Waters, T.J.

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Waters, T.J.

PERSONAL:

Married.

ADDRESSES:

CAREER:

U.S. Department of Defense, Washington, DC, senior counterintelligence analyst. Has worked in research and development at a specialty chemical firm; Celotex Corporation, vice president (private intelligence consulting boutique); writer for media, including New York Law Journal, Wall Street Journal, and BBC.

WRITINGS:

Class 11: Inside the CIA's First Post-9/11 Spy Class, Dutton (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the CIA began a massive restructuring aimed to improve its intelligence-gathering capabilities and better prepare the country to respond to the political challenges of the post-Cold War era. The agency stepped up its recruiting, and consultant T.J. Waters was among those from the private sector who enrolled in its spy-training unit. His Class 11: Inside the CIA's First Post-9/11 Spy Class recounts his experiences learning how to become a government spy. Reviewer John Lehman, writing in the Washington Post Book World, observed that the book reveals crucial differences between Class 11 and previous trainee classes. Class 11 was far larger and more diverse than earlier groups, and many students, like Waters himself, had left mid-level professional careers to join. In the view of American Prospect Online contributor Tara McKelvey, the students, as Waters describes them, displayed more enthusiasm than professional skill. The class, she wrote, "has a lot of zeal but only a superficial understanding of the world." Nevertheless, McKelvey felt that the book presents a persuasive argument that human intelligence, rather than electronic surveillance, is crucial in the war on terror.

Waters's manuscript was cleared for publication by a CIA committee that reviewed it to ensure it did not disclose classified information; in fact, Waters sued the agency for requiring him to delete material that, he says, was initially approved. Despite these deletions, however, Class 11 impressed reviewers with its insider's view into a secret world. Lehman noted that the book provides some amusing details, including descriptions of "nifty James Bond gear," but expressed disappointment that Waters did not write about more difficult matters such as survival training. In conclusion, Lehman wrote that "Waters has done an excellent job recounting his experiences, and he and the CIA deserve much credit for a book that can only enhance the public's understanding of the importance of a rejuvenated clandestine service."