The CIA surgically implanted a microphone in a cat's ear, a radio transmitter at the base of its skull, and a wire through its fur — then spent $20 million on the project. On its first mission outside the Soviet Embassy in Washington D.C., the cat was hit by a taxi. The program was shut down. The cat was re-sewn and allegedly lived a long and happy life.
Where this was said
At 1:23:25 · chapter starts 1:15:40
The conversation shifts from torture to the everyday reality of counterintelligence. Kiriakou describes an International Spy Museum bus advertisement claiming 10,000 to 15,000 foreign intelligence officers operate in Washington D.C. — more than any other city on Earth. He recalls his first day at the CIA, when the head of security delivered two messages: the greatest threat to America is Soviet communism (which struck Kiriakou as absurd since the USSR had already collapsed), and the Israelis routinely brought gifts packed with listening devices to CIA meetings, which is why Israeli delegations were no longer allowed inside the building. New CIA officers were also warned never to eat at restaurants in McLean, Virginia because Russian KGB and Israeli Mossad agents frequented them to eavesdrop on off-duty CIA staff.
The International Spy Museum's bus advertisements state there are between 10,000 and 15,000 foreign intelligence officers inside Washington D.C. — more than anywhere else on the planet. Kiriakou confirms the figure is credible, adding that the CIA was told on day one: don't eat at restaurants in McLean, Virginia because Russian and Israeli agents are there to listen.
The International Spy Museum's advertising campaign cites estimates that between 10,000 and 15,000 foreign intelligence officers operate inside Washington D.C., more than any other city on Earth.
Factories that replaced coal engines with electric ones in the early 1900s got only 6% efficiency gains. Those that redesigned their entire factory around electricity got a 3x productivity improvement. Swapping AI tools into your existing structure will give you 6%. Rebuilding around AI will give you 10x.
Lebanese terrorists backed by Iran were holding American hostages throughout the Reagan presidency. Reagan had loudly campaigned against negotiating with terrorists — putting him in an impossible position that his team quietly decided to ignore.
During the Iran-Iraq War, the US openly supplied Iraq with weapons, training, and intelligence. At the same time, Oliver North was secretly funneling missiles to Iran. The US was playing both sides of a shooting war.
Oliver North traveled to Iran under the alias 'William P. Goode' with a fake passport. CIA Director William Casey allegedly gave him cyanide pills so he could kill himself rather than be tortured if captured. He returned safely and the deal moved forward.
The Pentagon sold missiles to the CIA for $3,700 each. The CIA sold them to Richard Secord at cost. Secord sold them to Iranian middleman Ghorbanifar for $10,000 each. Ghorbanifar charged Iran even more. The profit — including $3 million in interest in one Swiss account — was diverted directly to fund the Nicaraguan Contras.
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran in 8 shipments over more than a year. Only 3 of 7 hostages were released. Three more were taken. The net result was zero freed hostages and a full-blown constitutional scandal.
On October 5, 1986, a CIA Contra supply plane flew a weapons drop at 2,500 feet in broad daylight. A Sandinista soldier shot it down. The only survivor, Eugene Hasenfuss, had borrowed a parachute from his skydiving brother. He was captured, paraded in front of cameras, and told the Sandinistas everything he knew.
The CIA supply operation used a front company called Southern Air Transport, widely known to be a CIA cover. Crew members of the downed plane carried their Southern Air Transport employee IDs in their wallets. One also had a business card directly linking him to Oliver North's office in Washington.
When the scandal broke, Oliver North and his secretary Fawn Hall conducted what became known as a 'shredding party,' destroying a day's worth of documents. The full truth of Iran-Contra may never be known because of what was fed through that shredder.
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