During the Cuban Missile Crisis, decisions made by President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev could have plunged both countries into thermonuclear war. — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
To reform the Secret Service, the agency needs a director from outside the agency who will be immune from that culture and not beholden… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
“The White House is a character crucible," according to Bertram S. Brown, M.D., a psychiatrist who formerly headed the National Institute of Mental Health and was an aide to President John F. Kennedy. "It either creates or distorts character. Even if an individual is balanced, once someone becomes president how does one solve the conundrum of staying real and somewhat… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share
Complex man that he was, J. Edgar Hoover left nothing to chance. The director shrewdly recognized that building what became known as the world's… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
Voters who disregarded Richard Nixon's involvement in the questionable ethics issue that led to his Checkers speech should not have been surprised when he… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
To become a Secret Service agent, applicants must pass a polygraph exam. But after being hired, agents are never required to undergo regular lie… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
“No one can imagine the kind of pressure being president of the U.S. imposes on an individual and how easily a president can be corrupted by power. To be in command of the most powerful country on earth, to be able to fly anywhere at a moment's notice, to be able to grant almost any wish, to take action that… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share
In a series of articles beginning on Oct. 2, 1966, I wrote about the long-forgotten history of the Liberty Tree. To call attention to… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
“Voters tend to forget that presidents are, first and foremost, people. If they are unbalanced, nasty, and hypocritical, that will be reflected in their… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
Love him or hate him, no one has been able to figure out Donald Trump. — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
Rather than use the term 'profiling,' the profilers prefer to say they engage in criminal investigative analysis. That is because, besides developing profiles, the… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
The media are always on the lookout for possible sightings of D.B. Cooper, the man who parachuted from a plane with $200,000 in ransom… — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image
The truth is that no internal reviews or congressional hearings will change the Secret Service's broken management culture. It needs better leadership. — Ronald Kessler Copy Share Image