The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order by John Stockwell, a Book Review

“We must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient, that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94 percent of mankind, that we cannot right every wrong or reverse every adversity, and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem.” ― John F. Kennedy

The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order by John Stockwell summarizes the covert role the CIA plays in world politics. Published in 1991 and written about the politics of the 1960s through the 1980s, I found this book shocking and could not put it down.

Before I get into the review, you might be wondering what praetorian means. Founded by Caesar Augustus in 27 BCE, a praetorian was an elite guard for the Imperial Roman Army, the emperor, and other high-ranking military officials. In addition, the praetorians served in counterintelligence, military intelligence roles, and for crowd control. Today, as in the mid-20^thcentury, the praetorian guard is the United States of America. In other words, the U.S. polices the world.

The Praetorian Guard describes John Stockwell’s role as chief of the Angola Task Force in 1975. The author explains how the U.S. destabilizes and conducts systematic exploitation in third-world countries and supports coups. He writes about how the CIA armed the Contras in Nicaragua and other destructive groups. He explains how the CIA works to overthrow constitutional democracies, manipulates elections, trains armies and death squads comprised of ethnic minorities, and then directs them to fight. The CIA has been involved in destabilizing Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Angola, Nicaragua, Chile, Iran, Iraq, the Congo, and other places.

In addition, Stockwell explains how the government purposely misleads the public to manufacture a war or gain public approval for military action. John Stockwell spills it all. He writes that John F. Kennedy was not killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, but murdered by a coup led by the CIA.

The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order by John Stockwell left me stunned. I have to admit that I was ignorant about the role of the CIA in the United States. I had no idea of the extent of their nefarious, covert operations. Even more repugnant, according to Senator Frank Church’s Committee report of 1975, since its inception in 1947, the CIA has run about 3000 illegal and unethical major operations and about 10,000 minor operations.

Covert CIA operations continue today, in 2025. You’ll have to read the book to find out why.

I recommend this reading to anyone interested in U.S. foreign policy, intelligence and the CIA, geopolitics, military and war studies, or twentieth-century history. This book is a good place to start in your quest to dig deeper. There is an extensive bibliography supporting the author’s assertions and other book suggestions for further research in the book. Enter at your own risk.

A bit about the author, John Stockwell:

John Stockwell, face shot — photo from Alchetron

John Stockwell is a graduate of the University of Texas, Austin. A case officer for the CIA for 13 years, he was chief of the Angola Task Force in 1975, where he oversaw U.S. covert operations in the Angolan Civil War. During his CIA tenure, he also served in Congo and Vietnam.

After his time in Angola, John became a vocal critic of the CIA and a whistleblower. In addition to The Praetorian Guard, Stockwell wrote In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story, which details the CIA’s covert operations in Angola. He has also testified before Congress about these operations, appeared on C-Span and 60 Minutes, and given various lectures.

The CIA sued John Stockwell after his release of In Search of Enemies for not keeping his oath of secrecy, and as a result, the lawsuit bankrupted him. No criminal charges were filed, however.

Today, John is 87 years old and lives in Texas.

To read The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order, visit the Internet Archive or purchase a copy from any used bookstore. John Stockwell does not have a personal website.