World War II commando, Cold War spy, and CIA director under presidents Nixon and Ford, William Egan Colby played a critical role in some of the most pivotal events of the twentieth century. A quintessential member of the greatest generation, Colby embodied the moral and strategic ambiguities of the postwar world, and first confronted many of the dilemmas about power and secrecy that America still grapples with today. In Shadow Warrior , eminent historian Randall B. Woods presents a riveting biography of Colby, revealing that this crusader for global democracy was also drawn to the darker side of American power. Aiming to help reverse the spread of totalitarianism in Europe and Asia, Colby joined the U.S. Army in 1941, just as America entered World War II. He served with distinction in France and Norway, and at the end of the war transitioned into America's first peacetime intelligence agency: the CIA. Fresh from the fight against fascism, Colby zealously redirected his efforts against international communism. He insisted on the importance of fighting communism on the ground, doggedly applying guerilla tactics for counterinsurgency, sabotage, surveillance, and information-gathering on the new battlefields of the Cold War. Over time, these strategies became increasingly ruthless; as head of the CIA's Far East Division, Colby oversaw an endless succession of assassination attempts, coups, secret wars in Laos and Cambodia, and the Phoenix Program, in which 20,000 civilian supporters of the Vietcong were killed. Colby ultimately came clean about many of the CIA's illegal activities, making public a set of internal reports—known as the “family jewels”—that haunt the agency to this day. Ostracized from the intelligence community, he died under suspicious circumstances—a murky ending to a life lived in the shadows. Drawing on multiple new sources, including interviews with members of Colby's family, Woods has crafted a gripping biography of one of the most fascinating and controversial figures of the twentieth century. Asbury Park Press “[An] in-depth biography, which explores Colby's life beginning with his Army service in 1941 to his 1996 death in a boating accident that is still shrouded in the mystery and secrecy beloved by Colby himself.” VVA Veteran “ Shadow Warrior is a big book – a deeply researched, well-written, warts-and-all biography.” Publishers Weekly , starred review “An engrossing account of Colby's contentious life and career, from early intelligence recruit during the Second World War to his suspicious demise in the Chesapeake Bay.... Scathingly critical of both the CIA and the government it served, Woods' thoroughly entertaining portrait reveals plenty of warts, as well as a thoughtful character, surprisingly liberal and sophisticated about the limitations of CIA derring-do.” Kirkus Reviews “A thorough biography of ‘the ultimate subversive' that probes the shadowy U.S. intelligence efforts through the Vietnam War.... Woods looks at a complicated individual who was at heart a liberal activist, schooled in the ideas of unconventional warfare championed by his father, a military man and instructor.... A nuanced treatment.” Pittsburgh Tribune Review “[ Shadow Warrior ] aims to provide insight into Colby the man – something of a loner, who never really fit with the Beltway crowd but prided himself on being able to blend in anywhere. Colby's life is one that raises hard questions, including at what point adopting an enemy's tactics drags one to that enemy's level; this book illuminates that life but doesn't pretend there are easy answers.” New York Journal of Books “An entertaining and fact-filled biography.... Anyone interested in either political biographies and/or the recent history of America's foreign policy [should read] this very interesting and informative book.” Choice “In this deeply researched work, Woods illuminates the world Colby operated in and the worldview he espoused.... Colby became a scapegoat in a climate of recriminations and died reviled by the political Left and Right. Wood does him justice. Highly recommended.” Roanoke Times “Woods raises questions about Colby's death, making this story a mystery worthy of a man who led our government's most mysterious government agency.” Library Journal “Woods has crafted an excellent biography based on the usual primary sources and buttressed by interviews with Colby's family and associates.... Well written and researched, this solid biography by an established historian is worthy of recommendation to all interested readers.” American History “Colby was a man nobody, not even his wives and children, really knew. A warrior who survived World War II battlefields to fight the Cold War and mastermind ‘pacification' in Vietnam, eventually becoming CIA chief, he mysteriously disappeared after stepping down. Thorough, revealing and rewarding.” Hugh Wilford, author of The Mighty Wurlitzer “Randall Woods has turne