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Confessions of a Spy
"There are things that have never come out about this case. There are still secrets that only a few know" - Aldrich Ames
For nine years Aldrich Ames fed highly classified information to the KGB. Russia paid him millions of dollars – and promised millions more. He betrayed the identities of the United States' top agents. An act that led to their executions inside the Soviet Union. Never before in American history has one man done so much to sabotage our national security.
New York Times bestselling author Pete Earley (Family of Spies) is the only writer to conduct fifty hours of one-on-one interviews with CIA mole Aldrich Ames, without a government censor present. He is the only writer to have traveled to Moscow to speak directly to Ames's KGB handlers and with the families of the spies he betrayed. And he is the only writer to have had access to the remarkable CIA mole-hunting team that tracked down and stopped Aldrich Ames.
The result is a portrait of a much more complex and diabolical man than has previously been depicted; an account of damage far worse than has ever been chronicled, including startling revelations of unreported double agents and scandal in high Washington circles; and a story of three women who bucked every obstacle the CIA male establishment could throw at them, to expose perhaps the most devastating spy in modern U.S. history.
This is an extraordinary human drama, a modern morality play charged with love, sex, greed, betrayal, and heroism.
"All of the people whose names were on my list knew the risks they were taking when they began spying for the CIA and FBI. If one of them had learned about me, he would have told the CIA, and I would have been arrested and thrown in jail. Now that I was working for the KGB, the people on my list could expect nothing less from me. It wasn't personal. It was simply how the game was played." - Aldrich Ames, Russian Spy
For nine years Aldrich Ames fed highly classified information to the KGB. Russia paid him millions of dollars – and promised millions more. He betrayed the identities of the United States' top agents. An act that led to their executions inside the Soviet Union. Never before in American history has one man done so much to sabotage our national security.
New York Times bestselling author Pete Earley (Family of Spies) is the only writer to conduct fifty hours of one-on-one interviews with CIA mole Aldrich Ames, without a government censor present. He is the only writer to have traveled to Moscow to speak directly to Ames's KGB handlers and with the families of the spies he betrayed. And he is the only writer to have had access to the remarkable CIA mole-hunting team that tracked down and stopped Aldrich Ames.
The result is a portrait of a much more complex and diabolical man than has previously been depicted; an account of damage far worse than has ever been chronicled, including startling revelations of unreported double agents and scandal in high Washington circles; and a story of three women who bucked every obstacle the CIA male establishment could throw at them, to expose perhaps the most devastating spy in modern U.S. history.
This is an extraordinary human drama, a modern morality play charged with love, sex, greed, betrayal, and heroism.
"All of the people whose names were on my list knew the risks they were taking when they began spying for the CIA and FBI. If one of them had learned about me, he would have told the CIA, and I would have been arrested and thrown in jail. Now that I was working for the KGB, the people on my list could expect nothing less from me. It wasn't personal. It was simply how the game was played." - Aldrich Ames, Russian Spy
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 1997
82 people are currently reading
624 people want to read
About the author
Pete Earley
26 books115 followersPete Earley is a storyteller who has penned 13 books including the New York Times bestseller The Hot House and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness.
After a 14-year career in journalism, including six years at The Washington Post, Pete became a full-time author with a commitment to expose the stories that entertain and surprise.
His honest reporting and compelling writing helped him garner success as one of few authors with ”the power to introduce new ideas and give them currency,” according to Washingtonian magazine.
When Pete’s life was turned upside down by the events recounted in his book Crazy, he joined the National Alliance of Mental Illness to advocate for strong mental health reform on the public stage.
After a 14-year career in journalism, including six years at The Washington Post, Pete became a full-time author with a commitment to expose the stories that entertain and surprise.
His honest reporting and compelling writing helped him garner success as one of few authors with ”the power to introduce new ideas and give them currency,” according to Washingtonian magazine.
When Pete’s life was turned upside down by the events recounted in his book Crazy, he joined the National Alliance of Mental Illness to advocate for strong mental health reform on the public stage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 6, 2017
At the time of this book's publication (1997), Earley was the only writer to interview Aldrich Ames, the CIA agent and KGB spy. Earley did more than 50 hours of interviews with Ames before the CIA got wind of things and whisked Ames off to federal prison. When I first started the book, I had barely heard of Aldrich Ames, so I suppose I was as open-minded as one can get. The results are less than revelatory—but that's not due to Pete Earley's writing.
