The CIA did not begin its Asian operations on the best circumstances. The agency's first 'hot war' on the Korean peninsula exposed a number of intelligence failures, training gaps, misunderstandings, and sheer ineptitude from officers. Korean operatives were sent on snipe hunts, organize resistance groups that didn't exist, and try to penetrate the Communist ranks in China and North Korea. All of these efforts ended horribly. Historians have criticized the role of the CIA in the Korean War and these painful lessons were applied to restructure agency operations, personnel, and missions. Content for today's episode was taken from CIA Historian Tim Weiner's book, Legacy of Ashes.