Former CIA Director William Burns has a book deal for the memoir ‘Diplomat Spy’

By Canadian Press on June 3, 2025.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former CIA director and Biden cabinet official William J. Burns is working on a book about his years leading the intelligence agency.

Random House announced Tuesday that it would publish Burns’ “Diplomat Spy: A Memoir of Espionage in Revolutionary Times.” The release date is still to be determined.

“It was a profound honor to lead the men and women of CIA, and I hope in this new book to illuminate their remarkable service, and the crucial connection in this revolutionary new era between spycraft and statecraft,” Burns, who headed the CIA from 2021-23 and was elevated by President Joe Biden to a cabinet position. A veteran diplomat, he was a key adviser to Biden on Russia, Ukraine and other parts of the world.

According to Random House, Burns’ book is “a riveting firsthand account of dealing with the most difficult foreign adversaries in the most difficult crises, a candid look at the personal and professional pressures which come with espionage, and a reflection on the future of intelligence at a time of rapid technological change and relentless attacks on public institutions.”

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press