The Man Who Warned America:The Life and Death of John O'Neill, FBI's Embattled Counterterror Warrior

The Man Who Warned America : The Life and Death of John O'Neill, the FBI's Embattled Counterterror Warrior
by Murray Weiss

From Publishers Weekly

In the 1990s, FBI counterterrorism expert John O'Neill was widely regarded as one of the government's foremost authorities on Mideastern politics and terrorism; he was also a prominent fixture at Manhattan nightlife hot spots like Elaine's. He spent nearly a decade investigating the bombings orchestrated by religious extremists, recognizing Osama bin Laden as a threat long before other federal authorities did. But O'Neill died in another bin Laden attack shortly after leaving the FBI, just a few weeks into a new job as security chief at the World Trade Center.

Weiss, as criminal justice reporter for the New York Post, knew O'Neill as a valued source, but from the story he presents, it's unclear how well anybody-even those closest to him-really knew O'Neill, a man described by friends as "on the run from himself" his entire adult life. It wasn't until after his death, for example, that his three girlfriends learned about one another-and that he was still legally bound to the wife he said he had divorced. The biography acknowledges his complicated relationships without lingering over details, putting them in the context of a lifelong need for admiration and approval both personally and professionally.

Weiss handles the terrorism angle with slightly less subtlety, asserting that the Clinton administration was distracted from the issue by endless scandal and suggesting that if the rest of the government had investigated it with O'Neill's tenacity, September 11 might have been avoided. But the political overtones never get in the way of this portrait of a dynamic yet enigmatic crusader who was as human as he was heroic.

Product Description

Presents the life and death of John P. O'Neill, an FBI agent immersed in terrorist investigations, who attempted to warn top officials of the growing terrorist threat and perished in the attacks on September 11th. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review By J. E. Nelson (Plainfield, Illinois)

Typically, I have no problem summarizing a book in a review, especially a non-fiction book. However, this is one of those books that tell several stories. This is a book on government bureaucracy, terrorism, a visionary to whom no one will listen, and a man who people love and despise at the same time.

"The Man Who Warned America" is an excellent book on the life of John O'Neill, who was probably one of the FBI's best counterterrorism agents. John O'Neill is a name that I had never heard before until this book.

O'Neill would probably be no more memorable than any other FBI agent, except for a man named Osama Bin Laden. O'Neill had partaken in the investigation of almost every America related terrorist event in recent history, including Oklahoma City, the USS Cole in Yemen, the embassy bombings in Africa, and the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. Yet what made O'Neill noteworthy was the fact he fingered Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda as a terrorist threat to the United States in 1995, six years before the infamous attack on the World Trade Center. However, just like a painter without a canvas, O'Neill was a man with an answer to a question no one had the foresight to ask, and no one would listen until it was too late.

The book explores enigma and duality that is O'Neill's personal and professional life. As an FBI agent, O'Neill was second to no one. If it weren't for two indiscretions (one accidental, one the type of thing probably everyone does anyway), O'Neill might have made it to the top spot in the FBI. The book also tells a different side of O'Neill, a womanizer, a chronic liar, and a person who seemingly had no regard for his financial future. Yet, he was a caring father, an insecure mate, and a typical fun-loving American.

The book also explores the government's role (or lack of one) in the bin Laden attacks on American interests. While O'Neill tried to warn America about bin Laden, a scandal riddled Clinton administration seemingly did not want to put their reputation on the line over a terrorist unknown to the American public. O'Neill's issues and frustration with government bureaucracy climaxes in Yemen, with the introduction of Ambassador Bodine. Bodine is portrayed as a bully who symbolizes everything people hate in their government and in a person, whose actions could have cost further American casualties.

I found the book to be an excellent read on the life of an FBI agent, terrorism, and how government bureaucracy might one day cost many people's lives. Despite the complex and outrageous lifestyle of John O'Neill, I think he is a person who most can identify with on a personal level. I think with the way O'Neill is portrayed, some people will find his actions heroic and some people will find him a despicable person. I though the book was a little slow reading in the beginning, but overall it was excellent. However, I think some people will hate the book because they hate the person. I'd highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the life of an FBI agent or people interested in terrorism.