Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins

Surprise, Kill, Vanish examines the CIA's Special Activities Division, a classified paramilitary branch that conducts covert operations when diplomacy and conventional warfare are deemed unsuitable. Since World War II, American presidents have authorized the division to carry out sabotage, subversion, and assassination missions. Annie Jacobsen draws on interviews with forty-two current and former CIA operatives—including members of the Senior Intelligence Service, counterterrorism chiefs, targeting officers, and Ground Branch operators—along with declassified documents and historical research to document the division's evolution from its origins as a presidential guerrilla warfare corps to its present-day activities. The book explores how covert action functions within broader foreign policy strategy, examining the individuals who work in dangerous environments and the moral complexities of paramilitary intelligence work. Jacobsen investigates whether the CIA's paramilitary operations represent America's strategic strength or a challenge to its principles, while noting that all operations described are legally authorized.