Circle of treason A CIA account of traitor Aldrich Ames and the men he betrayed

Here is the story of an intricate mole hunt straight from the source. Grimes and Vertefeuille are both veterans of the CIA's clandestine and counterintelligence operations, respectively, and were members of the small CIA-FBI team investigating the disastrous 1985 loss of so many Soviet assets. A CIA mole must have caused it. But who? In the early 1990s, they narrowed the list of suspects down to one: Aldrich Ames, an apparently average CIA counterintelligence officer with increasing financial needs, who sold to Moscow his knowledge about U.S. operations against Russia. The authors also recount their careers in a male-dominated organization, the CIA's corporate culture at the time, and debilitating Washington personality conflicts and turf battles. They honor those Russians who were arrested and executed as a result of Ames's betrayal. The key lessons they know well: keep good records, watch everyone, follow the money, and note that such American traitors seem often to be very narcissistic. Verdict A fascinating detective story for those interested in the spy scandals of the 1980s, the CIA's painstaking investigative techniques, and how bureaucratic intelligence agencies really operate.-Daniel Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.