

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[mad dog]

Currently reading [again] the MOONWATCH ONLY reference book due to the recent acquisition of a vintage ST 105.003 64 “Ed White” Omega Speedmaster...

 

[Renegade One]

TINS...this is my latest hardcover book purchase:

 

[wink]

Good point. Here are some I've bought already or will soon for summer, I'm on a bit of a Reece/EA/ASW/Maritime Patrol kick right now:

The Listeners: U-boat Hunters During the Great War

Coastal Command at War

Consolidated-Vultee PB4Y-2 Privateer: The Operational History Of The U.S. Navy's World War II Patrol/Bomber Aircraft

Spyflights of the Cold War

Sparks Over Vietnam: The EB-66 and the Early Struggle of Tactical Electronic Warfare

Black Cat Raiders of World War II

Totally dig Black Cat stories. Will have to look into this one.

There is a Privateer based at my air[port and the Warbird folks that are restoring and maintaining it just finished up some work on my little Luscombe. Heard a lot about the PB4Y. It was a better flying plane then the Liberator and arguably a better combat plane overall. They are planning on making it out to Oshkosh this year, if a few more things fall into place.

 

[robav8r]

Just finished “Suicide of the West” by Jonah Goldberg. An in-depth look of how capitalism has evolved throughout the ages and how it has contributed to the amazing quality of life we enjoy today. Fascinating read . . . .

 

[robav8r]

Another one off the summer reading list: "Day of the Rangers - The battle of Mogadishu 25 years on." by Leigh Neville. Excellent book with a bunch of stuff that has been recently declassified since. Worth your time . . . .