Publisher's Synopsis
Ronald Reagan prepared for the Iceland summit by reading Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. In and of itself this is not significant, except for the fact that according to, Reagan, it was the only book he read to prepare for the summit. Overnight, Clancy, a former insurance salesman from Maryland was transformed from mere bestselling author to a major force in publishing. The Alistair Maclean like styling of the Hunt for Red October were left behind for more "relevant" works that coupled the use of force with a conservative agenda. What impact did Red Storm Rising have on Reagan's policy for dealing with the Soviet Union? Was a Clear and Present Danger a trial balloon for the administration's international war on drugs? And how did Jack Ryan, a lowly analyst, wind up becoming the president of the United States? Was it wishful thinking or a choreographed roadmap for a time when the defence of America was placed firmly in the hands of backroom strategists? THE JACK RYAN AGENDA will place each of Clancy's novels within the actual historical context of the international situation at the time each was published.;The movie versions of Clancy's books will also be examined, noting the author's displeasure in the way Hollywood liberals took liberties with his story lines. The pertinent books will also be examined in relation to the eight years when a Democrat was in the White House - a period of time in which Clancy occasionally embraced a "by any means necessary" modus operandi that included Special Forces assassins taking on rogue environmentalists.
