Anna Montes 'the most damaging female spy in US history'

For nearly 17 years, Montes was one of the government's top Cuba experts, with easy access to classified documents. By night, she was working for Fidel Castro's Cuba, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig.

0:00 Introduction to Anna Montes and her spying activities

10:15 Anna Montes' radicalization and move to Washington

18:10 Anna's trip to Cuba and her spy training

26:12 Anna's entry into the DIA and her unique method of passing information

33:14 Anna's communication methods with Cuba and her siblings joining the FBI

42:01 Colleagues' perception of Anna and her personality changes

49:37 The FBI's success in Cuban counterintelligence operations and suspicions about Anna

54:42 Agent S's identity and the investigation into Agent S

1:02:19 Building the case against Ana Montes and the evidence found

1:07:20 Ana Montes' promotion, arrest, and prosecution

1:15:22 Anna Montes' unapologetic stance and her sentence

1:18:08 Jim's book: Code Name Blue Ren

1:19:07 Cold War Conversations Facebook Group and store promotions

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[sportiboye]

Ana Montes was a woman of conscience who finally recoiled at the US State Department's bullying of the Cubans, who largely welcomed the literacy and health-care that the 1959 revolution brought. The vindictiveness of the 50 yr. crippling embargo that keeps the country poor and constantly compromised doesn't seem to bother you one bit. Thomas Plagemann * SF, CA

[petelapp]

Happy to sit down with you to discuss Ana when my book, Queen of Cuba, comes out in the fall.

[greenturtle]

Please consider speaking with Pete Lapp about this story

[MicaiahBaron]

Allying with South American rebels to fight back against Reagan era Imperialism is peak life goals.

[gerberjoanne]

Popkin mentioned that the poverty Ana Montes saw in Cuba didn't disillusion her with regard to the Castro regime. I think that a lot of left-wing supporters of the regime reasoned that the poverty was due to the US embargo. But for the embargo, Cuba would have been doing much better. Strange, I think, because a lot of countries, including Western countries, continued trading with Cuba, and the country was receiving tons of aid from the USSR.

[juicyfruit]

She should have been exposed a long time ago - the signs were there. You always have to scrutinize the "expert" of a country while working in the intelligence field. They gave her too much leadway in the agency simply because she "looked the part." The same with Aldrich Ames; what GG-13 buys a 700, 000 dollar house in cash, new cars, jewelry, new suits, private schools etc - and ZERO income inherited on bank statements??? When they searched her home, they found the commuications gear with the Cubans - how sloppy is an agent to openly keep her materials in her apartment to be easily found?

[davidoffice]

THERE ARE NO RULES ITS JUST EXPECTATIONS WRITTEN ON PAPER.... ALL SIDES ARE SEEKING THEIR INTEREST