Copeland, Miles. The Game Player: Confessions of the CIA's Original
Political Operative. London: Aurum Press, 1989. 294 pages.
Miles Copeland (1913-1991) joined the CIA after serving in the
Counter-Intelligence Corps during World War II. In 1953 he left the CIA to
work for Booz-Allen Hamilton, and then rejoined the CIA in 1955. Two years
later he resigned again to become a high-priced oil company consultant,
while doing covert favors for the CIA on an as-needed, unofficial basis.
Copeland specialized in the Arab countries. He was involved in Syria in
1949, and in the 1950s was an advisor to President Nasser in Egypt. In
1980 he pushed a plan to free the hostages in Iran, and actively supported,
along with other spooks, the election of George Bush and Ronald Reagan.
Copeland is immodest about his successes, and disdainful of the CIA's
failures, as though they failed only because his advice wasn't solicited
or heeded. The ethics of covert activities never enters into the equation.
For example, while Copeland found Jimmy Carter to be well-informed and
intelligent, he had a low opinion of the Carter presidency because Carter
was too principled. For Copeland, this hobbled Carter's capacity for the
greatest game on earth, the game of covert manipulation. At least Copeland
was garrulous, and if given a choice, preferred to exaggerate his covert
acumen rather than keep the CIA's secrets. Many also found him likable, as
he continued to grant interviews from his home in the English countryside.
ISBN 0-948149-87-6
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