
Circle of Treason
CIA Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed
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Narrated by:
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Janet Metzger
About this listen
While there have been other books about Aldrich Ames, Circle of Treason is the first account written by CIA agents who were key members of the CIA team that conducted the intense "Ames Mole Hunt."
Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille were two of the five principals of the CIA team tasked with hunting one of their own and were directly responsible for identifying Ames as the mole, leading to his arrest and conviction.
One of the most destructive traitors in American history, CIA officer Aldrich Ames provided information to the Soviet Union that contributed to the deaths of at least ten Soviet intelligence officers who spied for the United States. In this book, the two CIA officers directly responsible for tracking down Ames chronicle their involvement in the hunt for a mole. Considering it their personal mission, Grimes and Vertefeuille dedicated themselves to identifying the traitor responsible for the execution or imprisonment of the Soviet agents with whom they worked.
Their efforts eventually led them to a long-time acquaintance and coworker in the CIA's Soviet-East European division and Counterintelligence Center, Aldrich Ames.
Not only is this the first book to be written by the CIA principals involved, but it is also the first to provide details of the operational contact with the agents Ames betrayed. The book covers the political aftermath of Ames's arrest, including the Congressional wrath for not identifying him sooner, the FBI/CIA debriefings following Ames's plea bargain, and a retrospective of Ames the person and Ames the spy. It is also the compelling story of two female agents, who overcame gender barriers and succeeded in bringing Ames to justice in a historically male-oriented organization.
Now retired from the CIA, Grimes and Vertefeuille are finally able to tell this inside story of the CIA's most notorious traitor and the men he betrayed.
©2012 Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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The Seven Million Dollar Spy
- How One Determined Investigator, Seven Million Dollars - and a Death Threat by the Russian Mafia - Led to the Capture of the Most Dangerous Mole Ever Unmasked Inside U.S. Intelligence
- By: David Wise
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Seven Million Dollar Spy reveals, for the first time, the inside story of the dramatic US counterintelligence operation that resulted in the capture of the most dangerous mole working for Russia inside US intelligence. Now, the former senior KGB spy, to whom the US paid seven million dollars for Moscow's file on the mole, is identified by both his real and code names.
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Good story, but.... the details
- By Nicole on 11-17-18
By: David Wise
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In the Enemy's House
- The Secret Saga of the FBI Agent and the Code Breaker Who Caught the Russian Spies
- By: Howard Blum
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1946, genius linguist and codebreaker Meredith Gardner discovered that the KGB was running an extensive network of strategically placed spies inside the United States, whose goal was to infiltrate American intelligence and steal the nation's military and atomic secrets. Over the course of the next decade, he and young FBI supervisor Bob Lamphere worked together on Venona, a top-secret mission to uncover the Soviet agents and protect the Holy Grail of Cold War espionage - the atomic bomb.
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Excellent non-fiction spy story
- By Katherine on 10-13-18
By: Howard Blum
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Betrayal in Berlin
- The True Story of the Cold War's Most Audacious Espionage Operation
- By: Steve Vogel
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Its code name was “Operation Gold”, a wildly audacious CIA plan to construct a clandestine tunnel into East Berlin to tap into critical KGB and Soviet military telecommunication lines. The tunnel, crossing the border between the American and Soviet sectors, would have to be 1,500 feet (the length of the Empire State Building) with state-of-the-art equipment, built and operated literally under the feet of their Cold War adversaries.
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Fascinating Book
- By Toni Bowes on 01-11-20
By: Steve Vogel
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Gray Day
- My Undercover Mission to Expose America's First Cyber Spy
- By: Eric O'Neill
- Narrated by: Eric O'Neill
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Eric O’Neill was only 26 when he was tapped for the case of a lifetime: a one-on-one undercover investigation of the FBI’s top target, a man suspected of spying for the Russians for nearly two decades, giving up nuclear secrets, compromising intelligence, and betraying US assets. With zero training in face-to-face investigation, O’Neill found himself in a windowless, high-security office in the newly formed Information Assurance Section, tasked officially with helping the FBI secure its outdated computer system against hackers and spies - and unofficially with collecting evidence against his new boss.
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A Real Spy Story
- By Darren Sapp on 04-06-19
By: Eric O'Neill
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The Billion Dollar Spy
- A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal
- By: David E. Hoffman
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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While getting into his car on the evening of February 16, 1978, the chief of the CIA's Moscow station was handed an envelope by an unknown Russian. Its contents stunned the Americans: details of top-secret Soviet research and development in military technology that was totally unknown to the United States.
