Summary
Highlights
Jonna Mendez introduces her book, 'The Moscow Rules,' co-written with her late husband Tony Mendez. She clarifies that they didn't invent the rules but documented the established tradecraft for operating in Moscow during the Cold War. The book opens with an incident from June 2016, where an American diplomat was attacked outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, highlighting the persistent hostile environment for American diplomats, even after the Cold War.
Mendez explains the role of the CIA's Office of Technical Service (OTS), likening it to 'Q' from James Bond or 'Mission Impossible.' OTS provided technical support, inventing equipment like miniaturized batteries for clandestine devices, which later found commercial applications in everyday items. She notes that many technologies now common in smartphones (encrypted communication, photography, audio, video) were once advanced, classified inventions by the CIA.
Moscow was considered the most challenging operational environment due to pervasive KGB surveillance. Embassy personnel, especially suspected CIA officers, faced constant monitoring in their homes, cars, and on foot. Mendez emphasizes the importance of following the 'Moscow Rules' to survive an assignment unscathed, recalling Tony Mendez's reaction to the diplomat's attack, suggesting the diplomat must have 'broken a rule'.
OTS comprised engineers, chemists, and physicists, including specialists in concealment. Tony Mendez, initially hired as an artist, became proficient in document forgery, replicating anything put before him with exquisite hand-eye coordination. Mendez mentions Tony's demonstration at the museum where he taught attendees to forge Vladimir Putin's signature. Tony and Jonna both served as Chief of Disguise at the CIA, ten years apart, focusing on identity transformation and disguise techniques.
The Penkovsky case was a landmark for the CIA. Oleg Penkovsky, a high-level Soviet GRU officer, volunteered to provide intelligence to the West. Despite initial reluctance from the CIA, his information during the Cuban Missile Crisis proved invaluable, providing President Kennedy with critical details on Soviet missiles. Penkovsky was eventually compromised by George Blake, a British mole, and executed. This case led the CIA to cease face-to-face meetings in Moscow for a decade.
The next significant case involved Alexander Ogorodnik, codenamed Trigon, recruited abroad and sent to Moscow. The CIA introduced an unprecedented tactic: sending a female case officer, Marty Peterson, to handle the case, believing Soviet intelligence wouldn't suspect a woman. Peterson operated 'black,' without direct embassy ties, using dead drops and signals. OTS developed tiny cameras like the 'Tripel,' concealable in lipstick or pens, to photograph classified documents, providing crucial intelligence on Soviet plans and intentions. Trigon requested and received a cyanide 'L-pill' for self-termination if captured, which he later used upon arrest after being betrayed by Karl Koecher.
Adolf Tolkachev, known as the 'billion-dollar spy,' was a beneficiary of OTS's advanced tools. Despite initial CIA reluctance to run operations in Moscow after previous failures, Tolkachev persisted in offering his services. He provided schematics and plans for future Soviet defense systems, offering the U.S. a decade's advance notice to develop countermeasures. The Pentagon estimated a 'billion-dollar savings' due to his intelligence. Tony Mendez and his team developed new techniques, often inspired by Hollywood illusions, to conduct these delicate operations.
Inspired by Hollywood's illusion engineers, the CIA adopted principles of deception for Moscow operations. This involved understanding the 'stage' (operational environment), the 'audience' (KGB surveillance), and then 'overwhelming them with the performance.' This led to inventions like the 'jib' (jack-in-the-box), a pop-up dummy used in vehicles to simulate an officer still inside, while the actual officer exfiltrated unnoticed. This technique was used successfully in a Tolkachev meeting, saving the Pentagon significant R&D costs.
Mendez describes 'disguise on the run,' a technique where an officer could rapidly change their appearance while moving through a crowd. She recounts a vivid demonstration to her office director, transforming from a businessman into an old woman pushing a grocery cart in 45 seconds. Another operation, 'SI QUETAL,' involved Jim Olsen transforming from an American diplomat into an old Russian man to access a critical manhole containing nuclear plant cables. Identity transformation also involved using masks to create doubles, allowing a 'number two' to draw surveillance while the true target escaped.
Mendez discusses the impact of facial recognition technology on tradecraft. While acknowledging its challenges, she emphasizes the enduring importance of human intelligence (HUMINT). She quotes CIA Director Gina Haspel on the unique value of human sources for understanding adversaries' intentions. Mendez reflects on the difficulties of creating convincing digital identities for operatives in a world dominated by social media and ubiquitous surveillance, highlighting it as a new challenge for the CIA.
Mendez explains the rigorous process of the CIA's Publication Review Board (PRB) for vetting memoirs and books by former intelligence officers. While the PRB removes classified information, she notes a shift in what is permitted for public discussion, citing the example of masks. She shares a personal anecdote about how the PRB expedited the review of 'The Moscow Rules' due to Tony Mendez's declining health, allowing him to see it approved just a day before his passing.