While several fine texts on intelligence have been published over the past decade, there is no complementary set of volumes that addresses the subject in a comprehensive manner for the general reader. This major set explains how the sixteen major U.S. intelligence agencies operate, how they collect information from around the world, the problems they face in providing further insight into this "raw" information through the techniques of analysis, and the difficulties that accompany the dissemination of intelligence to policymakers in a timely manner.

v. 2. The intelligence cycle : the flow of secret information from overseas to the hightest councils of government. What's wrong with the intelligence cycle? / Arthur S. Hulnick -- The challenge of global intelligence listening / Patrick Radden Keefe -- Prometheus embattled : a post-9/11 report card on the National Security Agency / Matthew M. Aid -- Intelligence : the imagery dimension / Jeffrey T. Richelson -- The importance and future of espionage / Frederick P. Hitz -- Open source intelligence / Robert David Steele -- The shortest distance between two points lies in rethinking the question : intelligence and the information age technology challenge / Daniel S. Gressang -- Intelligence analysts and policy makers : benefits and dangers of tensions in the relationship / Jack Davis -- "The customer is king" : intelligence requirements in Britain / Michael Hennan -- Global economic espionage : an ancient art, now a science / Minh A. Luong -- The politics of intelligence post-mortems / Max M. Holland -- Appendixes. The intelligence cycle -- Examples of aerial intelligence collection "platforms" and smaller collection devices -- Examples of imagery intelligence from reconnaissance -- Aircraft and surveillance satellites -- Categories of finished intelligence and the major products -- Sample NIEs on the Soviet Union and SNIEs on Cuba and Vietnam -- Samples and extracts from the President's Daily Brief -- House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence critique of HUMINT, 2004 -- Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report on Iraqi WMD intelligence, 2004.