Charlie Wilson's War: The Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History: The Arming of the Mujahideen by the CIA - Tapa dura

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, pressure mounted to support the Afghan resistance. The book tells for the first time the story of what became the largest covert operation in history - eventually costing more than $1 billion per year - with a vivid cast of characters, including Charlie Wilson, maverick congressman and party animal; Gust Avrakotos, the ruthless head of the CIA operation in Afghanistan; and General Zia, president of Pakistan. Moving from the meeting rooms in Washington to secret chambers in CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia; to arms-dealing conventions , to stand offs in the Khyber Pass, My Enemy's Enemy is brilliantly reported - one of the most detailed and compulsively readable accounts of the workings of the CIA ever written.This book is a eye-popping account of the last battle of the cold war, one that weakened the Soviet Union and assisted in its collapse - paving the way, of course, for the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

George Crile is a veteran producer for the American news programme 60 Minutes.