Confessions of a Spy: The Real Story of Aldrich Ames ANNOTATION
Pete Earley, the only author to conduct 50 hours of one-on-one interviews with Ames--without a censor present--presents the first and only complete story of the "spy of the century, " revealing a man much more complex and diabolical than previously depicted--and damage far worse than has ever been chronicled about the case. 8 pp. of photos. 384 pp. Media publicity.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
When Aldrich Ames was arrested in February 1994, he had been feeding the KGB information for nine years; he had been paid more than two and a half million dollars, with the promise of two million more; and he had been personally responsible for the betrayal that led to the execution of most of the United States' top assets in the Soviet Union. Never before had one man done so much damage to American security. Pete Earley is the only writer to conduct fifty hours of one-on-one interviews with Ames, without a government censor present. He is the only writer to have traveled to Moscow to speak to Ames's KGB handlers and with the families of the spies he betrayed. He is the only writer to have had access to the remarkable CIA mole-hunting team that tracked down Ames through its own detective work. The result is a portrait of a much more complex and diabolical man than has previously been depicted; an account of damage far worse than has ever been chronicled, including startling revelations of unreported double agents and scandal in high Washington circles; and a story of three women - a gray-haired lady in tennis shoes, a knockout blonde, and a shy, gum-chewing secretary - who bucked every obstacle the CIA male establishment could throw at them, to expose perhaps the most devastating spy in modern U.S. history.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Ames was a top CIA officer with a great deal of knowledge about U.S. spies in the Soviet Union when he was arrested for espionage in 1994. Because of his treachery, a number of spies for the agency were arrested and several killed. Earley (Family of Spies: Inside the John Walker Spy Ring, LJ 11/15/88) spent 50 hours interviewing Ames and talked with his KGB handlers and the CIA mole hunters who tracked him down. The result is a thoroughly researched, detailed account of Ames's secret activities and the U.S. counterintelligence team's frustrating but ultimately successful investigative efforts. The narrative is interspersed with quotations from people involved in the case or lengthy statements by Ames, some of which are very self-serving. Why did Ames do it? Greed and personal insecurity seem to be good answers. This is interesting and fast reading, but it needs an index. Recommended.Daniel Blewett, Loyola Univ. Lib., Chicago
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