Defense Dept. Buying 10,000 Copies of CIA Officer's Memoir

According to "a senior Pentagon official," the Defense Department hopes to buy the entire 10,000 copy print run of Operation Dark Heart by Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer.


Published by St. Martin's Press, the upcoming memoir recounts Shaffer's work as an intelligence officer in Afghanistan. As you can see by the screen shot embedded, the book's official website currently reads: "Our estimated launch date is September 30, 2010 ... Current status: Waiting on the man."

Here's more from the Washington Post: "The official said the Defense Department 'sent up a team to talk with the publisher some time ago,' and has been negotiating an agreement that might allow the Pentagon to purchase already printed copies of the book and permit a subsequent version to go forward as long as it complies with U.S. government requests ... Both sides now appear to have agreed on the contents of the second printing, but negotiations are focused on what to with the 10,000 copies already published." (Via Ron Charles)