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Scorpions' Dance

By John Ketwig (reviewer)

Scorpions' Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate
by Jefferson Morley
(St. Martin's Press, 2022)

Scorpions' Dance is an interesting book, an account of the decades-long relationship between President Richard Nixon and CIA Director Richard Helms. Those two men made a lot of history, from the very beginnings of the Cold War through the Bay of Pigs invasion, the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK, and ultimately the Watergate affair. They didn't trust or particularly like each other, but the enormity of those historical events required them to work together, and they usually got along except in private meetings.

The author uses quotations to paint vivid pictures of these two personalities, as well as many other famous politicians from that era. What becomes evident is that Richard Helms was highly respected in Washington, a brilliant, charming, and well-dressed celebrity who was often invited, with his wife, to important State dinners and social events. Helms became Director of the CIA after the volatile eras of Allen Dulles and John McCone. He was considered a super spy and totally committed to the CIA and its "covert" operations opposing Communism around the globe. He could be counted upon to maintain silent secrecy and to defend his people and old friends.

Nixon, on the other hand, was intensely passionate about his pet projects, and he expected his associates to be loyal and silent. Nixon was not known for being friendly to his staff, and few trusted him. They had learned to be discreet and secretive, and to view existing laws as obstacles to be overcome, no matter if they had to bend or ignore the rules to accomplish their missions. Still, circumstances made it necessary for Helms and Nixon to work together. The author quotes several informal notes that Helms sent to Nixon, and I came away with the impression that Helms was an accomplished kiss-ass. There is no record of Nixon's reactions to those communications, but it seems that Helms realized Nixon's need to be praised and stroked by his associates.

It seems that Helms went above and beyond in telling the President exactly what he wanted to hear, and that he didn't really agree with Nixon on many issues. At the same time, he was instrumental in the planning and implementation of the assassinations and regime changes in Iran, Argentina, and Guatemala (and possibly Dallas!) and obscuring the illegal activities of the CIA in those incidents with no regard for morality or the rule of law.

Scorpions' Dance is an intriguing book. Author Jefferson Morley is a highly respected Washington journalist. Throughout the book, you can't help but wonder how he gained access to sensitive documents, and also to the contents of many private conversations. Throughout years of significant and historic events, he tells us what Nixon's associates felt about many of his various international projects and interactions. Still, I came away from the book feeling frustrated that there was really nothing new to be learned about those important years or events.

Nixon is pictured as obsessed with efforts to maintain an impenetrable wall of secrecy around both the Bay of Pigs operation and the assassination of President Kennedy. Having read a number of books on those subjects, I was disappointed that I learned nothing new from Scorpions' Dance.

When a team of Nixon's "plumbers" was arrested during a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate building, Nixon expected to keep the White House's involvement secret. Obviously, Helms was misled, but he was all too eager to tell lies himself to create international havoc that would, he thought, impede the growth of Communism anywhere in the world, and especially in the western hemisphere.

Of course, he saw the Vietnam era anti-war movement as a Communist conspiracy, and didn't hesitate to take action against the protesters. If the overseas voters had elected left-leaning candidates, Helms felt perfectly justified in directing efforts contrary to international laws to prevent any expansion of Communism. His CIA spooks were justified and encouraged to assassinate those "Communists" who were gaining influence around the globe. The book is riddled with covert plots to assassinate Fidel Castro, among numerous others.

Sadly, that's just scratching the surface. The real value of Scorpions' Dance, if the author is to be believed, is the matter-of-fact and emotionless presentation throughout the book of instances where government and CIA intelligence personnel lied, both to other government agencies, to high-ranking officials, including the President and other White House staff, and to the Press, which in fact means they lied to the American people. The author does not express any surprise or bitterness at finding this almost universal disregard for the truth. As an experienced Washington journalist, he appears to take it for granted, and that in itself is scary.

Scorpions' Dance offers up a lot of familiar names and telling insights into some well-known historic events. There is no smoking gun revelation, but the book is a powerful description of the inner workings of our government and the unraveling of our American democracy.

John Ketwig is a lifetime member of VVAW, and the author of ?and a hard rain fell, A GI's True Story of the War in Vietnam, and Vietnam Reconsidered: The War, the Times, and Why They Matter.