From the Shadows; The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War
New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2006. Fourth Printing [stated]. Trade paperback. [2], 604, [2] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Cover has some wear and soiling. Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American statesman, scholar, intelligence analyst, and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Gates began his career serving as an officer in the United States Air Force but was quickly recruited by the CIA. Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and was Director of Central Intelligence under President George H. W. Bush. After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University. Gates served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, that studied the lessons of the Iraq War. Gates was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush as Secretary of Defense after the 2006 election. He was confirmed with bipartisan support. He continued to serve as Secretary of Defense in President Barack Obama's administration. He retired in 2011. Gates was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, by President Obama. More