The C.I. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle

by Christopher Lynch

“Fascinating and often times very funny stories overlooked in the literature and films about spying are those of the people working in the offices of intelligence agencies. From . . . Christopher Lynch’s book, The C.I. Desk; FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle (Dog Ear Publishing, 2010), comes enthralling stories of these brilliant people who can be just as competitive and inspiring, or bored, misinformed, and petty as anyone.” - EspionageMagazine.com The “very entertaining storytelling” of The C.I. Desk follows the author from the mailroom to the locked doors of compartmented "special projects" in Headquarters-level counterintelligence. Readers won't be able to put down this fascinating insider's look at undercover agents, double agents, illegals, moles, and traitors from the perspective of both FBI and CIA Headquarters. In 1976, Chris Lynch joined the FBI Intelligence Division mailroom in Washington, D.C. He soon moved on to the first of many C.I. "desks," where he focused especially on an "in place" penetration of the KGB. Over the years, he became the FBI's "go-to guy" for information on KGB practices and personnel, and was often called upon for a "fresh look" at FBI C.I. targeting techniques. Moving to the CIA in 1985, Lynch's specialties included detecting hostile control and analysis of CIA operations, working on cases that spanned the globe. He was part of the initial CIA effort to investigate the losses of Soviet sources eventually attributed to the mole Aldrich Ames. His story includes unique details on convicted spy Robert P. Hanssen, who was Lynch's FBI supervisor for two years, and the dramatic case of a KGB officer whose cooperation with the FBI was exposed by both Ames and Hanssen. The C.I. Desk is a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes, told with wry, self-effacing humor, showing the routine, the thrilling, and the sometimes funny or tragic human side of the work of FBI agents, CIA officers, and the unsung people on Headquarters desks.

Genres: Espionage

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 7, 2010

Reviews

[Tobias31 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worked in a similar field to Mr. Lynch's for another agency. The book was certainly entertaining to read and is one of the few fairly detailed books out there about FBI's and CIA's internal CI structure during that time. It was eerily similar to what I've experienced. However, the author does indeed come across as very negative. Although I could appreciate his "underdog" take on things (as CI practitioners are want to have), he basically complained about every job he had. It seems that he just simply didn't like to do anything in CIA outside of his very narrow specialty of writing CI reviews to protect the agency's HUMINT operations. That is a CI mission, but certainly not the only one.

More to that point, his condescending attitude toward his fellow CI Center (CIC) analysts in the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) component was disappointing. That element was one of the few U.S. Government organizations responsible for true all-source CI analysis on foreign intelligence services (which, according to the author, he wanted to do being chronically disrespected at FBI). CIC's production cycle was slower and more deliberate because their work could go as high as the President. That slower pace was an intentional feature, not a shortcoming. Their mission, like the rest of DI, had far more strategic impact than writing quick-turn CI "op-eds" for HUMINT cases. I couldn't help but feel like the author had a career-long identity crisis of having a DI personality while awkwardly trying to fit into the DO the whole time. Maybe he would have had a more fulfilling career if he stuck to CIC's analytical group instead of constantly setting himself up to be subordinated to case officers.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit agonizing to read. The author comes off as negative, cynical, and a classic bore. All of that was reflected in this book.

[Is it cold in here? · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of limited interested to those unfamiliar with the bureaucracies the author describes.