Richard Alan "Dick" Clarke is the former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism for the United States.
Clarke worked for the State Department during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush appointed him to chair the Counter-terrorism Security Group and to a seat on the United States National Security Council. President Bill Clinton retained Clarke and in 1998 promoted him to be the National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism, the chief counter-terrorism adviser on the National Security Council. Under President George W. Bush, Clarke initially continued in the same position, but the position was no longer given cabinet-level access. He later became the Special Advisor to the President on cybersecurity. Clarke left the Bush administration in 2003.
Clarke came to widespread public attention for his role as counter-terrorism czar in the Clinton and Bush administrations in March 2004, when he appeared on the 60 Minutes television news magazine, released his memoir about his service in government, Against All Enemies, and testified before the 9/11 Commission. In all three instances, Clarke was sharply critical of the Bush administration's attitude toward counter-terrorism before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and of the decision to go to war with Iraq.
ABOUT RICHARD A CLARKE AND HIS BOOK PINNACLE EVENT
During a distinguished 3-decades long career crafting the U.S.’s global position on terror threats, Richard A. Clarke witnessed some of the more grave threats our nation has experienced. Helping to devise strategies against these threats, while serving three U.S. presidents, lends an unquestioned air of authority and authenticity to the heart-pounding works of fiction he creates. His latest work, PINNACLE EVENT,. (Thomas Dunne Books, On Sale May 19, 2015, $26.99) will place Clarke’s work in the pantheon of action thriller greats like Follett, Griffin, and Coonts.,P. With the 2016 presidential election roaring to a conclusion, multiple murders around the globe are not happenstance. There’s a connection of international interest, and that connection leads to a nefarious character buying five nuclear weapons on the black market. A race against time plays out to uncover the identity of this character and just as important, the identity of their target.
With events spinning out of control, Intelligence expert Ray Bowman is called to lead a team trying to get to the bottom of who has the nukes and their purpose. With the help of a Mossad agent and a South African intelligence operative, Bowman races around the world to stop a global catastrophe. The U.S. government fears the bombs are intended for major American cities to be detonated on the eve of the national election. Bowman and his team finally unearth a sinister plan even worse than Washington’s fears, an attack that would make nuking some U.S. cities pale in comparison.
Richard A. Clarke speaks with a clarity that only an insider could in crafting a story so rich in detail – and frightening in scope – that it seems like it’s straight out of today’s headlines. Let’s hope it is only fiction.
During a distinguished 3-decades long career crafting the U.S.’s global position on terror threats, Richard A. Clarke witnessed some of the more grave threats our nation has experienced. Helping to devise strategies against these threats, while serving three U.S. presidents, lends an unquestioned air of authority and authenticity to the heart-pounding works of fiction he creates. His latest work, PINNACLE EVENT (Thomas Dunne Books, On Sale May 19, 2015, $26.99) will place Clarke’s work in the pantheon of action thriller greats like Follett, Griffin, and Coonts. With the 2016 presidential election roaring to a conclusion, multiple murders around the globe are not happenstance. There’s a connection of international interest, and that connection leads to a nefarious character buying five nuclear weapons on the black market. A race against time plays out to uncover the identity of this character and just as important, the identity of their target. With events spinning out of control, Intelligence expert Ray Bowman is called to lead a team trying to get to the bottom of who has the nukes and their purpose. With the help of a Mossad agent and a South African intelligence operative, Bowman races around the world to stop a global catastrophe. The U.S. government fears the bombs are intended for major American cities to be detonated on the eve of the national election. Bowman and his team finally unearth a sinister plan even worse than Washington’s fears, an attack that would make nuking some U.S. cities pale in comparison. Richard A. Clarke speaks with a clarity that only an insider could in crafting a story so rich in detail – and frightening in scope – that it seems like it’s straight out of today’s headlines. Let’s hope it is only fiction. Mr. Clarke is available for interviews. I look forward to your coverage of PINNACLE EVENT. Clarke served for thirty years in the U.S. Government, including ten continuous years in the White House serving three presidents and positions in the State Department and Pentagon. Since leaving government, he has served as an on-air consultant for ABC News, taught at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, managed a consulting firm, chaired the Board of Governors of the Middle East Institute, and written six books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Against All Enemies.