It's natural to want to know why someone would commit treason. Did Ames compromise more than 100 operations and turn over to the KGB twenty to twenty-five names of KGB agents who were working for the CIA and FBI because he no longer believed in the principles for which the CIA fought? Or, more accurately, because he believed the CIA no longer believed in them? He cites this in his interviews, but it feels perfunctory. Really, he did it for money. Initially he convinced himself he was desperate for cash due to his divorce from his first wife. He waltzed into the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C.—without even being recruited!—and started turning over information.
Besides the damage he did to CIA operations, he was responsible for the executions of no less than ten Soviet men who were helping the CIA. (One other committed suicide.) Most often noted is General Dmitri Polyakov, who was a CIA spy for 18 years. He was already retired when Ames gave the KGB his name.
Though hindsight is always 20/20 in these situations, it's hard to fathom how the CIA could have missed a mole in their ranks when twenty to twenty-five Soviet agents went missing in 1985 over a period of just a few months. Ames turned over the names of virtually every spy he knew about (he was rather high-ranking himself in the CIA, and had access to everything the CIA was running on the Soviets) and by the end of fall they had all disappeared. Only a few people in the CIA suspected Ames was the mole.
Why? Though Ames (called "Rick" throughout most of the book) was a known lush, drinking in the CIA was part of its culture. In itself getting drunk at gatherings was not enough to point the finger at him. Additionally, a list of people who knew of at least one of the spies Ames had named was a total of 198 people. Mountains of paper had to be sifted through, financials had to be checked, and the team had to interview people on the list without raising suspicions they were looking for a mole.
Mistakes were made, most notably by the FBI, who later took the vast majority of the credit for their role in catching Ames. Ames made no less than four drops right under the FBI's nose. It defies explanation.
Yet Earley manages to play fair to all parties involved. As already pointed out, Ames's drinking was not enough for people to point the finger at him as the mole. And the CIA team was misled by an informant to believe that Rosario's (Ames's second wife) family was stinking rich, which explained the $540,000 house and a succession of three Jaguars, as well as $30,000 monthly credit card payments. But the mole hunting team kept digging, and eventually Sandy Grimes (one member of the team and the only one convinced Ames was the mole they were looking for) made the connection that he was working for the KGB. Reading the book, it's easy to see how they could miss this until she logged his deposits into her already-existing time table of his meetings with Soviet officials. Many of the deposits were made the day of the meetings or the day after.
The book drags when Ames is quoted extensively, as he is in nearly every chapter. Giving every appearance of enjoying himself, he gives winding and self-serving explanations about why he turned over the names of the men who were later executed. He notes that these men were "not innocent" bystanders, but knew how the game was played. Jeanne Vertefuille—the lead investigator on the mole hunting team—counters this, saying, "Traitors are not all the same. Sure, some of the Russians we recruited were doing it for the money. Some of them were despicable characters. But others were not. We in the United States have so many outlets if we don't like what our government is doing . . . They didn't have these outlets, particularly Eastern Europeans who didn't like what the Soviets were doing to their countries. For many of them, espionage became a way of protesting the injustices they saw."
If you're looking for insight into why Ames did what he did, you'll find it here. But that is not the most enlightening part of this book. What is enlightening is the somewhat inside view you get into a pair of organizations that are imperfect and yet functional.
It's natural to want to know why someone would commit treason. Did Ames compromise more than 100 operations and turn over to the KGB twenty to twenty-five names of KGB agents who were working for the CIA and FBI because he no longer believed in the principles for which the CIA fought? Or, more accurately, because he believed the CIA no longer believed in them? He cites this in his interviews, but it feels perfunctory. Really, he did it for money. Initially he convinced himself he was desperate for cash due to his divorce from his first wife. He waltzed into the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C.—without even being recruited!—and started turning over information.
Besides the damage he did to CIA operations, he was responsible for the executions of no less than ten Soviet men who were helping the CIA. (One other committed suicide.) Most often noted is General Dmitri Polyakov, who was a CIA spy for 18 years. He was already retired when Ames gave the KGB his name.
Though hindsight is always 20/20 in these situations, it's hard to fathom how the CIA could have missed a mole in their ranks when twenty to twenty-five Soviet agents went missing in 1985 over a period of just a few months. Ames turned over the names of virtually every spy he knew about (he was rather high-ranking himself in the CIA, and had access to everything the CIA was running on the Soviets) and by the end of fall they had all disappeared. Only a few people in the CIA suspected Ames was the mole.
