The CIA “does not object to this book.”

The CIA asked me to tell you this: (seriously)

All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the U.S. Government. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying U.S. Government authentication of information or endorsement of the author's views.

Ok, “asked” isn’t exactly the right word. They told me I had to do it!

But the statement is true. I wrote everything in this book. The CIA and US Government’s only contribution was to redact and delete things.

For background, I had to send this book to the CIA’s Prepublication Classification Review Board (PCRB) for review. The review took 20 days.

Here are some highlights from that review:

PCRB determined that it [your book] contains classified information that must be removed before sharing or publishing. We have attached a partial copy of your work showing the affected text marked for deletion. These changes are not optional — they are mandatory, and the work should not be shared with anyone until the changes are made.

Ouch, ok. No blurred lines, there.

Once you have removed/altered the classified material as shown in the attached copy and added the disclaimer, PCRB will have no further objection to its publication.

So there you go, the CIA “does not object to this book.” That’s the CIA’s equivalent of “Two Thumbs Up” from Siskel & Ebert, right? (Author’s note: To make sure I don’t end up in jail, I should clarify that no, it isn’t.)