Code name Blue Wren : the true story of America's most dangerous female spy--and the sister she betrayed

Title:

Author:

Summary:

"Like spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen before her, Ana Montes blindsided her colleagues with brazen acts of treason. For nearly 17 years, Montes succeeded in two high-stress jobs. By day, she was one of the government's top Cuba experts, a buttoned-down GS-14 with shockingly easy access to classified documents. By night, she was on the clock for Fidel Castro, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig. In Code Name Blue Wren, investigative journalist Jim Popkin weaves the tale of two sisters who chose two very different paths, plus the unsung heroes who had to fight to bring Ana to justice."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The world's worst sorority -- Topeka -- The hothouse -- Stevie Wonder and chocolate chip cookies -- The cauldron -- "Our native land calls to us" -- "A sense of moral outrage" -- "A rich array of targets" -- Headed for a collision -- Destination Havana -- Miami vice -- A warrior monk deep within the bureaucracy -- Death of a green beret -- Surrounded -- A meteoric rise -- Spying gets lonely -- Royal flush -- The Kmart security guard -- The interview -- "One of the most damaging spies" -- Bottoming out -- "A limited capacity" -- The seventh floor -- La otra -- McCoy -- Warming up the ice queen -- Grip and grin -- Scott and Gator -- "We're going to war" -- Full field -- Confiding in Robert Hanssen -- Snuck in like ninjas -- A manatí farewell -- Out of time -- The immaculate confession -- Your sister is a spy -- "All the world is one country" -- Escape to Sweden -- "A psychological hell" -- "You are a coward" -- Release.

Physical Description:

351 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Genre:

True crime stories.

Biographies.

Personal Subject:

Montes, Ana Belen.

Corporate Subject:

United States. Defense Intelligence Agency -- Officials and employees -- Biography.

United States. Defense Intelligence Agency.

Subject Term:

Spies -- Biography.

Moles (Spies) -- Biography.

Espionage, Cuban -- History -- 20th century.

Espionage, Cuban -- History -- 21st century.

Publisher:

Hanover Square Press,

Publication Date:

2023

ISBN:

9781335449887

Publication Information:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Hanover Square Press, [2023]

Call Number:

327.12 POPKIN

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003602755	Adult Nonfiction	327.12 POPKIN	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

*An Amazon Best Book of 2023*

*Apple Book of the Month for January*

The incredible true story of Ana Montes, the most damaging female spy in US history, drawing upon never-before-seen material and to be published upon her release from prison, for readers of Agent Sonya and A Woman of No Importance.

Just days after the 9-11 attacks, a senior Pentagon analyst eased her red Toyota Echo into traffic and headed to work. She never saw the undercover cars tracking her every turn. As she settled into her cubicle on the 6th floor of the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, FBI Agents and twitchy DIA officers were hiding in nearby offices. For this was the day that Ana Montes--the US Intelligence Community superstar who had just won a prestigious fellowship at the CIA--was to be arrested and publicly exposed as a secret agent for Cuba.

Like spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen before her, Ana Montes blindsided her colleagues with brazen acts of treason. For nearly 17 years, Montes succeeded in two high-stress jobs. By day, she was one of the government's top Cuba experts, a buttoned-down GS-14 with shockingly easy access to classified documents. By night, she was on the clock for Fidel Castro, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig.

Montes didn't just deceive her country. Her betrayal was intensely personal. Her mercurial father was a former US Army Colonel. Her brother and sister-in-law were FBI Special Agents. And her only sister, Lucy, also worked her entire career for the Bureau. The highlight of her distinguished 31 years as a Miami-based language specialist: Helping the FBI flush Cuban spies out of the United States. Little did Lucy or her family know that the greatest Cuban spy of all was sitting right next to them at Thanksgivings, baptisms, and weddings.

In Code Name Blue Wren, investigative journalist Jim Popkin weaves the tale of two sisters who chose two very different paths, plus the unsung heroes who had to fight to bring Ana to justice. With exclusive access to a "Secret" CIA behavioral profile of Ana, family memoirs, and Ana's incriminating letters from prison, Popkin reveals the making of a traitor--a woman labelled "one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history" by America's top counter-intelligence official.

After more than two decades in federal prison, Montes will be freed in January 2023. Code Name Blue Wren is a thrilling detective tale, an insider's look at the clandestine world of espionage, and an intimate exploration of the dark side of betrayal.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Investigative journalist Popkin's engrossing debut tells the story of Ana Montes, an intelligence analyst for the U.S. government who, probably before she joined the Defense Intelligence Agency in 1985, was spying for Cuba. In 1998, the efforts of her sister, Lucy, an FBI analyst, to bring down a Cuban spy ring in Miami led to clues about a highly placed U.S. citizen working for Cuba. The FBI and DIA spent more than two years investigating, but came up short due to a lack of cooperation between the agencies. It wasn't until they finally shared information that they identified the spy as Montes. She was arrested 10 days after 9/11, which explains the lack of headlines her capture received. Montes pleaded guilty to one count of espionage, receiving 25 years in prison. Popkin thoroughly explores her upbringing--an abusive father divorced her mother--but never really explains why she became an ardent supporter of Fidel Castro to the extent that she risked her high-level position at the DIA and ultimately her freedom. This is a must-read for espionage fans. Agent: Matt Latimer, Javelin. (Jan.)

Library Journal Review

A high-up at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Ana Montes spent 17 years sharing U.S. intelligence secrets with the Cuban government, who then sold them to countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran. She was arrested shortly after 9/11, and among those who felt most keenly betrayed was her sister Lucy, a veteran FBI agent who won awards for helping to unmask Cuban spies. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Introduction	13
Chapter 1 The World's Worst Sorority	19
Chapter 2 Topeka	23
Chapter 3 The Hothouse	31
Chapter 4 Stevie Wonder and Chocolate Chip Cookies	39
Chapter 5 The Cauldron	53
Chapter 6 "Our Native Land Calls to Us"	63
Chapter 7 "A Sense of Moral Outrage"	71
Chapter 8 "A Rich Array of Targets"	83
Chapter 9 Headed for a Collision	93
Chapter 10 Destination Havana	95
Chapter 11 Miami Vice	105
Chapter 12 A Warrior Monk Deep within the Bureaucracy	111
Chapter 13 Death of a Green Beret	117
Chapter 14 Surrounded	123
Chapter 15 A Meteoric Rise	129
Chapter 16 Spying Gets Lonely	133
Chapter 17 Royal Flush	141
Chapter 18 The Kmart Security Guard	147
Chapter 19 The Interview	151
Chapter 20 "One of the Most Damaging Spies"	157
Chapter 21 Bottoming Out	171
Chapter 22 "A Limited Capacity"	177
Chapter 23 The Seventh Floor	185
Chapter 24 La Otra	189
Chapter 25 McCoy	197
Chapter 26 Warming Up the Ice Queen	205
Chapter 27 Grip and Grin	209
Chapter 28 Scott and Gator	213
Chapter 29 "We're Going to War"	217
Chapter 30 Full Field	225
Chapter 31 Confiding in Robert Hanssen	233
Chapter 32 Snuckln like Ninjas	239
Chapter 33 A Manati Farewell	247
Chapter 34 Out of Time	251
Chapter 35 The Immaculate Confession	257
Chapter 36 Your Sister Is a Spy	263
Chapter 37 "All the World Is One Country"	271
Chapter 38 Escape to Sweden	281
Chapter 39 "A Psychological Hell"	289
Chapter 40 "You Are a Coward"	297
Chapter 41 Release	301
Epilogue	303
Author's Note	307
Endnotes	315
Index	339

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents