If you’re interested in governmental espionage, I think you’ll find this story of a CIA burglar who went rogue an interesting (and in many ways disturbing) read.
It’s like 3 Days of the Condor without the totally bizarre psychology of Faye Dunaway getting in the way of the story arc.
(via Schneier on Security; h/t DarthLevin)
I don’t understand how this story can possibly be true.
All my life, I’ve been told that the all knowing, all seeing, all powerful, omnicompetent, wicked powerful CIA had at it’s disposal cadres and cadres of incredibly efficient, highly skilled, super assassins who could kill with their minds, should someone be so foolish as to stop doing the bidding of “the company”, “the outfit,” “the agency,” (or whatever they’re calling themselves these days) and start working for themselves —or worse yet develop a conscience and dare to expose the truth.
Heh. As a commonplace I saw them in the neighborhood everyday, mowing their lawns, planting their tulips; ignoring their kids, disciplining their kids (my pals and playmates); heading off to the grocery in the stationwagon, returning home from the grocery to offload the haul; heading off to Mass on Sunday, consuming watered whiskey or G&T’s in the backyard on Sunday; . . . never thought of any of ’em as all knowing all seeing all powerful anything. Some of ’em were scary motherfuckers, to be sure, some of ’em total pussies — but all of ’em were bureaucrats.
One thing they did seem to have in common back then though (circa 1960 – 71): they hated the hell out of communism and loved the hell out of the United States.