Approaching any study of anthropology's entanglement with military and intelligence operations during the Cold War is something of a Rorschach test: It is as much about what you bring to the encounter as it is about what others can make of your reaction. You may shrug and think, “What did you expect?” You may be shocked, shocked that such things are happening right here in academia. Or, if you are over a certain age, you may give the book a hasty Washington read, searching the index for the names of your colleagues or granting agencies. If you start from the beginning, you will undoubtedly reach the final chapter wondering what lessons the author will draw from it all as a retrospective measure of his very credibility.
After reading Price's most recent study of anthropologists, the Cold War, and military involvement, I came away with several conclusions: (1) that Price is...