In its final report, the 9/11 Commission famously called the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia "a problematic ally in combating Islamic extremism." To Gerald Posner, the bestselling author of Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11, this is a gross understatement. In his new book, Secrets of the Kingdom, Posner exposes the undeniable truth about U.S.-Saudi relations-and how the Saudis' influence on American business and politics poses a grave threat to our security.
The result of an intensive two-year investigation, Secrets of the Kingdom penetrates the innermost layers of the shielded House of Saud and presents indisputable evidence of complicity and deceit at the highest levels-evidence that the 9/11 Commission, either deliberately or negligently, failed to consider. Using bank records and other previously undisclosed information, Posner unearths many disturbing truths and shattering revelations about the ties that bind the Saudi and U.S. governments, including:
* How countless failures in U.S. intelligence and law enforcement gave extraordinary preferential treatment to prominent Saudis living in the United States, including members of the bin Laden family, in the days after 9/11
* A likely close connection between a powerful member of the House of Saud and Abu Zubeydah, the highest-ranking al-Qaeda operative captured so far by the United States
* How the Saudi government has turned a blind eye to the role Saudi charities-including many controlled or supported by Kingdom officials- have played in bankrolling al-Qaeda and Islamic terror groups
* The never-before-revealed Saudi and U.S. emergency plans in the event of a national crisis in the Kingdom, plans that could affect the security of the United States and the entire Middle East
Secrets of the Kingdom is an explosive study that will have a profound impact on both U.S. policy and Americans' perception of their government and its extensive ties to a foreign power. Posner uncovers a disturbing picture of how two nations, despite their differing agendas, have become inextricably entwined.
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"Very interesting all around. I thought there would be more about the ties to the Bush family, but it was a good background to the history of the royal family. It will be interesting to see what happens in the country over the next 50 or so years."
— Lara (4 out of 5 stars)
“No other book about US-Saudi relations packs the wallop of this devastating exposé by investigative reporter Gerald Posner. A former litigator with formidable research skills, Posner uncovers fresh evidence of the serpentine ties that bind America to this treacherous ‘ally’—ties that go far beyond our obvious addiction to Saudi oil and involve a jaw-dropping secret of explosive proportions. Powerful and disturbing, this book is a worthy follow-up to Posner’s powerful post-9/11 study, Why America Slept.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review" The Saudi Royal Family makes $400 million dollars a week in oil profits. "
— Shaun, 9/27/2013" Favorite chapter was "Petrol SE." Apparently, the Sauds have wired their oil fields and refineries with explosives and dirty bombs with a push-button self destruct system. Sounds crazy, but truth is stranger. "
— nathaniel, 1/7/2013" Way too many statistics, very little narrative. "
— Barbara, 9/2/2009" Favorite chapter was "Petrol SE." Apparently, the Sauds have wired their oil fields and refineries with explosives and dirty bombs with a push-button self destruct system. Sounds crazy, but truth is stranger. "
— nathaniel, 3/19/2007Gerald Posner, a former Wall Street lawyer, is currently the chief investigative reporter for the Daily Beast. He is the author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist Case Closed, a critically acclaimed reexamination of the JFK assassination. His other books include Warlords of Crime, a 1988 exposé of the heroin trade, and Hitler’s Children, a 1991 collection of interviews with the children of Nazi leaders. Mr. Posner’s articles have appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, New Yorker, and US News & World Report. He lives in New York City and is married to author Trisha Posner.
Alan Sklar, a graduate of Dartmouth, has excelled in his career as a freelance voice actor. Named a Best Voice of 2009 by AudioFile magazine, his work has earned him several Earphones Awards, a Booklist Editors’ Choice Award (twice), a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and Audiobook of the Year by ForeWord magazine. He has also narrated thousands of corporate videos for clients such as NASA, Sikorsky Aircraft, IBM, Dannon, Pfizer, AT&T, and SONY.