Why? Though Ames (called "Rick" throughout most of the book) was a known lush, drinking in the CIA was part of its culture. In itself getting drunk at gatherings was not enough to point the finger at him. Additionally, a list of people who knew of at least one of the spies Ames had named was a total of 198 people. Mountains of paper had to be sifted through, financials had to be checked, and the team had to interview people on the list without raising suspicions they were looking for a mole.
Mistakes were made, most notably by the FBI, who later took the vast majority of the credit for their role in catching Ames. Ames made no less than four drops right under the FBI's nose. It defies explanation.
Yet Earley manages to play fair to all parties involved. As already pointed out, Ames's drinking was not enough for people to point the finger at him as the mole. And the CIA team was misled by an informant to believe that Rosario's (Ames's second wife) family was stinking rich, which explained the $540,000 house and a succession of three Jaguars, as well as $30,000 monthly credit card payments. But the mole hunting team kept digging, and eventually Sandy Grimes (one member of the team and the only one convinced Ames was the mole they were looking for) made the connection that he was working for the KGB. Reading the book, it's easy to see how they could miss this until she logged his deposits into her already-existing time table of his meetings with Soviet officials. Many of the deposits were made the day of the meetings or the day after.
The book drags when Ames is quoted extensively, as he is in nearly every chapter. Giving every appearance of enjoying himself, he gives winding and self-serving explanations about why he turned over the names of the men who were later executed. He notes that these men were "not innocent" bystanders, but knew how the game was played. Jeanne Vertefuille—the lead investigator on the mole hunting team—counters this, saying, "Traitors are not all the same. Sure, some of the Russians we recruited were doing it for the money. Some of them were despicable characters. But others were not. We in the United States have so many outlets if we don't like what our government is doing . . . They didn't have these outlets, particularly Eastern Europeans who didn't like what the Soviets were doing to their countries. For many of them, espionage became a way of protesting the injustices they saw."
If you're looking for insight into why Ames did what he did, you'll find it here. But that is not the most enlightening part of this book. What is enlightening is the somewhat inside view you get into a pair of organizations that are imperfect and yet functional.
October 12, 2024
As with Earley's other espionage book I read earlier this year, this is a fantastic read. Earley interviewed Ames for hours. Ames spends a lot of time pontificating about why he is the way he is, but what it really bores down to is he's a rather pathetic figure. Earley fleshes out the story with insight from Ames's fellow CIA officers and KGB agents who handled him.
July 23, 2012
This is the second "spy" story I've read. The other was a book about FBI agent turned spy, Robert Hanssen, called "Spy" by David Wise. Individually, (well-written about by both authors)there are interesting things going on with these characters. For example, their methods of avoiding detection, of stealing material, of communicating with their "handlers", etc. And the way Pete Earley gained access to Ames for his interviews is just astounding. The small stories within the larger tale are fascinating. But it's the larger tale that provides the real conundrum. I wish I knew the word to describe how utterly ridiculous it seems that we, as a country, invest millions of dollars and people's lives spying on "them" while they spy on us and in the final analysis it all seems just so pointless. There are individual acts of valor & courage, sacrifice & heroism -- but all that heartache seems to be in furtherance of ... what I wonder? Are these agencies really protecting our Constitution from enemies, "foreign & domestic." In whose opinion are they enemies? Who decides who is an enemy? What defines "enemy"? As time marches on, it seems like the enemies today are not the enemies of tomorrow. Meanwhile, agents of the FBI, CIA, KGB, GRU, etc etc... are literally dying for an ideal that is so elusive. An ideal that may be only be related to the political aspirations of the powers that be! But anyway, a good book makes one think about these questions & this certainly was a good book.
April 26, 2017
I'd read Earley's previous book about the Walker spy family and had picked this up in Sonoma, CA with the idea that it would be a good companion on the flight back to Chicago. I'd also seen, years ago, the film about Aldrich Ames, the most notorious of CIA agents working for the KGB, but had forgotten most of it. Here I might refresh memory and perhaps rewatch the film with a better appreciation of its plot.
What apparently makes this account better than others is that author Earley had finagled access to Ames while he was in prison, making this account somewhat autobiographical. Sadly, however, Ames does not engage. There was no idealism motivating his actions, just resentment and greed.
What apparently makes this account better than others is that author Earley had finagled access to Ames while he was in prison, making this account somewhat autobiographical. Sadly, however, Ames does not engage. There was no idealism motivating his actions, just resentment and greed.
