Aldrich ames the most infamous russian spy documentarytube. Vertefeuille was part of the small team who toiled for eight years to reveal aldrich ames for what he truly was. Senate select committee on intelligence 01 november 1994 part one. Full text of both parts and appendices can be obtained from the superintendent of documents, u. Aldrich ames is the cia chief of soviet counterintelligence for a long time, without having any promotion. Smithsonian channel is where curiosity lives, inspiration strikes and wonders never cease.
A cia account of traitor aldrich ames and the men he betrayed by sandra grimes and jeanne vertefeuille, two of the investigators who uncovered ames. A look at the world of war spies during the cold war. True story about the cat and mouse game between the fbi trying to find a soviet mole in their ranks and robert hanssen, one of the top fbi agents and said mole. Meet sandy grimes, a former cia operative in the agencys clandestine service, and hear how she and her fellow operative jeanne vertefeuille used their determination, hard work, and cunning to. Ames, the convicted spy for moscow, was led astray by the false scents. Traitor within you are looking for exciting, serious and realistic movies about with espionage, special agents, life is a bitch, alcohol abuse, dishonesty, undercover and government agency themes of drama and thriller genre shot in usa. Even so, he was promoted to lead the counterintelligence branch of the cias central soviet division, and there, in 1983, he began calling for the files on every important cia operation involving soviet spies in every. The terrible secret of rosario ames washington post. Aldrich hazen ames is a former cia officer, who was convicted of espionage against his own country in 1994. Traitor within tells the tale of the cias most infamous mole who was arrested in 1994 after causing inestimable damage to national security. Gennady, 52, was visiting jack, 58, and dion, 48, when the cia mole, aldrich rick ames was finally captured in 1994. The 2014 abc miniseries the assets is based on the book circle of treason.
So long to arrest the highest ranking cia officer ever accused of selling out to the russians aldridge ames and his wife. Aldrich ames was an american spy who turned traitor and served the ussr from deep inside his position inside the cia headquarters in washington dc. Ames s story is dramatized in the 1998 movie aldrich ames. It was the mid1980s, and the cias senior counterintelligence officer in the soviet division had also grown disillusioned with his employer and. After a destructive molehunt in the 1960s, cia liked to boast that it had never had a penetration at the staff level, fobbing off the few penetrations that hit the news in the 1970s and 1980s as low level employees, former agents, subcontractors or other misfits. Aldrich hazen ames is a former operative and analyst with the american central intelligence agency cia. Son of couple in spy case is granted money by court the.
Ames, the agents tracking him got their first chance to catch him in an act of spying. Ames does not quite fit in with the exfrat boys he is. How aldrich ames betrayed the cia by selling secrets to the. His colombian wife rosario ames elizabeth pena is a very greed woman, pressing him for a better life and status. Mar 12, 2009 jeanne vertefeuille is a quiet, grayhaired woman. Aldrich enrolled at george washington university, majoring in history and took a parttime position, arranged by his father at the cia in 1959. More chilling than fiction, this taut drama chronicles the cias search to prove that one of its agents has succumbed to greed and is exchanging highly classified government secrets for money. Spy hunters the women who caught aldrich ames duration. True story of aldrich ames, former head of counterespionage for the cia, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison for passing secrets to the kgb during the course of eight years in order for him and his wife rosario ames to pay off amassed debts. Rick ames, a lifelong employee of the central intelligence agency, betrayed at least 12 of the best secret agents working for the united states from within the soviet union and the soviet bloc. With much of the leaked information outside of amess purview, the cia. Traitor within 1998 cast and crew when a cia bureaucrat timothy hutton and his wife elizabeth pena amass huge debts, he decides to sell information to the kgb. Jan 26, 2018 aldrich rick ames was desperate for money.
The series was based on the book circle of treason. The assets, which unrolls as an eightpart miniseries beginning thursday on abc, tells the true story of aldrich ames, the american cia officer who, from 1985 to 1993, sold secrets to the. The story of aldrich ames, an american spy, a 1995 book by a team of new york times reporters. Ames was formerly a 31year cia counterintelligence analyst who committed espionage against. Feb 19, 2019 aldrich ames was one of the most damaging moles in cia history. In late 1991, in an attempt to narrow their list of suspects, the fbi suggested ames be. Hutton does well as ames as we see the character become disillusioned not with the idea of democracy, but with how the system operates. He is billed as the most notorious american spy ever. The series was executively produced by morgan hertzan, rudy bednar and andrew chapman. He was the subject of a 2002 madefortelevision movie, master spy. The central intelligence agencys nineyear hunt for aldrich h. Aldrich hazen ames the united states of america, however powerful they may be, has a long list of traitors in its rich history. Traitor within 1998 when a cia bureaucrat timothy hutton and his wife elizabeth pena amass huge debts, he decides to sell information to the kgb.
This movie is based on the real aldrich ames, who was the cia operative who sold secrets to the russians as the cold war was winding down in the late 80s. With william hurt, marylouise parker, david strathairn, ron silver. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. The robert hanssen story, with the teleplay by norman mailer and starring william hurt as hanssen. Betrayal the story of aldrich ames, an american spy.
Topping any list would be aldrich ames of the cia, whose treachery cost the lives of sources working for the united states, followed. Aldrich hazen ames was arrested by the fbi in arlington, virginia on espionage charges on february 21, 1994. Nova online secrets, lies, and atomic spies aldrich hazen. Sep 18, 20 meet sandy grimes, a former cia operative in the agencys clandestine service, and hear how she and her fellow operative jeanne vertefeuille used their determination, hard work, and cunning to. This biography of ames profiles his childhood, life, cia and espionage career, activities and timeline.