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Compelling as historical thriller, character study
- By Mr. Pointy on 08-25-15
By: David E. Hoffman
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Double Cross
- The True Story of the D-Day Spies
- By: Ben Macintyre
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy and suffered an astonishingly low rate of casualties. A stunning military achievement, it was also a masterpiece of trickery. Operation Fortitude, which protected and enabled the invasion, and the Double Cross system, which specialized in turning German spies into double agents, tricked the Nazis into believing that the Allied attacks would come in Calais and Norway rather than Normandy.
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Are You Sure Ben Macintyre Wrote This?
- By Sheila Quaid on 08-01-12
By: Ben Macintyre
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A Spy Among Friends
- Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
- By: Ben Macintyre
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
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Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable patriot. Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time.
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The narrator is incorrectly identified.
- By Greenlake DD on 07-30-14
By: Ben Macintyre
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Agent Zigzag
- A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal
- By: Ben MacIntyre
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty; inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, his spymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended and the other began.
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What a great character
- By Michael on 02-24-09
By: Ben MacIntyre
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The Art of Intelligence
- Lessons from a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service
- By: Henry A. Crumpton
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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A legendary CIA spy and counterterrorism expert here tells the spellbinding story of his high-risk, action-packed career while illustrating the growing importance of America's intelligence officers and their secret missions. The Art of Intelligence draws from the full arc of Henry Crumpton's espionage and covert action exploits to explain what America's spies do and why their service is more valuable than ever.
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Looking for a place in History?
- By Anne on 05-20-12
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Agent Sonya
- Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy
- By: Ben Macintyre
- Narrated by: Ben Macintyre
- Length: 14 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1942, in a quiet village in the leafy English Cotswolds, a thin, elegant woman lived in a small cottage with her three children and her husband, who worked as a machinist nearby. Ursula Burton was friendly but reserved, and spoke English with a slight foreign accent. By all accounts, she seemed to be living a simple, unassuming life. Her neighbors in the village knew little about her. They didn’t know that she was a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. They didn’t know that her husband was also a spy, or that she was running powerful agents across Europe.
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Wanted to love it
- By Robert Bell on 09-30-20
By: Ben Macintyre
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The Moscow Rules
- The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War
- By: Jonna Mendez, Antonio J. J. Mendez
- Narrated by: Wilson Bethel
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Antonio Mendez and his future wife, Jonna, were CIA operatives working to spy on Moscow in the late 1970s, at one of the most dangerous moments in the Cold War. Soviets kept files on all foreigners, studied their patterns, tapped their phones, and even planted listening devices within the US embassy. In short, intelligence work was effectively impossible. The Soviet threat loomed larger than ever. The Moscow Rules tells the story of the intelligence breakthroughs that turned the odds in America's favor.
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Interesting, clean, pro-CIA history
- By Alexander M Leasenby on 02-27-20
By: Jonna Mendez, and others
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The Spy Who Knew Too Much
- An Ex-CIA Officer’s Quest Through a Legacy of Betrayal
- By: Howard Blum
- Narrated by: Steve Hendrickson
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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On a sunlit morning in September 1978, a sloop drifts aimlessly across the Chesapeake Bay. The cabin reveals signs of a struggle, and “classified” documents, live 9 mm cartridges, and a top-secret “burst” satellite communications transmitter are discovered aboard. But where is the boat’s owner, former CIA officer John Paisley? One man may hold the key to finding out. Tennent “Pete” Bagley was once a rising star in America’s spy aristocracy, and many expected he’d eventually become CIA director.
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The, too long, story of an obsession
- By Tony on 10-30-22
By: Howard Blum
What listeners say about Circle of Treason
Highly rated for:
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- Scott
- 05-03-14
Reads like a police report but interesting anyway
What made the experience of listening to Circle of Treason the most enjoyable?
Those expecting either a traditional linear storyline or page turner will be disappointed but that doesn't mean this take doesn't have its pluses. It is oddly structured - starting out with bios of the case officers who investigated and caught Ames, followed by biographical profiles of those he betrayed, then the investigation itself. Only toward the end of the book is there a profile of Ames. The reader is required to piece much of this into a coherent timeline/narrative. Taken together the reader gets an overall understanding of his crimes but less so about the man. Will hardly keep the reader on the edge of their seat but is enough to reveal the banality of the man, the doggedness of his pursuers, and the gravity of his crimes.
