HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019747.jpg
1.49 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
3
Organizations
0
Locations
1
Events
1
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / evidence page
File Size:
1.49 MB
Summary
This document is a page (259) from a book titled 'Through the Looking Glass' or similar, included in the House Oversight Committee's files (likely regarding the Epstein investigation). The text recounts an interview with a KGB officer named Cherkashin regarding the recruitment of CIA mole Aldrich Ames. It details the financial compensation Ames received ($4.6 million total) and discusses the psychology of espionage, noting that Ames was motivated by both financial debts from a divorce and resentment toward the CIA.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Cherkashin | KGB Handler |
Interview subject discussing the recruitment of Aldrich Ames.
|
| Ames | CIA Mole / Russian Spy |
Aldrich Ames; described as a disgruntled employee who sold secrets to the KGB.
|
| Narrator (I) | Interviewer/Author |
The person conducting the interview with Cherkashin.
|
Organizations (3)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| KGB |
Soviet intelligence agency handling Ames.
|
|
| CIA |
US intelligence agency; specifically the Counterintelligence Center Analysis Group.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Indicated by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019747'.
|
Relationships (1)
Cherkashin handled Ames for the KGB and paid him cash.
Key Quotes (4)
"Ames received between $20,000 and $50,000 in cash for each delivery, which amounted to $4.6 million over the nine years."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019747.jpg
Quote #1
"Cherkashin said he was looking for a well-placed intelligence officer who was both dissatisfied with and antagonistic to the service for which he worked."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019747.jpg
Quote #2
"Actually, he approached us, not vice versa."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019747.jpg
Quote #3
"I knew from our intelligence reports that he needed money for debts stemming from his divorce... But he was also angry at the stupidity and paranoia of those running the CIA."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019747.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,219 characters)
Through the Looking Glass | 259
I began by asking him about one of the more celebrated cases he
had handled for the KGB, that of Ames, who had acted as a Russian
mole in the CIA between April 1985 and January 1994. In those nine
years, he rose, or was maneuvered by the KGB, into a top position
in the CIA’s highly sensitive Counterintelligence Center Analysis
Group, which allowed him to deliver hundreds of top secrets to the
KGB. In return, according to Cherkashin, Ames received between
$20,000 and $50,000 in cash for each delivery, which amounted to
$4.6 million over the nine years.
had handled for the KGB, that of Ames, who had acted as a Russian
mole in the CIA between April 1985 and January 1994. In those nine
years, he rose, or was maneuvered by the KGB, into a top position
in the CIA’s highly sensitive Counterintelligence Center Analysis
Group, which allowed him to deliver hundreds of top secrets to the
KGB. In return, according to Cherkashin, Ames received between
$20,000 and $50,000 in cash for each delivery, which amounted to
$4.6 million over the nine years.
I asked Cherkashin about the weakness the KGB looked for in an
American intelligence worker that might lead him to copy and steal
top secret documents. How did he spot a potential Ames? Was it a
financial problem? Was it a sexual vulnerability? Was it an ideologi-
cal leaning?
American intelligence worker that might lead him to copy and steal
top secret documents. How did he spot a potential Ames? Was it a
financial problem? Was it a sexual vulnerability? Was it an ideologi-
cal leaning?
“Nothing so dramatic,” he answered. When assessing Ames’s
biographical data, Cherkashin said he was looking for a well-placed
intelligence officer who was both dissatisfied with and antagonistic
to the service for which he worked.
biographical data, Cherkashin said he was looking for a well-placed
intelligence officer who was both dissatisfied with and antagonistic
to the service for which he worked.
“The classic disgruntled employee,” I interjected.
“Any intelligence officer who strongly feels that his superiors are
not listening to him, and that they are doing stupid things, is a can-
didate,” he continued. He said he had found that the flaw in a pros-
pect that could be most dependably exploited was not his greed, lust,
or deviant behavior but his resentment over the way he was being
treated.
not listening to him, and that they are doing stupid things, is a can-
didate,” he continued. He said he had found that the flaw in a pros-
pect that could be most dependably exploited was not his greed, lust,
or deviant behavior but his resentment over the way he was being
treated.
“Is that how you spotted Ames?”
“Actually, he approached us, not vice versa.” It was his job in the
CIA to approach opposition KGB officers. “But, yes, we saw the
potential,” he said.
CIA to approach opposition KGB officers. “But, yes, we saw the
potential,” he said.
Because Ames had been paid $50,000 in cash by Cherkashin for
his first delivery, I asked whether he fit into the category of a dis-
gruntled employee.
his first delivery, I asked whether he fit into the category of a dis-
gruntled employee.
“Wasn’t he just a mercenary?” I asked.
“I knew from our intelligence reports that he needed money
for debts stemming from his divorce,” he answered. “But he was
also angry at the stupidity and paranoia of those running the CIA.
Ames told me at our first secret meeting that they were misleading
for debts stemming from his divorce,” he answered. “But he was
also angry at the stupidity and paranoia of those running the CIA.
Ames told me at our first secret meeting that they were misleading
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9/30/16 8:13 AM
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9/30/16 8:13 AM
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