The hunt for and identification of cia traitor aldrich ames youtube. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Aldrich ames biography childhood, life achievements. Colby vincent cannistraro edward jay epstein dave mccurdy. Ive been watching movies for threequarters of a century and in several languages and this is near the top of my list. Jan 27, 1995 one day in september 1993, four months after the f. Jan 01, 2014 ames, a sweaty type previously played by timothy hutton in the 1998 showtime movie aldrich ames. Twentyfive years ago this week, ames was arrested because of the work of a small team of cia officers led by a quiet, unassuming grayhaired woman named jeanne vertefeuille. Born in may 1941, aldrich hazen ames is one of the most infamous spies in the history of cia. More chilling than fiction, this taut drama chronicles the cias search to prove that one of its agents has succumbed to greed and is exchanging highly classified government secrets for. Roy keane and jamie carragher clash over their combined liverpool 2020 and man utd 1999 xi mnf duration. Traitor within tv movie 1998 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Central intelligence agency cia who was entrusted with discovering soviet spies and who himself became one of the most successful double agents for the soviet union and russia.
This is based on the real event of the fbi agent robert hanssen who provided the russians with top secret of the u. One of the burning questions in washington how could it have taken so long. A conversation about the trial of aldrich ames, a soviet spy who infiltrated the cia. Cia officer sandy grimes begins her investigation into the source of the problem and quickly discovers that this lost asset is just the tip of the iceberg. I tried for a long time to find this, and finally did. Thirty years later, we still dont truly know who betrayed these spies was there a fourth mole in the u. Aldrich hazen ames born may 26, 1941 is a former central intelligence agency counterintelligence officer and analyst, who in 1994 was convicted of spying for the soviet union and russia. At the time of his arrest, ames was a 31year veteran of the central intelligence.
It was june th, 1985, that aldrich ames, everyone knew as rick, gave the kgb ever known human asset that the cia had in the soviet union. Agent, whose problems with alcohol and general ineptness had kept him. Cold war spies, kgb agent aldrich ames coldwarwarriors. Aldrich ames was one of the most damaging moles in cia history. Earlier this year abc rolled out an eightpart mini series about the aldrich ames spy case called the assets. So far as is known, ames compromised the secondlargest number of cia assetssecond only to those betrayed. Agent, whose problems with alcohol and general ineptness had kept him from rising further in. Nova online secrets, lies, and atomic spies aldrich.
The guilty free full movie bill pullman, joanne whalley duration. She is a far cry from the spy hunters portrayed in movies. The cias inspectorgeneral recommended reprimands for up to a dozen officials who may have passed on suspect intelligence to the white house. A cia account of traitor aldrich ames and the men he betrayed by sandra grimes and jeanne vertefeuille, two of the investigators who uncovered ames s espionage. Aldrich ames, in full aldrich hazen ames, born may 26, 1941, river falls, wisconsin, u. He started his career in the central intelligence agency, but after a while, he defected and started spying for the kgb. He compromised numerous cia assets in the soviet union, some of whom were executed.
Sandy grimes, a former cia operative in the agencys clandestine service, and her fellow operative jeanne vertefeuille discuss the capture and conviction of their former colleague and infamous cia. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole in the federal correctional institution in terre haute, indiana, united states. Factbased story about a 1990s espionage case that was chronicled as the worst case of espionage in u. The assets is an eightpart american drama television miniseries that aired on abc in 2014. Twentyfive years ago this week, ames was arrested because of the work of a small team of cia officers led by a quiet, unassuming grayhaired woman named jeanne vertefeuille the spy hunters. He helped the kgb nab the cias many soviet spies who operated from moscow and many other european capitals. Spy hunters the women who caught aldrich ames youtube. The rise and reign of jeff bezos full film frontline duration. Little does she know that this is just the beginning of a decadelong mole hunt, and the mole is one of her cohorts aldrich ames. The ames family moved to mclean, virginia in 1951 when carleton ames took a position with the cia where he worked for a time with james jesus angleton. With timothy hutton, joan plowright, elizabeth pena, c.
An obvious small screen product showtime, the film does a good job of showing the pressures on ames. In 1995 the cia presented congress with a devastating internal assessment of the period covered by ames s operations as a double agent. Hanssens jailers allowed him to watch this movie, but he was so angered by it that he turned it off. It didnt take long for grimes to start to suspect rick. The hunt for and identification of cia traitor aldrich ames. Agent, whose problems with alcohol and general ineptness had kept him from rising further in the ranks of the agency. Officials reveal that unauthorized operation helped trap convicted turncoat aldrich ames. He compromised the second largest number of cia agents, making him second only to robert hanssen. Aldrich hazen ames the worst case of espionage in us. Aldrich ames s name made the bureaus short list of 20 suspects, but he passed two polygraph tests. This is the place for aweinspiring stories, powerful documentari. Jeanne vertefeuille discuss the capture and conviction of their former colleague and infamous cia officerturned traitor. A cia account of traitor aldrich ames and the men he betrayed by retired cia officers sandra grimes and jeanne vertefeuille. Aldrich ames continues to serve out his life sentence.
He was born on may 26, 1941, in river falls, wisconsin. Aldrich ames, according to this account by a team of new york times reporters, was an incompetent, officebound, alcoholic spy in the middle of an undistinguished career. Fbi snatched trash can to lift the lid on cia mole. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle. Following a closeddoor briefing by cia director deutch, senator specter, chairman of the senate intelligence committee and vice chairman kerrey talked with reporters about the damage to u. The failed abc mini series the assets comes to netflix. Feb 24, 1994 one of the burning questions in washington how could it have taken so long. Traitor within, is played here with twitchy serialkiller blandness by welsh actor paul rhys. It lasted just two episodes before it was yanked from the schedule because of historically low overnight ratings. The assets my name is aldrich ames tv episode 2014 imdb.