The Moscow Rules; The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War

Mendez, Antonio and Mendez, Jonna with Baglio, Matt

ISBN 10: 1541762193 / ISBN 13: 9781541762190

Published by PublicAffairs May 2019, New York, 2019

About this Item

xiii, [1], 238, [10] pages. Author's Note. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Signed by co-author Jonna Mendez on the title page. Jonna Mendez (née Hiestand; born 1945) is an American former technical operations officer, photo operations officer, and chief of disguise for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In the CIA, Mendez lived under cover and served tours of duty in Europe, the Far East, the Subcontinent, and at CIA Headquarters. In the 1970's, she joined the Office of Technical Service and worked overseas with a specialty in clandestine photography. She was assigned to Denied Area Operations for disguise in 1986. This took her to the most difficult and hostile operating areas in the world where she and her colleagues matched wits with the overwhelming forces of the KGB in Moscow, the Stasi in East Germany and the Cuban DGI. During her tenure as Chief of Disguise, she met with President George H. W. Bush in a mask disguise, which she removed in the meeting to demonstrate the effectiveness of the art of disguise. After retiring from the CIA in 1993, Mendez and her husband served on the board of directors for the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. They were both involved in the museum planning and design. Antonio Joseph Mendez (November 15, 1940 - January 19, 2019) was an American technical operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who specialized in support of clandestine and covert CIA operations. He wrote four memoirs about his CIA experiences. He was not alive when this work was published, so the only author signature possible was that of Jonna Mendez. From the spymaster and inspiration for the movie Argo: how a group of brilliant but under-supported CIA operatives developed breakthrough spy tactics that helped turn the tide of the Cold War. Antonio Mendez and his future wife Jonna were CIA operatives working to spy on Moscow in the late 1970s, at one of the most dangerous moments in the Cold War. Soviets kept files on all foreigners, studied their patterns, and tapped their phones. Intelligence work was effectively impossible. The Soviet threat loomed larger than ever. The Moscow Rules tells the story of the intelligence breakthroughs that turned the odds in America's favor. As experts in disguise, Antonio and Jonna were instrumental in developing a series of tactics--Hollywood-inspired identity swaps, ingenious evasion techniques, and an armory of James Bond-style gadgets--that allowed CIA officers to outmaneuver the KGB. As Russia again rises in opposition to America, this remarkable story is a tribute to those who risked everything for their country, and to the ingenuity that allowed them to succeed. First Edition [Stated]. Third printing [stated]. Seller Inventory # 86706

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Moscow Rules; The Secret CIA Tactics ...

Publisher: PublicAffairs May 2019, New York

Publication Date: 2019

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very good

Signed: Signed by Author(s)

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

From the spymaster and inspiration for the movie Argo: how a group of brilliant but under-supported CIA operatives developed breakthrough spy tactics that helped turn the tide of the Cold War
Antonio Mendez and his future wife Jonna were CIA operatives working to spy on Moscow in the late 1970s, at one of the most dangerous moments in the Cold War. Soviets kept files on all foreigners, studied their patterns, and tapped their phones. Intelligence work was effectively impossible. The Soviet threat loomed larger than ever.
The Moscow Rules tells the story of the intelligence breakthroughs that turned the odds in America's favor. As experts in disguise, Antonio and Jonna were instrumental in developing a series of tactics--Hollywood-inspired identity swaps, ingenious evasion techniques, and an armory of James Bond-style gadgets--that allowed CIA officers to outmaneuver the KGB.
As Russia again rises in opposition to America, this remarkable story is a tribute to those who risked everything for their country, and to the ingenuity that allowed them to succeed.

About the Author:

Antonio (Tony) Mendez served in the CIA for twenty-five years and is a highly decorated CIA officer, one of the top fifty officers in its first fifty years. He received the Intelligence Star for Valor for the ARGO operation, the story of which was told in the 2013 movie of the same name. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling Argo, The Master of Disguise, and Spy Dust.

Jonna Mendez is a former Chief of Disguise with over twenty-five years of experience as a CIA officer working in Moscow and other sensitive areas. She participated in a number of training exercises, along with Tony, which ultimately led to the codification of the rules. She co-wrote Spy Dust with her husband about their shared experience in Moscow during the twilight of the Cold War. Often cited for their expertise in the field, Jonna and Tony are both much sought-after speakers and consultants.

Matt Baglio is the bestselling author who previously worked with Tony on Argo, and is also the author of The Rite.