James Bamford bio

James Bamford, author and journalist, is an expert on information technology, national security and public policy, and one of the leading experts on the U.S. intelligence agencies. His 1982 book, The Puzzle Palace, was the first book to describe the inner workings of the National Security Agency.

He began his career as an Investigative journalist during his three years in the U.S. Navy where he served as an intelligence analyst during the Vietnam War.  Upon his departure from the navy, he used the GI Bill to attend law school at Suffolk University Law School in Boston.

As a journalist, Bamford has authored investigative stories for The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post Magazine and Los Angeles Times Magazine. He has also been a contributing writer for Rolling Stone.

• Member, Advisory Board, Electronic Privacy Information Center
• Recipient, National Magazine Award for reporting, 2005
• Washington Investigative Producer, ABC World News Tonight, 1989-1998
• Former Distinguished Visiting Professor, Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California at Berkeley

• J.D., Suffolk University, 1975

• The Shadow Factory: The NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America, 2009
• “The Man Who Sold the War,” Rolling Stone, Nov. 18, 2005
• A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America’s Intelligence Agencies, 2004
• Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency, 2002
• The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America’s Most Secret Intelligence Organization, 1983