Inside the NSA: New Memoir Details Agency Decline and 9/11 Inquiry
Art Menna, a former technical expert at the National Security Agency, has released a memoir documenting the agency's institutional erosion during the post-Cold War era. His book, Turmoil at the Turn of the Century, provides a rare, working-level perspective on the intelligence failures preceding the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Menna spent 17 years at the NSA, witnessing a transition defined by shrinking budgets, shifting mission priorities, and leadership struggles. The narrative traces the agency's descent from its 1980s status as a premier intelligence body to an organization increasingly unable to manage rapid technological change or emerging global threats. Beyond his technical analysis, Menna shares his experience as a congressional fellow, offering a grounded view of the legislative process.
The second portion of the book focuses on his tenure with the Joint Congressional 9/11 Inquiry. Tasked with investigating the intelligence lapses that allowed the 2001 attacks to occur, Menna pulls back the curtain on the internal friction, political maneuvering, and high-stakes tensions that occurred behind closed doors. As the author of the inquiry's technical section, he provides a granular account of the investigation's development, now available through Palmetto Publishing on platforms including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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