March 14, 2015
Having watched the TV series "The Assets" and several documentaries about Aldrich Ames, I was curious to read an account based on his perspective. Unfortunately, this book only confirmed previously held opinions: Ames is a narcissistic amoral milquetoast slime who caused the deaths of countless agents for money. Furthermore, he still seems unable to truthfully expound upon his crimes and only harps on how stupid and corrupt American agencies are. To compound Ames's lies and diatribes, Pete Earley's exhaustive account of everything relating to Ames is also exhausting to read with an overabundance of pointless detail. This book could have been improved with some serious editing.
April 12, 2009
This is the only text I have read that provides a compelling and nuanced explanation of why Ames betrayed his country. The short answer is that he needed the money because he was living beyond his means. As a result of his work recruiting and handling spies he no longer believed it was wrong for a person to betray their country. Earley's well-written book explains how he arrived at that point. It also provides the reader with a credible look at what it is like to work for the CIA, and what it is like to work as a spy.
January 8, 2010
Well written and interesting book, often written in the first person from the perspective of Aldrich Ames. I couldn't help but think that I was reading the words of a narcissist and sociopath. But it does point up serious flaws in the workings of our intelligence community, and it's a fairly interesting book.
September 9, 2018
The story of a truly heinous individual who was a high ranking CIA official and responsible for the deaths of many agents working in the Soviet Union. In return he for the deaths of these people, some of whom he claims were personal friends, he was paid a huge amount of money.
August 12, 2024
First, a fabulous piece of reporting. Earley spoke with Ames extensively, and also got interviews with the CIA/FBI people who caught him, as well as Ames' wife and some of the KGB officials who ran/handled Ames. So you get a lot of different perspectives here and that gives you a more complete picture of what happened.
It's written in a no-nonsense but engaging style, in which Earley takes pains to let you know what different sources said about a certain incident, or how one side's tragedy was another's victory. Ames emerges as a more rounded, intelligent guy than was portrayed in media accounts when he was arrested. I think "Confessions of a Spy" is even better than Earley's book on Leavenworth, "The Hot House," which I also highly recommend.
But Ames remains a vicious traitor, a vainglorious, grubby, henpecked drunk who had several people executed and dumped in unmarked graves - all for money. He does not emerge from this as an honorable man in any way.
The CIA doesn't come off looking too good, either. It's incredible it took them so long to figure out it had a mole and then ID Ames, but of course in the initial stages much of that is self-inflicted blunders, some stemming from Angleton's destructive molehunts that preceded Ames. It's also remarkable that a guy with mediocre performance reviews in 3 foreign postings would have had access to so much top secret material that he could betray.
(As an aside here, why is the CIA always full of guys with absurd, pompous names? "Dewey Clarridge?" Is that real? When do you ever meet someone in life named, 'Dewey Clarridge?' When I interviewed with the CIA decades ago, one of the guys I spoke with gave me a card that read, "Steve Gunn." "Seriously?" I asked. It's almost as if the CIA was more concerned with being an old boy's club - and Ames, or vanilla blanks like Agee are what it got. Now, it's simply part of the Praetorian Guard with the FBI and perhaps should be disbanded, but that's another story....)
And "Confessions of a Spy" lays bare one undeniable fact: most (not all) of the KGB men who turned to the US did so for honorable reasons. One of them watched his son die after Soviet officials refused to let the boy have surgery in the US that would have saved him; others saw what the Communists had done to the people of Russia and other nations they had infected and overruled with ruthless, dictatorial terror, as all collectivist enterprises must. In other words, the KGB turncoats sought to undermine totalitarian regimes. Ames and most of other US spies, on the other hand, did so for selfish and pecuniary reasons. They are slugs. Obviously if they had issues with the way the CIA operated, the honorable thing to do was leave it. So, in that sense, "Confessions of a Spy" can be infuriating because Earley never tries to address that underlying, fundamental difference.
But it's clear also Earley takes that as read, to some extent, and the book remains a gripping read. Highly recommended.
It's written in a no-nonsense but engaging style, in which Earley takes pains to let you know what different sources said about a certain incident, or how one side's tragedy was another's victory. Ames emerges as a more rounded, intelligent guy than was portrayed in media accounts when he was arrested. I think "Confessions of a Spy" is even better than Earley's book on Leavenworth, "The Hot House," which I also highly recommend.
