The CIA Mole Who Brought US Intelligence to its Knees | True Life Spy Stories

Go to and use code PHILIP to save 25% off today. Thanks to Curiosity Stream for sponsoring today’s video. Listen to my spy stories on the Heroes & Traitors with Philip Thompson podcast! 🎙️ ☕ If you would like to support my channel and gain access to membership rewards and benefits, please consider buying me a coffee! ☕ In the shadowy world of espionage during the Cold War, one man’s actions would send shockwaves through the American intelligence community. This video is a chilling exploration of the life and crimes of CIA mole Aldrich Ames, a seemingly unremarkable CIA officer who would become one of the most damaging spies in US history. From his early life in Wisconsin to his recruitment into the CIA, the documentary delves into the psyche of a man who would betray his country for money and a lavish lifestyle. As a counterintelligence officer, Ames had access to the CIA’s most sensitive information. Yet, unbeknownst to his colleagues, he was also a spy for the Soviet Union, compromising more highly classified CIA assets than any other officer until his arrest in 1994. This video explores Ames’ relationship with Maria del Rosario Casas Dupuy, a Colombian national and his second wife, whose extravagant spending habits played a role in Ames’s decision to sell secrets to the Soviets. It also examines the devastating impact of his betrayal, which led to the execution of at least ten sources and compromised numerous intelligence operations. The life of Aldrich Ames is a tale of deception, espionage, and treachery, set against the backdrop of global politics and the Cold War. It’s a story that asks how a man sworn to protect his country could turn against it, and how the institutions designed to safeguard the nation failed to detect his deception for so long. This is the story of Aldrich Ames, the spy who hid in plain sight. #spystories #philipthompson #espionage References: • An Assessment of the Aldrich H. Ames Espionage Case and Its Implications for U.S. Intelligence: Report Prepared by the Staff of the Select Committee on Intelligence, United States Senate • Betrayal: The Story of Aldrich Ames, an American Spy - Tim Weiner & Others • Circle of Treason - Sandra Grimes & Another • The Spy and the Traitor - Ben MacIntyre (limited excerpts relating to Gordievsky’s betrayal) • Various web articles • Wikipedia entry on Aldrich Ames (relied on extensively as the article is comprehensive and cites many of the above sources).