No lights, no camera, but plenty of action in Hollywood native Peter Theroux’s spycraft tell-all thumbnail

No lights, no camera, but plenty of action in Hollywood native Peter Theroux’s spycraft tell-all

In his new book, In Obscura: Adventures in the World of Intelligence, Peter Theroux offers a look into his unconventional life, from Los Angeles to Langley. Theroux comes from a famous literary family. His older brothers, Alexander and Paul, are noted novelists. His nephews and cousins include journalists, filmmakers, and the actor Justin Theroux. Peter himself garnered acclaim as a journalist and linguist. His translations of Arabic literature are widely considered among the best.

The New Atlantis
In Obscura Part I: Adventures in the World of Intelligence; By Peter Theroux; Station Square Media; 130 pp., $14.95

Theroux spent years working as a journalist, filing dispatches for National Geographic and the Wall Street Journal, among others. His job took him across the world, but largely focused on the Middle East, writing stories on Syria, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region. He authored two books: Sandstorms, on his travels in the Middle East, and, much closer to home, 1995’s Translating Los Angeles.

But in his mid-30s, feeling unfulfilled, Theroux began to look elsewhere for work. A visit to Syria, where even domestic opponents of the Assad regime celebrated anti-Jewish violence, proved to be one of the final straws. Syria, he noted, “felt like strike one against the idiot boss: self-employed me.” In between hanging out with Gore Vidal and the stuntmen of James Cameron’s 1997 hit film, Titanic, Theroux began the process of launching a career in the intelligence community. “I sensed a kinship with the stunt actors, who worked in the shadows, whose names would never show in bright lights, but who made the mission work,” he writes. Indeed, “as a translator, I already had a taste of that.”

Theroux had previously done contract work translating for the Joint Publication Research Service, a division of the now-defunct Foreign Broadcast Information Service, which served as an open-source intelligence collector for the CIA. But Theroux wanted something more, initially choosing to apply to the National Security Agency and then the CIA itself. “In Obscura,” he explains, is an old CIA operational term referring to the status of clandestine work. An intelligence officer engaging in espionage who has successfully evaded enemy surveillance so that they can commit an operational act is said to be “IO.”

A few years after Theroux joined the Agency, al-Qaida perpetrated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The United States was at war, and Theroux’s linguistic gifts and years spent traveling the Middle East made him uniquely qualified to help. Theroux would display a knack for always being “at the most interesting place at the most important time,” as his friend Lee Smith, the writer, observed. In Obscura is replete with anecdotes and impressions as the onetime Hollywood-based writer navigates the various national security bureaucracies. Theroux is careful to note the very different cultures that make up these agencies, from the more informal CIA to the rigid and process-obsessed State Department. The book pulls back the curtain on how the policy sausage, so to speak, is made and implemented.

The New Atlantis
(Illustration by Tatiana Lozano / Washington Examiner; AP, Getty Images)

Yet Theroux is gracious. Many spy memoirs, he notes, are authored by “heavily disgruntled, partisan, axe-grinding” types. Thankfully, this memoir is different. Theroux is proud of his service to his country and proud of the men and women that he served with. Some of them were the “most erudite, congenial, and witty people that I had ever met.” As he notes in the book’s introduction, he is not seeking to settle scores. Rather, his model for his memoir is Lynda Obst, whose 1996 book Hello, He Lied, offered an insider look at what producers, directors, agents, writers, actors, and editors do on a day-to-day basis to make movies. Theroux hopes to do something similar for the intelligence world.

