BOOKS OF THE TIMES

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP88-01350R000200740018-4
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 16, 2016
Document Release Date: 
September 20, 2004
Sequence Number: 
18
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
January 12, 1968
Content Type: 
NSPR
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP88-01350R000200740018-4.pdf142.46 KB
Body: 
Approv ?. s 200> / 8%22: IA 8-0? 5 i *,0018.4~ ? .. x~~l3b?.t1 Butter, Bury- `:tg and Burning Tree By Ii,:.": :-REMONT-SMITH VANISIIED. By Fletcher Knebcl. 407 pages, lknt- the stock manipulations of a strange com- bieday.$5.95. puter complex? Or was he a defector to ER pot-smoking pop sculptress. She lives Moscow The~Preside t is' mum, the F.B.I. is mum, -" in Washington and, when not out on but the clamor for answers to these questions some late "date," shares an apartment with grows louder as the disappearances of two .tile Presidential press secretary's stenogra- famous scientists are also revealed, and then pher and girl friend. Butter used to work that of a freelance news reporter, and fi-'? for the Central Intelligence Agency and, in nally of an intelligence agent investigating, fact, still does, though no one is supposed against White House orders, some mysteri- to know. Her cur- A ous doings off the coast of Brazil. Rumors rent mission? To of treason, or something close to it, start spy on the' Presi- spreading, and a budding McCarthyite 'poli- dent of the United = tician asks damning questions of the Presi- States. Why? Well, s dent on national television. Meanwhile, a Soviet sub 'is spotted in the South Atlantic,, that's the story of "Vanished," a huge hydrogen-test bomb is' detonated Fletcher Knebel's over China, which seems to startle the latest fictional es- President, and the opposition party, smelling capade into Wash- s k s . scandal and victory, begins to tighten cer- ington politics. Mr. , .: tain strings. Knebel, is of ? Tightening Strings course course, the author of several best- sellers, including "Seven Days in May, " (written with Charles W. Bailey) and "Night at Camp David." He has his ups One string is around the President's neck; another around the C.I.A; director's. But the string that hurts most is that around the press secretary, who narrates most of the ~e - A,?;a...:.:: story. Even his eventual undoing of Butter nicx Goltrrs ? does not ease the pressure; Only the Fletcher Kriebel startling revelations at the end can do that- and downs. "Vanished" is definitely an up- a political suspense novel that really has some suspense. If the characters are not fully rounded, they at least appear in bas- relief. If the plot is not entirely convincing under later scrutiny,. it does hold together while one is reading. If English prose style is not enhanced by the novel, neither is it slaughtered. Pleasing entertainment All of which is a lot more than can be said of most novels of the type. "Vanished," in short, is pleasing entertainment. It is not a book that demands much; nor does it of- fend. The background detailing, especially, of interagency competitiveness, seems au= thentic enough. The story holds one's atten- tions, are swept up in the excitement of a has some dead or muddling spots. Besides intrigue, there is wit, warmth, and', a nice, antidepressant twist at the end. How- ever, it does seem pertinent to note that I read it between Kleenexes, as it were, while sparring with some stubborn bug. Not an ideal condition for pure or sneezeless judgment, perhaps, but occasionally of use:;., good books for sick friends are hard to come by, and here, is one. ' ... people. In a crisp, lively style, Mr. Schechter But back to Butter. Butter's mission is to reports on Govs. George. Romney, Ronald report to C.I.A. Director Arthur Ingram Reagan and Rockefeller, former Vice Pre.,* whatever she can find out about the follow- dent Richard M. Nixon and Senator Charles ing mysterious occurrences. First; what does H. Percy, moat actively considered for the the President know about the disappearance Republican nomination; and President John- of his close friend and White House con- son, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and fidante, Stephen Greer, from the No. 4 green Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York,' of Burning Tree golf course? Second, why who dominate the Democratic scene. Con- has the President specifically excluded the spicuously missing from the list are Sena- C.I.A. from investigating the Greer case, tor Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota, who is even when matters . of national security. opposing President Johnson, in the primaries seem to be involved? on the peace issue, and ? ex-Gov. George For the Greer case, and the peculiar se- ..Wallace of Alabama, so far undeclared. crecy surrounding it, has set Washington on Yet, omissions aside, this is a useful, ? its ear. Was Greer kidnapped? Was he a even-handed, not uncritical treatment, and homosexual about to be blackmailed or ex- carries introductions by both the Republican posed-and thus endangering the President's and Democratic national chairmen. reA~Ftj~'~!e eig a ntsi~2OefAerZ/f~2 CIA-RDP88-01350 Q$;kbaW4GQ:18-4 and these I will leave to the reader to dis- cover and maybe ponder, For the resolution does raise questions-- about man's will for peace, about elitism and its effects, about competitive profes- sionalism and its limitations, about the price of security and secrecy and how democratic a democracy can be these days, and about ends and means. Still, the story is the main, thing; speaking for myself, I enjoyed it. End Papers COUNTDOWN '68: Profiles for the Presidency. By William Schechter. 227 pages. Fleet. $4.95. . Every four years millions of Americans, half of whom normally ignore interim elec- Presidential campaign and quickly become partisan "experts" on the candidates and the issues. For those ,who would like to have their expertise well founded, William Schechter, a former newspaperman, has written a book that deals knowledgeably with some of the likely contenders for the Presidency, their position on current issues, their records and basic philosophy and what they are like as "! STAT