Author Chris Whipple on "The Spy Masters"

On Friday, November 4, at 6 p.m., critically acclaimed author Chris Whipple will discuss his book "The Spy Masters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future."

The book, which features interviews with nearly every living CIA director, is a particularly appropriate subject for JHC. The Founding Father John Jay, who lived at the Jay Estate as a boy, is widely credited as the founder of U.S. counterintelligence. In 1776 Jay took the help of a New York State organization called the Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies, whose role was described as “inquiring into, detecting and defeating all conspiracies which may be formed ... against the liberties of America.” The American writer James Fenimore Cooper's novel "The Spy" was inspired at least in part by Jay's role.

"The Spy Masters" was named a New York Times Editors' Choice, and best-selling author Christopher Buckley called it the "best book about the CIA that I've ever read." James A. Baker III, the former Secretary of State, called it "a must-read for anyone interested in America's intelligence gathering and national security."

Whipple's newest book, "The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House," will be published by Scribner in January 2023.

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The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) is an educational nonprofit and the steward of the Jay Estate in Rye, New York, a 23-acre National Historic Landmark site and public park. JHC hosts programs in American history, social justice, environmental stewardship, architecture, and preservation. Learn more at jayheritagecenter.org or email peraino.jhc@gmail.com for more information.