This does not mean, however, that Theroux is naïve. Indeed, his book is filled with biting commentaries on how the D.C. foreign policy establishment functions — or, just as often, doesn’t. One comes away with a good understanding of how institutional cultures can shape national security. The State Department, for example, is depicted as often too keen to please host countries instead of prioritizing the wishes of America’s elected leaders. Theroux also notes the “disconnect from the policy world of the executive branch” and those tasked with implementing their wishes.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Unsurprisingly, there are aspects of Theroux’s work that he can’t write about. He is still bound by secrecy agreements, some of which will have expired by the time he writes his projected second volume. “‘Tell as little as possible’ isn’t the sexiest way to start a book,” he admits. Nonetheless, In Obscura doesn’t suffer for it. Theroux still offers insights into what it was like to debrief and target Islamist terrorists in Iraq. One also garners interesting tidbits. For example, the Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat was known to hog the air conditioning. Arafat, he notes, was a “physical coward” who had “won most of his battles at a microphone.” And a former U.S. national security adviser, later busted for trying to steal confidential documents from an archive, is described as a “creep.”

Yet, the revelations in his book extend beyond Theroux’s work as a spy. The author’s time as a journalist, including his stories on how Middle Eastern governments from Cairo to Damascus try to manipulate news coverage, is both informative and relevant. Ditto for his frank admissions on how Western journalists often self-censor to preserve access to repressive regimes. “Beware of obsequious human beings,” Obst wrote in her Hollywood memoir. “The most dangerous wolves are in sheep’s clothing.” As Theroux observes, this piece of advice applies to the sometimes-murky world of national security, too.

Sean Durns is a Senior Research Analyst for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.

2024-07-26 02:25:00, http://s.wordpress.com/mshots/v1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fpremium%2F3096609%2Fplenty-of-action-peter-theroux-spycraft-tell-all%2F?w=600&h=450, In his new book, In Obscura: Adventures in the World of Intelligence, Peter Theroux offers a look into his unconventional life, from Los Angeles to Langley. Theroux comes from a famous literary family. His older brothers, Alexander and Paul, are noted novelists. His nephews and cousins include journalists, filmmakers, and the actor Justin Theroux. Peter,

In his new book, In Obscura: Adventures in the World of Intelligence, Peter Theroux offers a look into his unconventional life, from Los Angeles to Langley. Theroux comes from a famous literary family. His older brothers, Alexander and Paul, are noted novelists. His nephews and cousins include journalists, filmmakers, and the actor Justin Theroux. Peter himself garnered acclaim as a journalist and linguist. His translations of Arabic literature are widely considered among the best.

The New Atlantis
In Obscura Part I: Adventures in the World of Intelligence; By Peter Theroux; Station Square Media; 130 pp., $14.95

Theroux spent years working as a journalist, filing dispatches for National Geographic and the Wall Street Journal, among others. His job took him across the world, but largely focused on the Middle East, writing stories on Syria, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region. He authored two books: Sandstorms, on his travels in the Middle East, and, much closer to home, 1995’s Translating Los Angeles.

But in his mid-30s, feeling unfulfilled, Theroux began to look elsewhere for work. A visit to Syria, where even domestic opponents of the Assad regime celebrated anti-Jewish violence, proved to be one of the final straws. Syria, he noted, “felt like strike one against the idiot boss: self-employed me.” In between hanging out with Gore Vidal and the stuntmen of James Cameron’s 1997 hit film, Titanic, Theroux began the process of launching a career in the intelligence community. “I sensed a kinship with the stunt actors, who worked in the shadows, whose names would never show in bright lights, but who made the mission work,” he writes. Indeed, “as a translator, I already had a taste of that.”

Theroux had previously done contract work translating for the Joint Publication Research Service, a division of the now-defunct Foreign Broadcast Information Service, which served as an open-source intelligence collector for the CIA. But Theroux wanted something more, initially choosing to apply to the National Security Agency and then the CIA itself. “In Obscura,” he explains, is an old CIA operational term referring to the status of clandestine work. An intelligence officer engaging in espionage who has successfully evaded enemy surveillance so that they can commit an operational act is said to be “IO.”

