Books on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

• Inside the Company: CIA Diary, by Philip Agee --- Haven't finished it yet. Obviously, it's a little outdated but so far it has provided some interesting details about espionage operations.
• Veil, by Bob Woodward --- Good (and fairly readable) account of the CIA's work in the 1980's. As usual, Woodward has access to "reliable, highly placed" sources.
• The U.S. Intelligence Community, by Jeffrey T. Richelson --- Required reading.
• From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, by Robert M. Gates --- A good book, if you enjoy reading memoirs. Gates is probably the only career CIA officer to write his own book. Unfortunately, there's not much info on the CIA, since Gates spent most of his time on the National Security Council (i.e. in the White House).
• Presidents' Secret Wars: CIA and Pentagon Covert Operations from World War II Through the Persian Gulf, by John Prados --- This book covers mostly paramilitary operations (China, Laos, Nicaragua) and despite its title, it doesn't cover much past the 1980's. It's a very readable history nonetheless.
• A Spy for All Seasons: My Life in the CIA, by Duane R. Clarridge and Digby Diehl --- Well, Dewey Clarridge doesn't seem to think he did anything wrong in his career. Especially during the Iran-Contra thing. Well, it's a CIA auto-bio so it naturally has some nice tidbits that you won't find elsewhere. But I wouldn't sell the farm for it.
• Blond Ghost, by David Corn --- A (unofficial?) biography of Theodore (Ted) Shackley, former CIA officer who was Chief of Station in Miami, Laos, and Saigon (and also head of the Western Hemisphere division). This book is interesting because Shackley's career follows closely many of the CIA's major operations, including the assassination attempts on Castro, the secret war in Laos, and the Vietnam War.
• The CIA and American Democracy, by Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones --- probably my favorite book when it comes to the plain history of the CIA. It might be a little outdated, though (i.e. no Iran-Contra).
• Secret Warriors: Inside the Covert Military Operations of the Reagan Era, by Steven Emerson --- Covers military operations, as well as those of the CIA. It's a fast read and worth it just for the account of the planning of Carter's aborted hostage rescue plan in Iran. Unfortunately, you may have to look for this book on eBay or in a used book store.
• Inside Cia's Private World: Declassified Articles from the Agency's Internal Journal, 1955-1992, edited by H. Bradford Westerfield --- This book was not as interesting as I'd hoped it would be. I thought most of the articles were kind of dry.
• Shadow Warrior, by Felix Rodriguez --- Autobiography of, you guessed it, Felix Rodriguez, who was a top paramilitary man for the CIA in the 70's and 80's. Not surprisingly, the book is biased in a particular direction, but he has a few interesting stories, especially about the hunt for Che Guevera.
• America's Secret Power: The CIA in a Democratic Society, by Loch Johnson --- I've only flipped through this one. Looked kind of dry.
• Inside the Cia: Revealing the Secrets of the World's Most Powerful Spy Agency, by Ronald Kessler --- Probably interesting when it first came out, but much of the information in this book can be found on the CIA's website.
• CIA Targets Fidel: Secret 1967 CIA Inspector General's Report on Plots to Assassinate Fidel Castro --- Government documents. You get the point. Very dry, but authoritative.
• Wedge: The Secret War Between the FBI and CIA, by Mark Riebling --- I seem to remember liking this book but I can't remember why.
• The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, by Victor Marchetti and John D. Marks --- the first real tell-all book criticizing the CIA. Most of the blacked-out stuff in this book has since been declassified and can be found in other books.