David Johnston (11) (1947–)
Author of Betrayal:: The Story of Aldrich Ames, an American Spy
For other authors named David Johnston, see the disambiguation page.
Works by David Johnston
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- JOHNSTON, David
- Birthdate
- 1947
- Gender
- male
Members
Reviews
3 1/2 stars: Good
From the back cover: For years the CIA could not believe that its headquarters harbored a traitor. FOr years, the Agency was baffled by a wily Russian spymaster who played a high stakes game against Americans, deceiving the CIA into thinking that there were other moles - or no other moles at all. Betrayal describes Ames' meetings with his Soviet handlers in Washington, Rome, and Bogota, and his confrontation with his wife when he first shared the truth about his treason. The show more book details the befuddlement of CIA officers who tried, in fits and starts, to find the traitor. It took nearly 8 years for the CIA to share the full facts of the investigation with the FBI. Once they knew those facts, the men and women of the FBI tracked Ames day and night for nine months before they arrested him.
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I found this book interesting and engaging, but at times much too detailed.. It interwove the stories of Ames and the people trying to figure out if the CIA had a mole, and who he was. The main evidence was that the Soviet spies for the US were being murdered or "disappeared" by the KGB. It wasn't clear who was who and the problem solvers story was weak. Ames was more compelling, and by his own admission, he was in it for the money. He did not have a ideological cause, though when pressed, said he aligned more with KGB. Basically, a selfish person who felt he should have been higher level than he was, so he sold out his country. show less
From the back cover: For years the CIA could not believe that its headquarters harbored a traitor. FOr years, the Agency was baffled by a wily Russian spymaster who played a high stakes game against Americans, deceiving the CIA into thinking that there were other moles - or no other moles at all. Betrayal describes Ames' meetings with his Soviet handlers in Washington, Rome, and Bogota, and his confrontation with his wife when he first shared the truth about his treason. The show more book details the befuddlement of CIA officers who tried, in fits and starts, to find the traitor. It took nearly 8 years for the CIA to share the full facts of the investigation with the FBI. Once they knew those facts, the men and women of the FBI tracked Ames day and night for nine months before they arrested him.
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I found this book interesting and engaging, but at times much too detailed.. It interwove the stories of Ames and the people trying to figure out if the CIA had a mole, and who he was. The main evidence was that the Soviet spies for the US were being murdered or "disappeared" by the KGB. It wasn't clear who was who and the problem solvers story was weak. Ames was more compelling, and by his own admission, he was in it for the money. He did not have a ideological cause, though when pressed, said he aligned more with KGB. Basically, a selfish person who felt he should have been higher level than he was, so he sold out his country. show less
This work is frank in its appraisal of incredible shortcomings at both the CIA and FBI. A to-the-point retelling of how a mediocre pseudo-professional rises to the top of the CIA once he couldn't be demoted or fired after having been granted access to vast amounts of clandestine operational intelligence (past and then present). This is not as rich on background historical context as other related books, but the excellent narrative pace makes up for that in a distinguishing way.
A really good story. Well paced. Lots of insight. Amazing that this guy went undetected for so long.
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- ISBNs
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