A few years after Theroux joined the Agency, al-Qaida perpetrated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The United States was at war, and Theroux’s linguistic gifts and years spent traveling the Middle East made him uniquely qualified to help. Theroux would display a knack for always being “at the most interesting place at the most important time,” as his friend Lee Smith, the writer, observed. In Obscura is replete with anecdotes and impressions as the onetime Hollywood-based writer navigates the various national security bureaucracies. Theroux is careful to note the very different cultures that make up these agencies, from the more informal CIA to the rigid and process-obsessed State Department. The book pulls back the curtain on how the policy sausage, so to speak, is made and implemented.

The New Atlantis
(Illustration by Tatiana Lozano / Washington Examiner; AP, Getty Images)

Yet Theroux is gracious. Many spy memoirs, he notes, are authored by “heavily disgruntled, partisan, axe-grinding” types. Thankfully, this memoir is different. Theroux is proud of his service to his country and proud of the men and women that he served with. Some of them were the “most erudite, congenial, and witty people that I had ever met.” As he notes in the book’s introduction, he is not seeking to settle scores. Rather, his model for his memoir is Lynda Obst, whose 1996 book Hello, He Lied, offered an insider look at what producers, directors, agents, writers, actors, and editors do on a day-to-day basis to make movies. Theroux hopes to do something similar for the intelligence world.

This does not mean, however, that Theroux is naïve. Indeed, his book is filled with biting commentaries on how the D.C. foreign policy establishment functions — or, just as often, doesn’t. One comes away with a good understanding of how institutional cultures can shape national security. The State Department, for example, is depicted as often too keen to please host countries instead of prioritizing the wishes of America’s elected leaders. Theroux also notes the “disconnect from the policy world of the executive branch” and those tasked with implementing their wishes.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Unsurprisingly, there are aspects of Theroux’s work that he can’t write about. He is still bound by secrecy agreements, some of which will have expired by the time he writes his projected second volume. “‘Tell as little as possible’ isn’t the sexiest way to start a book,” he admits. Nonetheless, In Obscura doesn’t suffer for it. Theroux still offers insights into what it was like to debrief and target Islamist terrorists in Iraq. One also garners interesting tidbits. For example, the Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat was known to hog the air conditioning. Arafat, he notes, was a “physical coward” who had “won most of his battles at a microphone.” And a former U.S. national security adviser, later busted for trying to steal confidential documents from an archive, is described as a “creep.”

Yet, the revelations in his book extend beyond Theroux’s work as a spy. The author’s time as a journalist, including his stories on how Middle Eastern governments from Cairo to Damascus try to manipulate news coverage, is both informative and relevant. Ditto for his frank admissions on how Western journalists often self-censor to preserve access to repressive regimes. “Beware of obsequious human beings,” Obst wrote in her Hollywood memoir. “The most dangerous wolves are in sheep’s clothing.” As Theroux observes, this piece of advice applies to the sometimes-murky world of national security, too.

Sean Durns is a Senior Research Analyst for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.