But Ames remains a vicious traitor, a vainglorious, grubby, henpecked drunk who had several people executed and dumped in unmarked graves - all for money. He does not emerge from this as an honorable man in any way.
The CIA doesn't come off looking too good, either. It's incredible it took them so long to figure out it had a mole and then ID Ames, but of course in the initial stages much of that is self-inflicted blunders, some stemming from Angleton's destructive molehunts that preceded Ames. It's also remarkable that a guy with mediocre performance reviews in 3 foreign postings would have had access to so much top secret material that he could betray.
(As an aside here, why is the CIA always full of guys with absurd, pompous names? "Dewey Clarridge?" Is that real? When do you ever meet someone in life named, 'Dewey Clarridge?' When I interviewed with the CIA decades ago, one of the guys I spoke with gave me a card that read, "Steve Gunn." "Seriously?" I asked. It's almost as if the CIA was more concerned with being an old boy's club - and Ames, or vanilla blanks like Agee are what it got. Now, it's simply part of the Praetorian Guard with the FBI and perhaps should be disbanded, but that's another story....)
And "Confessions of a Spy" lays bare one undeniable fact: most (not all) of the KGB men who turned to the US did so for honorable reasons. One of them watched his son die after Soviet officials refused to let the boy have surgery in the US that would have saved him; others saw what the Communists had done to the people of Russia and other nations they had infected and overruled with ruthless, dictatorial terror, as all collectivist enterprises must. In other words, the KGB turncoats sought to undermine totalitarian regimes. Ames and most of other US spies, on the other hand, did so for selfish and pecuniary reasons. They are slugs. Obviously if they had issues with the way the CIA operated, the honorable thing to do was leave it. So, in that sense, "Confessions of a Spy" can be infuriating because Earley never tries to address that underlying, fundamental difference.
But it's clear also Earley takes that as read, to some extent, and the book remains a gripping read. Highly recommended.
April 20, 2025
Aldridge Ames in spite of getting caught for selling secrets to the Russians for roughly ten years was actually luck he didn't caught sooner than had. Why didn't Aldrich Ames get caught sooner than he had? An incredible combination of dumb luck and sloppy investigating by both the CIA and the FBI. This book has a major gobbledygook problem. When the story focuses on Aldrige Ames and his spying and his taking of bribes from the Russians that is well done, however there's parts in this book that wonder off into the forest where we don't need to be. I like the fact that the book lets you hear from Aldridge Ames and his friend and co-workers as well as family members, even though I did at times I did get sick of Aldridge Ames excuses as well as excuses from friends and family members and even his co-workers as well at times. No one and I mean no one should feel bad for Aldridge Ames, because of Aldridge Ames selfishness and greed it led to several people being killed. And for what? Money in the bank and Jaguar car? Losing your integrity and any sense of decently you had just doesn't seem worth it to me.
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September 21, 2020"Confessions of a Spy" authored by: Pete Earley.
Aldrich Ames was certainly a complex character. He had the devotion to become a spy, he also possessed a lot of credibility (in his earlier years), but unfortunately, greed was his downfall.
In the detection method of assessing a defector, Aldrich Ames would fit the M in MICE. M represents money; it is one of three other motives that establish a defectors willingness to defect. He would up amassing a grand total of $4.5 million dollars. This is not even including the money that he freely spent on luxurious expenditures on himself and his wife; money that was on The Central Intelligence Agencies credit.
Aldrich Ames was certainly a complex character. He had the devotion to become a spy, he also possessed a lot of credibility (in his earlier years), but unfortunately, greed was his downfall.
In the detection method of assessing a defector, Aldrich Ames would fit the M in MICE. M represents money; it is one of three other motives that establish a defectors willingness to defect. He would up amassing a grand total of $4.5 million dollars. This is not even including the money that he freely spent on luxurious expenditures on himself and his wife; money that was on The Central Intelligence Agencies credit.
November 7, 2025
As a former employee of the one of the agencies of the Federal Government as a contractor, I found this book fascinating. I don't understand how any American can betray their country the way Aldrich Ames and his fellow betrayers did. I worked with very professional and loyal workers who did everything they could to protect the country. This book described Ames' childhood and his rough relationships that helped steer his actions. Ames tries to explain why he did what he did by saying he was disillusioned with the work the CIA doing and the unprofessional way they went about their work. I'm glad he will be in prison for the rest of his life.
August 10, 2017
The story is very well handled.
The individual is not charming neither likeable but is so difficult to understand that it keeps the interest until the end.
