Thomas Powers
Encyclopedia
Thomas Powers is an author, and an intelligence expert.
He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
in 1971 together with Lucinda Franks
for his articles on Weatherman (organization)
member Diana Oughton
(1942-1970). He was also the recipient of the Olive Branch award in 1984 for a cover story on the Cold War that appeared in the Atlantic, and a 2007 Berlin Prize
.
His The Man who kept Secrets: Richard Helms
and the CIA (1979) is "widely regarded as one of the best books ever written on the subject of intellenge." In addition to his books, Powers has been a contributor to The New York Review of Books
,, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times Book Review
, Harper's, The Nation
, Commonweal
, and Rolling Stone
.
Born in New York City in 1940, he was a 1958 graduate of Tabor Academy
. Powers later attended Yale University
where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in English. At first he worked for the Rome Daily American in Italy, and then United Press International
. In 1970 he became a freelance writer.
Powers is married and lives in Vermont. He has three daughters.
He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting
The Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting has been awarded since 1948 for a distinguished example of reporting on national affairs. The Pulitzer Committee issues an official citation explaining the reasons for the award....
in 1971 together with Lucinda Franks
Lucinda Franks
Lucinda Franks is a former staff writer for The New York Times, and she has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and The Atlantic...
for his articles on Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
member Diana Oughton
Diana Oughton
Diana Oughton was a member of the Students for a Democratic Society Michigan Chapter and later, a member of the 1960s radical group Weatherman. Oughton received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College. After graduation, Oughton went to Guatemala with the VISA program to teach the young and older...
(1942-1970). He was also the recipient of the Olive Branch award in 1984 for a cover story on the Cold War that appeared in the Atlantic, and a 2007 Berlin Prize
Berlin Prize
The Berlin Prize is a residential fellowship at the Hans Arnhold Center, awarded by the American Academy in Berlin.- Fellows of the American Academy in Berlin :-References:*http://www.americanacademy.de/home/about-us/hans-arnhold-center/...
.
His The Man who kept Secrets: Richard Helms
Richard Helms
Richard McGarrah Helms was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1966 to 1973. He was the only director to have been convicted of lying to the United States Congress over Central Intelligence Agency undercover activities. In 1977, he was sentenced to the maximum fine and received a suspended...
and the CIA (1979) is "widely regarded as one of the best books ever written on the subject of intellenge." In addition to his books, Powers has been a contributor to The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
,, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, Harper's, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Commonweal
Commonweal
Commonweal is a American journal of opinion edited and managed by lay Catholics. It is headquartered in The Interchurch Center in New York City.-History:...
, and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
.
Born in New York City in 1940, he was a 1958 graduate of Tabor Academy
Tabor Academy
Tabor Academy is a highly selective independent preparatory school located in Marion, Massachusetts, United States. Tabor is known for its marine science courses...
. Powers later attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in English. At first he worked for the Rome Daily American in Italy, and then United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
. In 1970 he became a freelance writer.
Powers is married and lives in Vermont. He has three daughters.
Works
- Diana: the making of a terrorist, Houghton Mifflin, 1971, ISBN 9780395123751
- The Man Who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms and the CIA, Knopf, 1979, ISBN 9780394507774
- Thinking about the next war, Knopf, 1982, ISBN 9780394528311
- The Confirmation, Knopf, 2000, ISBN 9780375400209, a novel
Review
Powers is "a great journalistic anthropologist. In possibly the best book ever written about the C.I.A, “The Man Who Kept the Secrets,” Powers took the reader on a fascinating journey into the world of secret intelligence gathering and covert action. The C.I.A. was, at least in the early years of the cold war, a tribe as mysterious and exotic as the Great Plains Sioux of the 1870s. And Powers tells us much that is revealing and often moving about the Sioux in their last days as free warriors".
External links
- Powers archive from The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
- Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield review The Killing of Crazy Horse
- American Academy per Thomas Powers (no longer current)