In tales of espionage, the tension of whether the protagonist gets found out and captured drives the narrative. With one chance, does the agent succeed and save the world or fail and let democracy die? In reality, that agent had hundreds of hours of training and support before venturing onto the front lines to exhibit the bravery and skill needed to succeed. But skill acquisition and practice do not rise to the same level of tension that the actual act of spying achieves. In films, these moments get summarized in a montage (hopefully one with an 80s ballad playing over the top). The professionals who protect this nation – whether they’re the military, the police, the FBI, or CIA operatives – know that practice and dedication to honing one’s craft provides the best odds of not only mission success but survival. The ones on the front lines will be rightly glorified by history, but an expansive look away from those front lines shows large organizations of support. These organizations usually get overlooked until one gets back to the command tent and the person making the decisions. However, the truth is that the support personnel play important roles as well. The trainers, the equipment makers, the engineers, the strategists, cooks, cleaners, planners, quartermasters, all play an important role in keeping the people on the front lines free to do their job. Bringing the role of a support organization was firmly in Antonio and Jonna Mendez’s mind when they wrote The Moscow Rules. These two former CIA agents recount the formation of the so-called Moscow Rules in a book filled with history and insight into one of the U.S.’s most secretive institutions.
Disclaimer: I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are mine alone.
TL;DR
From the Publisher
From the spymaster and inspiration for the movie Argo: how a group of brilliant but under-supported CIA operatives developed breakthrough spy tactics that helped turn the tide of the Cold War
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, and tapped their phones. 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. As experts in disguise, Antonio and Jonna were instrumental in developing a series of tactics–Hollywood-inspired identity swaps, ingenious evasion techniques, and an armory of James Bond-style gadgets–that allowed CIA officers to outmaneuver the KGB.
As Russia again rises in opposition to America, this remarkable story is a tribute to those who risked everything for their country, and to the ingenuity that allowed them to succeed.
The Moscow Rules
The Moscow Rules opens with the loss of one of the CIA’s Soviet informants, Oleg Penkovsky. Then, the authors start a journey through their productive career telling the tale of how the CIA rose from this failure. Moscow, at this time in the Cold War, was sealed up tight by Soviet intelligence units. Surveillance made contacting assets nearly impossible, and internal CIA paranoia stopped operations in the Soviet capital. But soon, an opportunity arose that the CIA could not afford to pass up. Operations needed new methods to free agents from surveillance, and this book describes the process of discovery for those methods.
Along the way, readers learn of the successes and failures that Antonio and Jonna witnessed during their time working for the CIA. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and it’s no more present than in this history. The authors recount their methods of escaping into “the black,” their jargon for losing all surveillance tails. It’s all here from maneuvers, to masks, to pop-up decoys. It would all seem a bit silly if the authors didn’t soon remind the reader of the stakes. For the Soviets who betrayed their country, a happy ending of defection to the west was rare. While this book lists a number of successes, it also documents the Americans who betrayed their nation and the harm these traitors caused.
Tradecraft
In the Bond movies, James always visited Q for some lovely gadgets to complete the mission. Imagine if Q wrote a book, but instead of cars with oil slicks, the spy equipment were masks, decoys, and sleight of hand. That is The Moscow Rules. It’s a book about the craft of shaking surveillance, of information retrieval. The gadgets in this book were infinitely more fascinating because of their practicality. The authors demonstrate that Cold War spies had more in common with stage magicians than action heroes. It’s fascinating to see the evolution of their craft to operate in one of the most dangerous peacetime environments.
There’s an excellent meditation on what causes people to resort to spying, and the authors differentiate the causes that drove Americans and Soviets to spy. These four motives each have an example to go with them, and it drives home how bad decisions and emotional reactions are ripe for exploitation. Attempting to discern motivations remains one of the difficulties of spying, and throughout, the agency worries about whether the Russians who contact the are real or “dangles” meant to draw out American agents in Moscow.
A Reminder
This book comes at an important time in the US. The current president and his political party attack members of the Intelligence Community (IC) for political gain, and this book reminds readers that the IC serves the US as well. Antonio and Jonna put names and faces to agents that put their safety on the line to protect this nation. They tell of the Soviets who turned traitor and their fates. The Moscow Rules doesn’t spare the reader from the consequences of betraying one’s nation.
It’s also a timely reminder that Russia and the man who leads it, despite the current Republican party’s feelings, aren’t the US’s friends. From Lenin to Stalin to Putin, Russia views the United States, in particular, and democracy, in general, as existential threats. Reading The Moscow Rules one can’t help but be nostalgic for a time when the nation had a foreign policy that reflected an understanding of Russia’s threat. Republicans should read this book and remember.
Like a Conversation
The Moscow Rules read more like a conversation. It reminds of an older co-worker on a long digression about their career. This book is told in a stream-of-conscious manner with digressions into the future or the past. It took time to adjust, but it was worth it. This stream-of-conscious style moves back and forth through time in a way that made the book feel unorganized and rushed. This is unfortunately the pairs last book as Antonio passed away in January of 2019. The urgency to get the book done and published pervades the text. With all the stories, one can’t help but wonder what tales we’re missing out on with Antonio’s passing (may he rest in peace).
Jargon, like “in the black,” and technical devices that the authors are intimately familiar with pepper the book but receive little explanation. The reader is thrown in and expected to keep up. It can be daunting but it ultimately worth it.
Thank You
In the US, people thank military personnel for their service. But many, many people serve the country in one form or another. Both Antonio and Jonna served the US in their support roles, and the general public may never know just how much their contributions to the CIA helped protect this nation. So, to both of them, thank you. And ultimately that’s what this book is. It’s a thank you to the Office of Technical Services and their colleagues. Throughout the authors concern and care for their fellow agents is apparent, and by the end, one knows they both loved their work at the CIA.
Conclusion
Antonio and Jonna Mendez’s The Moscow Rules recounts a career serving the United States of America’s intelligence service. From the early 60s to the 90s, the Cold Warriors that ran assets in Moscow get their recognition here. Read it for the craft of spying; enjoy it for the tales of spies stalking the Moscow streets.
Available 5/21/2019 from Public Affairs Books.