New Book on the Secret History of the Predator Drone

WASHINGTON – Amazon.com has named Wilson Center Global Fellow Richard Whittle’s new book Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution one of September’s fifteen best new history books.

Predator, which Henry Holt and Company will release Sept. 16, is described by publishing world bellwether Kirkus Reviews magazine as "endlessly interesting and full of implication."

Kirkus gave Predator a "starred review," reserved for "books of exceptional merit."

Based on five years of research and hundreds of interviews, Whittle’s book traces the origins of the Predator drone from its invention in a former Israeli aeronautical engineer’s Los Angeles garage to its arming by the Air Force and employment for the CIA in Afghanistan in the first intercontinental drone strikes.

"Whittle’s account comes to a pointed conclusion: drone technology has already changed how we die, but what remains to be seen is how it ‘may change the way people live,’ " Kirkus said.

Documents obtained by Whittle and posted by the National Security Archive at George Washington University, confirm key facts about the Predator's transformation by the Air Force into the first armed drone used to stalk and kill individual enemies by remote control at intercontinental range.

More information about the book can be found at http://richardwhittle.net. Buy the book at the outlet of your choice by clicking here.