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Annie Jacobsen

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Annie Jacobsen
Born (1967-06-28) June 28, 1967 (age 57)
Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationSt. Paul’s School
Alma materPrinceton University
Occupation(s)Journalist, non-fiction writer
Websitehttps://anniejacobsen.com/

Annie Jacobsen (born June 28, 1967) is an American investigative journalist, author, and a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist. She writes for and produces television programs, including Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan for Amazon Studios, and Clarice for CBS. She was a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Magazine from 2009 until 2012.

Jacobsen writes about war, weapons, security, and secrets. Jacobsen is best known as the author of the 2011 non-fiction book Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base, which The New York Times called "cauldron-stirring."[1] She is an internationally acclaimed and sometimes controversial author who, according to one critic, writes sensational books by addressing popular conspiracies.[2]

Books

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Her 2011 book Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base, about Area 51, makes the claim that the Roswell UFO incident was a Soviet plot to induce War of the Worlds style hysteria.[3] The New York Times called it "noteworthy for its author’s dogged devotion to her research".[1] Richard Rhodes, writing in The Washington Post, was more critical of her Roswell claim and its reliance on a single source, writing "Jacobsen shows herself at a minimum extraordinarily gullible or journalistically incompetent."[4]

Jacobsen's 2014 book Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists to America[5] was called "perhaps the most comprehensive, up-to-date narrative available to the general public" in a review by Jay Watkins of the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence.[6] Operation Paperclip was included in a list of the best books of 2014 by The Boston Globe.[7]

The Pentagon's Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top Secret Military Research Agency,[8] was chosen as finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in history.[9] The Pulitzer committee described the book as "A brilliantly researched account of a small but powerful secret government agency whose military research profoundly affects world affairs." The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and the Amazon Editors chose Pentagon's Brain as one of the best non-fiction books of 2015.

Her next book was published in March 2017: Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis.[10]

In May 2019, she released Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins. Apple audiobooks recorded SKV as one of the most popular audiobooks of 2019.[11] J. R. Seeger, a retired CIA case officer who led the Agency's Team Alpha, the first Americans behind enemy lines after 9/11, reviewed the book, saying: "Jacobsen has a well-deserved reputation as a good writer and an excellent researcher,” but he criticized her attention to detail, and suggested that the book's focus was too general saying that "neither of the topics are discussed in anything resembling the detail required to understand the nuance of covert action".[12]

Jacobsen's most recent book was published in March 2024: Nuclear War: A Scenario.[13][14][15] It is being adapted into a screenplay, by director Denis Villeneuve.[16]

Television

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Jacobsen co-wrote three episodes of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan TV series for Amazon Studios. She was a consulting and writing producer on all of seasons one and two.[17]

In 2017, Amblin Entertainment and Blumhouse TV[18] bought the rights to her book Phenomena for a scripted TV series, with Jacobsen and X-Files writer/producer Glen Morgan co-writing the pilot script.

On Flight 327

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Main article: Northwest Airlines Flight 327

In 2004, Jacobsen wrote an article about an incident she witnessed with a group of thirteen foreign nationals on board a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles. Two air marshals came out of cover during flight. FBI and homeland security agents met the aircraft when it landed.[19]

In May 2007, the Department of Homeland Security declassified a report about the flight. The men were identified as twelve Syrians, members of a musical group, and a Lebanese, their promoter; all were traveling illegally on expired visas. Eight of the men had "positive hits" for past criminal records and suspicious behavior.[20] They were involved in an earlier incident on an aircraft which had them on the FBI watch list. However, the report noted that the musicians were not terrorists and law enforcement assessments at the time were appropriate.[21][22]

Works

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  • Terror in the Skies: Why 9/11 Could Happen Again. Spence Publishing Company, 2005, ISBN 1-890626-62-7.
  • Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base, Hachette Digital, Inc., 2011, ISBN 1-4091-4113-6.
  • Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America. Little, Brown. 11 February 2014. ISBN 978-0-316-22105-4.[23]
  • The Pentagon's Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top-Secret Military Research Agency. Little, Brown and Company. 2015. ISBN 978-0316371766. OCLC 900012161.
  • Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis. Little, Brown and Company. 2017. ISBN 978-0316349369.
  • Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins. Little, Brown and Company. 2019. ISBN 978-0316441438.
  • First Platoon: A Story of Modern War in the Age of Identity Dominance. Dutton. 2021. ISBN 978-1524746667.
  • Nuclear War: A Scenario. Penguin Publishing Group. 26 March 2024. ISBN 978-0-593-47609-3.

References

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  1. ^ a b Maslin, Janet (May 15, 2011). "A Military Post's Secrets: Espionage, Not Aliens". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  2. ^ Bird, Kai. "Review | Truly unbelievable tales of derring-do and gruesome escapades at the CIA" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  3. ^ Harding, Thomas (May 13, 2011). "Roswell 'was Soviet plot to create US panic'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  4. ^ Rhodes, Richard (2011-06-03). "Annie Jacobsen's "Area 51," the U.S. top secret military base". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  5. ^ "Willkommen". The New York Times. 2 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program to Bring Nazi Scientists to America". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015.
  7. ^ "The best books of 2014". The Boston Globe.
  8. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: The Pentagon's Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA".
  9. ^ "Finalist: The Pentagon's Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top-Secret Military Research Agency, by Annie Jacobsen (Little, Brown & Company)". The Pulitzer Prizes.
  10. ^ Jacobsen, Annie (2017-03-28). Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316349376. Retrieved October 14, 2016.
  11. ^ Jacobsen, Annie (2019-11-21). "Apple Audiobooks reports SURPRISE, KILL, VANISH was one of the most popular audiobooks of the year. (!!) Thank you everyone who reads my books. I am hard at work on the next one, a contemporary story (also about the future) which is experiencing major plot twists in real timepic.twitter.com/lp2aKzbaT1". @AnnieJacobsen. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  12. ^ "surprise-kill-vanish — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-12-04. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  13. ^ Jacobsen, Annie (2024-03-26). Nuclear War: A Scenario. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 9780593476093. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  14. ^ Borger, Julian (March 31, 2024). "'My jaw dropped': Annie Jacobsen on her scenario for nuclear war". The Guardian. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  15. ^ Gewen, Barry (March 24, 2024). "Let's Say Someone Did Drop the Bomb. Then What?". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Thompson, Jaden (2024-04-04). "Denis Villeneuve and Legendary Developing 'Dune 3' and 'Nuclear War: A Scenario' Film Adaptation". Variety. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  17. ^ "'Jack Ryan' Season 2 Will Focus on the Decline of Democracy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2017-03-22). "Blumhouse TV & Amblin TV Team For 'Phenomena' TV Series Based On Book About ESP & Psychokinesis Experiments". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  19. ^ Harshaw, Tobin (May 30, 2007). "It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out to Get You". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  20. ^ "Security flaws confirmed on Flight 327". The Washington Times.
  21. ^ "FACT CHECK: Annie Jacobsen 'Terror in the Skies', False". Snopes. May 28, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  22. ^ "Review of Department's Handling of Suspicious Passengers Aboard Northwest Flight 327" (PDF). Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General. March 30, 2006. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  23. ^ Annie Jacobsen. "OPERATION PAPERCLIP". Kirkus Reviews.
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