Donovan and the CIA: A History of the Establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency was established in 1947, largely on foundations laid during World War II by the Office of Strategic Services, whose directing genius was, of course, Colonel William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan. Troy's official history, originally published in a limited edition by the CIA in 1975, is a worshipful and yet important contribution. Much of the book deals with Donovan's struggles with the government bureaucracy over the role of the O.S.S.