It is difficult to understand how the need of 50.000 $ can be so harmful to an entire country.
I finally detest the individual and i am very sorry for the spies that were betrayed.
The individual is not charming neither likeable but is so difficult to understand that it keeps the interest until the end.
It is difficult to understand how the need of 50.000 $ can be so harmful to an entire country.
I finally detest the individual and i am very sorry for the spies that were betrayed.
January 10, 2022
An extremely fascinating and informative account of an infamous traitor who was a Soviet and later a Russian spy following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The book is well written, nicely organized, and extensively researched. Confessions of a Spy is an incredible story about a man who played a key role in espionage during the Cold War and its aftermath as well.
September 17, 2023
If you are into Cold War era history, or just want to read about a truly awful person, this book is for you. I enjoyed Early's writing, learning how he got access to Ames, and even the "Words of Rick Ames" sections. It was also great hearing from the Russian side of this story.
April 7, 2019
Fascinating.
November 8, 2019
It depends on whom you believe, which side you are on. I find this was written from the viewpoint of Rick Ames, but there is enough blame to go around about why this happened.
January 22, 2020
Great book
This guy came within an inch of getting away with this carp. Good work by CIA. However as usually the FBI gets all the credit for catching this guy. Great book!
This guy came within an inch of getting away with this carp. Good work by CIA. However as usually the FBI gets all the credit for catching this guy. Great book!
July 28, 2020
A good book that tells you a lot about how and why he did it. Interesting reading.
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January 14, 2021Fascinating story. Working for the CIA seems like it would be a stressful job.
February 10, 2023
Fascinating
I found this book very informative and interesting. Its obvious the author had done his homework. I have worked for the government so I understood the beurocity.
I found this book very informative and interesting. Its obvious the author had done his homework. I have worked for the government so I understood the beurocity.
January 29, 2024
This is the most balanced and thoroughly researched of the Ames titles I've read. I got a much better sense of who Ames is and how he thought from this one. I liked it a lot.
August 31, 2019
A retelling of the Aldrich Ames spy story. Enhanced by an interview of Ames by the author. As always in spy biographies, it’s difficult to tell what the truth is...especially when the spy himself is quoted. But otherwise this seems a solid and well researched book. Many people died as a result of Ames treason, but Ames seemed unmoved by his own actions. He passed secret information to the Soviets for money—not out of ideological or political beliefs—but in order to sustain his lifestyle and to fulfill the demands of his wife for luxury goods. A thoroughly unlikeable fellow.
June 7, 2010
I was hoping to get more information about Aldrich Ames after hearing about his arrest for espionage and treason in the 90s. This book was a no nonsense compilation of interviews with Ames and of the CIA and FBI teams that hunted him down and stopped him. It also gave more information about the political fallout due to bungling between the two secret services and the aftermath which was very much in the news during the Clinton administration. This book was fascinating but not enjoyable. I would recommend it to those who remember this period in history and espionage buffs.
July 11, 2012
An interesting read about another American spy who worked for the CIA contemporaneous with the FBI spy, Robert Hanson. They did not work together but Hanson did work on the FBI's investigation of Aldrich Ames. Interestingly, the FBI solved both cases. Both were great embarrassments to their agencies and cost their country dearly.
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March 6, 2015DRAFT OUTLINE ---- TO REVISE
* legacy of ashes
* sawdust files
* blowback
* economic hit man
* KGB promise to take care of Ames
* CIA/FBI does nothing for families of dead spies
* CIA == KGB
* President/Congress never listen to CIA
* What is purpose of CIA?
* best sources aren't recruited, they volunteer
* legacy of ashes
* sawdust files
* blowback
* economic hit man
* KGB promise to take care of Ames
* CIA/FBI does nothing for families of dead spies
* CIA == KGB
* President/Congress never listen to CIA
* What is purpose of CIA?
* best sources aren't recruited, they volunteer
May 27, 2008
Ever wonder why someone would betray their country? Well this is the book for you. Pete Early intervies CIA traitor Aldrich Ames who was arrested for selling secrets and CIA officers and spies to the Soviets. This story starts back when Early first meets Ames and goes through all of Ames life.
November 26, 2009
One of the most enthralling non-fiction books I have read recently.
December 12, 2009
A well researched look at what drove one of the CIA's biggest Russian spies and how he was able to stay hidden for so long.
November 15, 2012
Awesome, could not put it down !!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews