The book received a polarized reception depending on the audience:
Weiner describes the organization as "dangerously incompetent," citing instances where agents were sent into denied areas only to be immediately captured or killed. Critical Reception Legacy of ashes : the history of the CIA
Weiner argues the CIA has consistently failed its primary mission: informing the President about the world. He highlights major intelligence misses, including the Soviet atomic bomb (1949), the invasion of South Korea (1950), and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union (1989). The book received a polarized reception depending on
Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA is a National Book Award-winning chronicle that portrays the agency’s 60-year history as a series of profound failures that have jeopardized American national security. including the Soviet atomic bomb (1949)