The Cold War Spy Who Got Away | True Life Spy Stories

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Listen to my spy stories on the True Life Spy Stories podcast! 🎙️https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/true-life-spy-stories Ways to support my channel: Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompson Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284 Primary sources and further reading (afiiliate links): 📕 The Spy Who Got Away - https://amzn.to/46dQRuh 📘 Safe House: The Compelling Memoirs of the Only CIA Spy to Seek Asylum in Russia - https://amzn.to/3SgtfQ1 In the sun-drenched streets of the Vatican in the summer of 1985, a high-ranking KGB officer slipped away from his group touring the Vatican Museum. He disappeared without trace, only to reemerge a few weeks later in the United States. Vitaly Yurchenko’s defection was an intelligence coup for the CIA. In a secure, dimly lit room in a safehouse in northern Virginia, Yurchenko faced his American interrogators. The air was thick with tension as he began to divulge KGB secrets. The CIA’s glee turned to dismay as Yurchenko began to speak of a mole within their ranks. He didn’t know his name, only his codename. Agent ‘Robert’ had been preparing for a posting to the CIA’s Moscow station before abruptly being taken off the assignment. The CIA agents’ blood ran cold. Agent ROBERT could be only one man - a disgruntled former CIA employee who had been fired from the Agency 2 years prior. Ever since, the CIA had done their best to conceal the affair from the FBI. The man’s name was Edward Lee Howard. #philipthompson #truelifespystories #thespywhogotaway