They live their lives mostly in the shadows and their actions can save the world…or destroy a nation’s security. A distinguished group of current and former senior intelligence personnel and experts explore the actions of five of the most famous spies of the 20th century.
FEB 3 Aldrich Ames: High Pay for High Crimes
A CIA counterintelligence officer, Aldrich Ames was paid handsomely to spy for the Soviets. His actions led to the execution of at least 10 Soviets working covertly for the CIA. Peter Earnest, founding executive director of the International Spy Museum and a 35-year-veteran of the CIA, once served as Ames’s supervisor.
FEB 10 John Walker: The Ring Leader
For 18 years, communications specialist John Walker—with help from his brother, his son, and a friend—supplied U.S. military secrets to the Soviet Union. KGB Major Gen. Oleg Kalugin (Ret), handled Walker and his band of spies.
FEB 17 Oleg Penkovsky: The Heroic Spy
In 1960, Oleg Penkovsky, a colonel in Soviet military intelligence, tried to share the truth about Soviet missile power with the West. But no one would listen! When he finally connected with the CIA, his handlers debriefed him for more than 50 hours. Thomas Boghardt, International Spy Museum historian and Cold War-era intelligence expert, comments on Penkovsky’s motives and how his information helped avoid war with Russia over the Cuban missile crisis.
FEB 24 Robert Hanssen: Double Agent
FBI special agent Robert Hanssen began spying for the Soviet Union in 1979. When he was caught and arrested in 2001, he had caused incalculable damage to U.S. security and had compromised many Soviets working for the U.S.—some of whom were killed. David G. Major, retired FBI supervisory special agent and founder of the Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies, had worked with Hanssen for 14 years.
MAR 3 Ana Montes: Cuba’s American Mole
At the Defense Intelligence Agency, Ana Montes was a top Cuban analyst for 16 years, all the while sending Castro U.S. secrets. Scott W. Carmichael, DIA senior counterintelligence investigator and author of True Believer: Inside the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, Cuba’s Master Spy, reveals how Montes’ cover was blown just before she would have learned about U.S. plans to invade Afghanistan after 9/11.
