Written by a former director of the CIA, this is the story of America's and the agency's role in the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Gates describes the atmosphere, culture and politics of the CIA and the National Security Council, and draws candid appraisals of the presidents and other key officials. Among his disclosures are: how Carter laid the foundations for Reagan's covert wars against the Soviets; CIA predictions of a conservative coup against Gorbachev and the collapse of the Soviet Union; CIA and KGB black operations against each other; the secret relationship between Pope John Paul II and the Soviets; and three secret CIA-KGB summits.