The secrets behind the stars and stripes -- A revolution sub rosa: the shadow war for independence -- The founders, the first citizen, and the first American intelligence system -- Bitter bedfellows: ideology, intelligence, and opposition politics -- The President's private fund for part-time spies -- Uncivil-intelligence relations in the Civil War -- Intelligence in the service of a new empire and old institutions -- The blurry blue line: domestic intelligence and the origins of the FBI -- Intelligence in no-man's-land -- A return to normalcy -- Navigating into the gathering storm with Hoover at the helm -- Donovan's finest hour -- An intelligence failure and an intelligence insurgency -- Coordination at last? -- Central intelligence and central problems -- The CIA and a clash of cultures -- New oversight and new organizations -- Who will guard the shadow guardians? -- Americanizing intelligence? -- The executive strikes back -- The illusory peace dividend -- A new national consensus and new national security state -- Reform without resolution -- Revelation without reform -- In intelligence we trust? -- America and the intelligence revolution.

"A novel and comprehensive narrative of American intelligence from the Revolutionary War to the present day. Intelligence is all around us. We read about it in the news, wonder who is spying on us through our phones or computers, and want to know what is happening in the shadows. The US Intelligence Community or IC, as insiders call it, is more powerful than ever, but also more vulnerable than it has been in decades. It is facing the threat of rival intelligence services from countries like Russia and China while fighting to keep up with new technology and the private sector. Still, the IC's greatest struggle is always with the American people, who expect it to keep the country safe but not at the cost of their liberty. Arriving on the fiftieth anniversary of the "Year of Intelligence," The Spy and the State tells the complete history of American intelligence from the Revolutionary War to the present day. Based on original research and a new interpretation of US history, this masterful book by Jeffrey Rogg explores the origins and evolution of intelligence in America, including its overlooked role in some of the key events that shaped the nation. Along the way, Rogg identifies the historical underpinnings of intelligence controversies that have shaken the country to its constitutional foundations and have resurfaced in recent years. Moving beyond institutional histories of the FBI and CIA, he introduces the concept of US civil-intelligence relations to explain the interaction between intelligence and the society it serves. While answering questions from the past, The Spy and the State poses new questions for the future that the United States must confront as intelligence gains ever greater importance in the twenty-first century"