Chris Whipple

Chris Whipple is an acclaimed author, political commentator, documentary filmmaker, and speaker. He is the author of 'The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future,' published by Scribner on September 15, 2020. 'The Spymasters' has earned rave reviews; the New York Times called it "one of 15 books to watch for," and Forbes pronounced it "one of 10 important, insightful, and inspiring books" in 2020. Tom Brokaw called the Spymasters "cinematic---nonfiction le Carre." Featured on the cover of The New York Times Book Review, it is the most thorough and illuminating portrait ever of America’s CIA directors—based on extensive interviews with the directors themselves—those upon whom the country depends to prevent another Pearl Harbor, 9/11, or deadly pandemic. Epic in scope, spanning seven decades of intelligence gathering, espionage and covert warfare, and intimate in detail, featuring indelible portraits of the directors, this is the definitive story of the men—and, currently, the woman—who keep the secrets.

Whipple’s previous book, 'The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency,' was a critically acclaimed, New York Times bestseller, regarded as the definitive study of the second most powerful job in government. The first in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the men who have been the president’s closest advisers, 'The Gatekeepers' was named by both Amazon and Apple as one of their “best books of the year.” The Huffington Post compared it to “classic works by Richard Neustadt, Theodore White and other White House chroniclers.”

A frequent guest on MSNBC and CNN, Whipple has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Politico, the Daily Beast, and many other publications. He is the chief executive officer of CCWHIP Productions, and executive producer of the Showtime film, 'The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs.' Whipple was educated at Deerfield Academy and received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in history from Yale College. He lives in New York City with his wife Cary.