Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War is Robert M. Gates’ candid account of his days in the White House under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
His stint as secretary of defense coincided with a turbulent time in American foreign affairs, with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in full swing. A former Director of the CIA, Gates’ talents in foreign policy and diffusing international conflicts made him a key player during both president’s terms. Now, he tells all in an autobiography that the New York Times calls “probably one of the best Washington memoirs ever.”