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James Bamford

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V. James Bamford
James Bamford
James Bamford
BornNatick, Massachusetts, United States
OccupationAuthor
NationalityAmerican
Genrewrites about United States intelligence agencies

V. James Bamford (born September 15, 1946) is an American bestselling author and journalist who writes about United States intelligence agencies, most notably the National Security Agency.[1]

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Biography

He was born on September 15, 1946 and raised in Natick, Massachusetts. He spent three years in the United States Navy as an intelligence analyst during the Vietnam War, and used the GI Bill to earn his law degree from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts.[2]

His first book, The Puzzle Palace (1982), was the first book published about the National Security Agency (NSA). The book was researched through extensive use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).[3] As a super-secret agency, NSA was quite concerned about their unveiling to the world and accordingly, the government reclassified certain documents in an effort to stop publication.[4][5] He published Body of Secrets (also about the NSA, 2001), and A Pretext for War (2004). Bamford lectures nationally and was a distinguished visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent nearly a decade as the Washington Investigative Producer for ABC's World News Tonight. In 2006, he received the National Magazine Award for Reporting, the top prize in magazine writing. Most recently, he published his new book The Shadow Factory, once again about the NSA, but about its involvement in the 9/11 investigations and intelligence failures. The PBS show "The Spy Factory" was based on this book.[6]

Bamford was a consultant for the defense of NSA whistleblower Thomas Andrews Drake.[7]

Books

  • Bamford, James (1982). The Puzzle Palace: a Report on America's Most Secret Agency. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0140067485.
  • Bamford, James (2001). The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization. Viking Pr. ISBN 0140231161.
  • Bamford, James (April 30, 2002). Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency. Anchor. ISBN 0385499086.
  • Bamford, James (May 10, 2005). A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America's Intelligence Agencies. Anchor. ISBN 140003034X.
  • Bamford, James (September 16, 2008). The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America. Doubleday. ISBN 0385521324. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |aurhorlink= (help)