We speak with retired FBI agent Wayne Barnes about his career in counterintelligence, from undercover work with the Black Panthers and a hidden Nixon assassination plot to debriefing Cold War defectors and recruiting Soviet intelligence officers. We also dig into his book A Traitor in the FBI, the hunt for a Russian mole inside the Bureau, and the tradecraft, deception, and lucky breaks that shaped the case. Grab Wayne's book "A Traitor in the FBI: The Hunt for a Russian Mole" https://a.co/d/06ffYkg0 Find Wayne here: https://www.waynebarneswriting.com/ Today's Sponsors: GhostBed ⬇️ https://www.ghostbed.com/house FOR 10% off! Stash ⬇️ https://www.stash.com/HOUSE for 15% off your monthly subscription or 30% off your annual subscription. GLD ⬇️ https://www.gld.com/ code "teamhouse" for 40% your first order Quince⬇️ go to: https://www.quince.com/house for free shipping and 365 day returns For ad free video and audio and access to live streams... JOIN OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse To help support the show and for all bonus content including: -live shows and asking guest questions -ad free audio and video -early access to shows -Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse ___________________________________________________ GRAB JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/ Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured Jack Murphy's book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/ Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️ https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse Social Media: ⬇️ The Team House Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link The Team House Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod Jack’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link Jack’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21 Team House Discord: ⬇️ https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6 "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio" 00:00 — Start 01:16 — Debriefing Cold War Defectors 02:28 — Wayne Barnes’ Origin Story 07:13 — Penn State, Villanova, and the Road to the FBI 14:08 — Early FBI Career Before Quantico 17:39 — The Undercover Black Panther Operation 26:38 — The Compton Vetting Test 29:52 — Bill Cosby, Backstopping, and the Cover Story 31:23 — George H. W. Bush and the UN Recognition Play 35:59 — The Hidden Nixon Assassination Plot 39:22 — Debriefing Defectors and the CIA-FBI Divide 42:49 — Ion Pacepa and the Romanian Intelligence Collapse 45:33 — Courtship: CIA and FBI Working Together 48:08 — Country Music, Cover Legends, and Recruiting Soviets 53:06 — The FBI Mole Hunt Begins 59:21 — The Mission: Get a Russian to Identify the Mole 01:04:25 — Robert Hanssen, Breach, and What the Movie Missed 01:07:03 — Setting the Stage at the Santa Monica Film Festival 01:11:17 — Hollywood Help, Polly Platt, and Backstopping Ivan 01:20:03 — Staging the First Visual Contact 01:25:43 — Who “Ivan” Was and Why He Mattered 01:28:58 — The Poolside Setup That Made Contact Possible 01:35:35 — Why Cold Pitches Don’t Work 01:42:24 — What Happened After Ivan Pointed Out the Photo 01:48:38 — Brian Kelley, False Leads, and Dead Drop Maps 01:52:52 — Why the Case Almost Disappeared 01:58:23 — Robert Redford, Three Days of the Condor, and Real-World Fallout 02:06:37 — What Spy Movies Get Wrong 02:09:01 — A Traitor in the FBI and Final Thoughts Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss.
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