Spies Next Door! 3 Stories of Espionage and Counterintelligence in Arlington VA

Arlington County Government
Arlington County Government
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Published 2014-05-13
One does not think of Arlington, VA as an exotic center of international espionage and intrigue. But this quiet suburban neighbor of the nation's capital has played an intriguing role -- for good and ill -- in the modern-day struggle between spy and counter-spy.

Encore Learning and Arlington TV present a talk by Dr. David Robarge, chief historian of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Dr. Robarge's stories range from that of Arlington Hall, where the Army Signals Intelligence unit cracked parts of the Soviet intelligence code after WWII to James Angleton, whose obsession with a "mole" in the CIA destroyed careers and led to his own downfall, and Aldrich Ames, the most destructive spy in CIA history, whose treason led to the deaths of ten clandestine American sources inside the Soviet Union.

These tales tell of genius and betrayal, dogged detective work and missed opportunities, and intelligence success and failure in Arlington.

Dr. Robarge has also worked in the CIA Counterterrorism Center and in the Directorate of Intelligence as an analyst on Palestine and Iraq. His articles and book reviews have appeared in the CIA's in-house journal "Studies in Intelligence," "Intelligence and National Security" and the "Journal of Intelligence History." Dr. Robarge holds a Ph.D. in American history from Columbia University and has taught United States intelligence history at George Mason University.
All Comments (21)
  • @stevehartman1730
    My older brother was Naval intel codebreaker 81/2 yrs very deeply involved in serving our Nations Defense. Thats bout all i know. He died in 2001 miss him. In 1968 he told Mom we think we have a mole. Noone would ever think he was anything more than a Navy Seaman.
  • @armytc86
    They will never tell the real complete truth of how things work, unless your in the circle. They say what they think you want too hear.
  • @deoglemnaco7025
    My daddy was a spy who then died in death row. Although he was a traitor to the USA as well as being a sexual criminal, he never lost sight of his love for me. I miss you dad and I will see you in heaven.
  • @chief1960
    Follow the money all of it, an accountant is very smart and the credit report tells it all. It is all done now for money Period great program.
  • @ronbyrd1616
    When this govt doesnt recognize honor in its citizens affairs, e.g. individual or marriage/divorce , why would it expect honor in govt affairs? Most state laws now read "conduct is not an issue in matters of divorce". I personally hold this govt in contempt, and now view this as my country but not my government .
  • @robertkerr3059
    I wonder how many spooks were on the committee that ok`d this version, certainly cant be the good doctor deciding what to pedal one would think
  • @ronbyrd1616
    Then there are those that are caught and then there are those who aren't and the ones we dont know about. Also, a virtually open border for more than 2 decades could mean..!
  • @taylorj6177
    Didn't they discover years later that it was in fact Angleton himself that was the mole... Was discussed in 2019 book Talking with Strangers
  • @willieboy3011
    Excellent program. Considering President Roosevelt's love of socialism and his socialist programs that he began, the utter infiltration of his administration, and his behaviour at Yalta; One cannot but speculate whether there was information implicating Roosevelt, in betraying Eastern Europe and the west by givcing away this to the USSR. Considering his admiration for socialism, did President Roosevelt look the other way or deemphize examination of CPUSA or communist sympathsizers under his administration that led to the saturation of his administration by SOVIET spies?
  • @justinhaase8825
    Government: What if we put all the important people in one area such as the DC area to simplify life for foreign actors…we have an entire country but it’s all family here in NoVA/MD/DC… So smart they don’t even recognize their biggest flaws.