What does Janet Metzger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Narration is okay but matches the "Just the facts M'am" tone if the book.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
A bit too dry for that.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-08-21
Short but informative.
In depth story from the people that were there, but dont expect a thrilling or dramatic tale on how it went down.
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- Molly
- 08-11-14
How to GET ahead by selling Secrets~5 STARS~
PLOT: Aldrich Ames the ultimate spy~ selling secrets to the KGB.
Aldrich Ames worked for the CIA~ having a failed first marriage and then marries a very well educated Columbian Rosario. Rosario likes nice things and spends at an alarming amount of money. When Rick (ALDLRICH) Ames is even more seriously in debt he takes a walk over to the Russian Embassy and offers to "sell secrets". As his information is proved "very helpful" and more operatives spying for the CIA 'disappear'.... Ames is given even more money a grand total of $2.7 MILLION dollars by the Russians. Dozens of people died and many ended up in prison. Ames continued to spy until the day he was arrested. He was mainly captured due to his very extravagant spending. When you pay $500,000 CASH for a house someone has to find out. LOL.....Jeanne Vertefelle and Sandy Grimes had worked for the CIA for years. They working hard even through the good old boy network only allowed women for typing. As they are recruited for a special team to ferret WHY so many CIA spies are "disappearing".... ruling out wire taps and communication breaches they only have a "mole" as the last possibility. Ames who felt he deserved a extravagant foreign car HE drove to work every day....finally gets noticed.... when combing Ame's bank statements do they get the final PROOF Ames has a new hobby.....selling secrets....to the KGB. This starts with the history of Jeanne and Sandy the authors... and their climb up the CIA ladder. then they are chosen to find the MOLE. Ames who is labeled a narcissist can pass a lie detector test has no feelings of guilt what so ever about his double dealing. The LOOK into the capture of a SPY and the workings of the CIA is both interesting and very entertaining. This book is excellent and give us the most accurate look at Ames by his own co workers. I give it 5 out of 5.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Robert R Hall
- 09-18-19
Immersion reading limitations
With the audio option there was no visual text, also
there was no way to set bookmarks
Switching to immersion there was no audio and I could
not sync the text to where I was when Ieft audio.
Also from the text mode I did not see a way to get back
to audio.
Since I couldn't get complete reading immersion, I am
disappointed 😞 my reading experience!
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- Michael J. Morris
- 03-09-15
Just a below average book
I was very excited to listen to this audio book after watching the TV miniseries last year. However, this book is long on stories of Soviet spiel victims and short on Ames. The audio is fine, I just think the book is poorly written.
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- John T Campbell
- 12-09-23
Excellent read
This was an amazing account on such an intriguing incident! Very proud of the work those behind the scenes conducted. Interesting the two worst spies in America lived and worked in Chicago. That city is the center point of problems.
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- John Parker
- 06-07-15
An Astounding Read
Circle of Treason is an absolutely fascinating look at not only the Ames case, but the Cold War CIA as a whole. It definitely drives home the point that the heroes who protect the United States aren't just on the battlefield. We owe these people a tremendous debt, all the more so because so much of what they do, and have done, will never be known but to a very select few.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Adam
- 09-17-19
Sandra Grimes is a hero
The talented and diligent work of Agents Grimes and Vertefeuille is absolutely awe inspiring. I had the opportunity to briefly meet Agent Grimes and she is an absolute hero. Her service to this nation is impeccable.
I would love to see a movie produced about this story of two intelligent and wonderful women tracking down this belligerent man.
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- History Buff
- 06-09-19
The title should be “The Men Aldrich Ames Betrayed”
The last three hours of the book is devoted to Ames. The preceding time is devoted to highlighting misogyny within The Agency, and, unwittingly its inherent ineptitude.
In the Prologue, the authors boast that their story is especially noteworthy because they are not writers. The ensuing content is arduously presented, resulting from the writers’ lack of storytelling ability, which the listener is forced to endure.
The coauthors take turns patting each other on the back for doing their jobs, and overlook the fact that their department abetted Ames by turning a blind eye to his blatantly obvious treasonous activity.
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- KSH
- 09-12-20
Behind the scenes detail of spy hunting
Other books on espionage and spy catching have a more riveting narrative arc. This is more technical in telling the story (we did this, then we did that). But it adds detail from those directly involved which complements other accountings of the incidents discusses.
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