, In his new book, In Obscura: Adventures in the World of Intelligence, Peter Theroux offers a look into his unconventional life, from Los Angeles to Langley. Theroux comes from a famous literary family. His older brothers, Alexander and Paul, are noted novelists. His nephews and cousins include journalists, filmmakers, and the actor Justin Theroux. Peter himself garnered acclaim as a journalist and linguist. His translations of Arabic literature are widely considered among the best. In Obscura Part I: Adventures in the World of Intelligence; By Peter Theroux; Station Square Media; 130 pp., $14.95 Theroux spent years working as a journalist, filing dispatches for National Geographic and the Wall Street Journal , among others. His job took him across the world, but largely focused on the Middle East, writing stories on Syria, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region. He authored two books: Sandstorms, on his travels in the Middle East, and, much closer to home, 1995’s Translating Los Angeles. But in his mid-30s, feeling unfulfilled, Theroux began to look elsewhere for work. A visit to Syria, where even domestic opponents of the Assad regime celebrated anti-Jewish violence, proved to be one of the final straws. Syria, he noted, “felt like strike one against the idiot boss: self-employed me.” In between hanging out with Gore Vidal and the stuntmen of James Cameron’s 1997 hit film, Titanic, Theroux began the process of launching a career in the intelligence community. “I sensed a kinship with the stunt actors, who worked in the shadows, whose names would never show in bright lights, but who made the mission work,” he writes. Indeed, “as a translator, I already had a taste of that.” Theroux had previously done contract work translating for the Joint Publication Research Service, a division of the now-defunct Foreign Broadcast Information Service, which served as an open-source intelligence collector for the CIA. But Theroux wanted something more, initially choosing to apply to the National Security Agency and then the CIA itself. “In Obscura,” he explains, is an old CIA operational term referring to the status of clandestine work. An intelligence officer engaging in espionage who has successfully evaded enemy surveillance so that they can commit an operational act is said to be “IO.” A few years after Theroux joined the Agency, al-Qaida perpetrated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The United States was at war, and Theroux’s linguistic gifts and years spent traveling the Middle East made him uniquely qualified to help. Theroux would display a knack for always being “at the most interesting place at the most important time,” as his friend Lee Smith, the writer, observed. In Obscura is replete with anecdotes and impressions as the onetime Hollywood-based writer navigates the various national security bureaucracies. Theroux is careful to note the very different cultures that make up these agencies, from the more informal CIA to the rigid and process-obsessed State Department. The book pulls back the curtain on how the policy sausage, so to speak, is made and implemented. (Illustration by Tatiana Lozano / Washington Examiner; AP, Getty Images) Yet Theroux is gracious. Many spy memoirs, he notes, are authored by “heavily disgruntled, partisan, axe-grinding” types. Thankfully, this memoir is different. Theroux is proud of his service to his country and proud of the men and women that he served with. Some of them were the “most erudite, congenial, and witty people that I had ever met.” As he notes in the book’s introduction, he is not seeking to settle scores. Rather, his model for his memoir is Lynda Obst, whose 1996 book Hello, He Lied, offered an insider look at what producers, directors, agents, writers, actors, and editors do on a day-to-day basis to make movies. Theroux hopes to do something similar for the intelligence world. This does not mean, however, that Theroux is naïve. Indeed, his book is filled with biting commentaries on how the D.C. foreign policy establishment functions — or, just as often, doesn’t. One comes away with a good understanding of how institutional cultures can shape national security. The State Department, for example, is depicted as often too keen to please host countries instead of prioritizing the wishes of America’s elected leaders. Theroux also notes the “disconnect from the policy world of the executive branch” and those tasked with implementing their wishes. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Unsurprisingly, there are aspects of Theroux’s work that he can’t write about. He is still bound by secrecy agreements, some of which will have expired by the time he writes his projected second volume. “‘Tell as little as possible’ isn’t the sexiest way to start a book,” he admits. Nonetheless, In Obscura doesn’t suffer for it. Theroux still offers insights into what it was like to debrief and target Islamist terrorists in Iraq. One also garners interesting tidbits. For example, the Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat was known to hog the air conditioning. Arafat, he notes, was a “physical coward” who had “won most of his battles at a microphone.” And a former U.S. national security adviser, later busted for trying to steal confidential documents from an archive, is described as a “creep.” Yet, the revelations in his book extend beyond Theroux’s work as a spy. The author’s time as a journalist, including his stories on how Middle Eastern governments from Cairo to Damascus try to manipulate news coverage, is both informative and relevant. Ditto for his frank admissions on how Western journalists often self-censor to preserve access to repressive regimes. “Beware of obsequious human beings,” Obst wrote in her Hollywood memoir. “The most dangerous wolves are in sheep’s clothing.” As Theroux observes, this piece of advice applies to the sometimes-murky world of national security, too. Sean Durns is a Senior Research Analyst for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis., , No lights, no camera, but plenty of action in Hollywood native Peter Theroux’s spycraft tell-all, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/books-peter-theroux-spycraft-sean-durns-072524B1R-1024×591.webp, Washington Examiner, Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon-32×32.png, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Sean Durns,

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