Table Of ContentELLER
BBSTSB
NAL
NAT lG
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MYUfEASA
"Likable,readable,andfunny. .She's aformerspy
.
(and formerromantic) who takes the romance out
ofspyingandbrings some much-neededintelligence
to the Central IntelligenceAgency."—r-Pj^ O'Roi
—"Fascinating."
USA Today
MORA
LINDSAY
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2012
in
http://archive.org/details/blowingmycoverOOIind
"Conservatives worry about government bureaucracy. Liberals
worryaboutgovernmentspyagencies. Butthe redtapeandthe
blackops got together and had a bastard child, the CIA. Lind-
—
say Moran's book will worry everyone but in the most lik-
able, readable, and funnyway. . . . BlowingMy Coveris better
than Top Secret, it's true." P.J. O'Rourke, authorof
PeaceKillsand GiveWara Chance
"We've all read ofthe follies ofwar. Now, thanks to the sharp
and fun BlowingMy Cover, we're privy to the follies ofreal-life
American espionage. As they shadow, buck, and fight for one
another, Lindsay Moran and her fellow CIA recruits explode
not only bombs and cars, but myths, for, unlikeJames Bond,
thespiesherearebyturnsweepy, cool, klutzy, andnoble. Don't
miss the finale, where Moran herselfacts (as shewrites) in that
mostAmerican ofways: with fierce, inspiring independence."
—
DavidSchickler, authorof
SweetandViciousand KissinginManhattan
"Inthisfascinatingbook, LindsayMorandropshercloaktoof-
fer a rare first-person account ofthe life ofa street-level CIA
clandestine officer. From her secret training at 'The Farm' to
undercover assignments overseas, she uses a great amount of
wit, candor, and keen insight to show that the 'real' life ofa
CIAspy is far from that portrayed by Hollywood."
—
James Bamford, bestsellingauthorof
BodyofSecrets, ThePuzzlePalace,
andA PretextforWar:9/11, Iraq,
andtheAbuseofAmericasIntelligenceAgencies
Blowing
My Cover
MY LIFE AS A CIA SPY
Lindsay Mo ran
i:
ERKLEY BOOKS
NewYork
THEBERKLEYPUBLISHINGGROUP
PublishedbythePenguinGroup
PenguinGroup(USA)Inc.
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SouthAfrica
PenguinBooksLtd.,RegisteredOffices:80Strand,LondonWC2R0RL,England
ThematerialinthisbookhasbeenreviewedandapprovedbytheCIA.Thatreviewneitherconstitutes
CIAauthenticationofinformationnorimpliesCIAendorsementoftheauthor'sviews.
Somenamesofindividualshavebeenchangedbytheauthor.
Copyright©2005byLindsayMoranKegley
Coverdesign©2004RaquelJaramillo
Authorphoto©JamesKegley
BookdesignbyAmandaDewey
Allrightsreserved.
Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,scanned,ordistributedinanyprintedorelectronicformwithout
permission.Pleasedonotparticipateinorencouragepiracyofcopyrightedmaterialsinviolationofthe
author'srights.Purchaseonlyauthorizededitions.
BERKLEYisaregisteredtrademarkofPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.
The"B"designisatrademarkbelongingtoPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.
PRINTINGHISTORY
G.P.Putnam'sSonshardcoveredition/January2005
Berkleytradepaperbackedition/November2005
BerkleytradepaperbackISBN:0-425-20562-2
TheLibraryofCongresshascataloguedtheG.P.Putnam'sSonshardcovereditionasfollows:
Moran,Lindsay.
Blowingmycover:mylifeasaC.I.A.spy/LindsayMoran.
p. cm.
ISBN0-399-15239-3
— —
1.Moran,Lindsay. 2.Intelligenceagents UnitedStates Biography.
3.UnitedStates.CentralIntelligenceAgency. I.Title.
UB271.U52M67 2005 2004054461
327.1273'0092—dc22
[B]
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6
Forallthe men andwomen ofthe CIA, who continue
tostriveforexcellenceandtoserveourcountry,
despitetheobstaclesplacedin theirway
ONE
/am in a medicallaboratoryatthe CentralIntelligenceAgency,
—
waiting topee in a—cup. The sterility ofthe atmosphere here
everythingis white chills me to the bone. Iam slightlyhumili-
ated by the prospect ofa drug test, but I want thisjob badly
enough thatI'm willingtosubmitto it.
I'vejustfinishedanothertestin asoundproofchamber, raising
my righthandevery timeIhearashrillhigh-pitchedsound, not
unlike a dog whistle. One among the many things Imustprove
overthe nextfewdays is thatIam notdeaf Thesightandhear-
—
ingexamsprovide measurgingsenseofpride perhaps, likeone
ofthepioneer astronauts, Ipossess "The Right Stuff." The drug
test, on theotherhand,justmakes mefeellikea derelict.
"Whywouldyou wantto workforan organization thatdoesn't
—
LINDSAY MORAN
trustyoufrom theget-go?"my boyfriendhadaskedmeaboutthe
weekofscreeningrequiredin myquestto behiredbythe CIA.
"Drugtestsare normalforany numberofjobs,"Ipointedout.
"Yeah, but a lie-detector test is not,"he said, referring to the
polygraph, which willfollow in thecomingdays.
"
"Besuretoprovideenough urineto reach thedesignatedspot.
A Nurse Ratchetlook-alike with eyes the color ofa corpse hands
meaplastic cup whoseside has been markedhalfway up with a
thick blackslash.
Itake thecup andheadinto the restroom. Myeyesdartabout
the tiny chamberas Iwonder ifthe mirror is made oftwo-way
glass. Ifnot, whereisthehidden camera?Isiton thetoilet,plastic
cup in hand, andthinkabouthowIgotherein thefirstplace.
rive years earlier, I'd given the commencement speech at
—
my college graduation. I had concluded my in retrospect
sanctimonious talk by saying, "It is my hope that each ofus
will influence a particular community, and thatwe will do so
notby shouldering the expectations ofothers but by remain-
ing faithful, foremost, to ourselves."
The day after I made this speech, I sent my resume to the
Central Intelligence Agency. At the age of twenty-one, this
was mypersonal act offaithfulness.
Myfather, whoworkedfortheDefenseDepartmenthisen-
tire life, was certain the CIAwould nevertake me. "You're not
their type," he said. "They look for people who've been the
president oftheYoung Republicans Club."
