A life of lies and spies : tales of a CIA covert ops polygraph interrogator / Alan B. Trabue.

Title :

A life of lies and spies : tales of a CIA covert ops polygraph interrogator

Author:

Trabue, Alan B.

Format:

Books

Summary:

"Alan Trabue chose a bizarre, dangerous way to make a living. In A Life of Lies and Spies, Trabue exposes the often perilous world of polygraphing foreign spies in support of CIA espionage programs. He recounts his incredible, true-life globe-trotting adventures, from his induction in the CIA in 1971 to directing the CIA's world-wide covert ops polygraph program. A Life of Lies and Spies brings readers into the high-stakes world of covert operations and the quest to uncover deceit, featuring a high-speed car chase, blown clandestine meetings, surreptitious room searches, tear-gassing by riot police, and confrontations with machine gun-armed soldiers. Liberally sprinkled with side anecdotes-such as debriefing an agent though a torturous swarm of mosquitoes in a jungle shack-Trabue's story highlights both the humor and the intrinsic danger of conducting CIA covert activities. Writing from a unique perspective framed by his uncommon longevity and broad experience, for which he was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal, Trabue's memoir unveils the CIA's use of polygraph and interrogation to validate recruited spies' bona fides and information obtained through their acts of espionage" --

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

1250065046

Physical Description:

xii, 304 pages ; 22 cm

Contents:

Ready, aim... -- Welcome to my world of lies and spies -- Destination: covert ops polygraph -- On the road -- Trying times -- Covert operations and polygraph process -- Thor at the door -- Poorly chosen test sites -- Tales of the unexpected -- The inebriated case officer -- Extreme nervousness -- Castro's buddy beats the box -- Mata Hari -- A failure to communicate -- The John Wayne impersonator -- The perilous world of espionage -- Security first -- Best laid plans -- One interpreter too many -- Keep a low profile -- Epilogue.

Subject:

Polygraph operators -- United States -- Biography.

Intelligence service -- United States.

Autobiographies.

Trabue, Alan B.

United States. Central Intelligence Agency -- Officials and employees -- Biography.

First Title value, for Searching:

A life of lies and spies : tales of a CIA covert ops polygraph interrogator / Alan B. Trabue.

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Summary

Alan Trabue chose a bizarre, dangerous way to make a living. In A Life of Lies and Spies, Trabue exposes the often perilous world of polygraphing foreign spies in support of CIA espionage programs. He recounts his incredible, true-life globe-trotting adventures, from his induction in the CIA in 1971 to directing the CIA's world-wide covert ops polygraph program.A Life of Lies and Spies brings readers into the high-stakes world of covert operations and the quest to uncover deceit, featuring a high-speed car chase, blown clandestine meetings, surreptitious room searches, tear-gassing by riot police, and confrontations with machine gun-armed soldiers. Liberally sprinkled with side anecdotes-such as debriefing an agent though a torturous swarm of mosquitoes in a jungle shack-Trabue's story highlights both the humor and the intrinsic danger of conducting CIA covert activities.Writing from a unique perspective framed by his uncommon longevity and broad experience, for which he was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal, Trabue's memoir unveils the CIA's use of polygraph and interrogation to validate recruited spies' bona fides and information obtained through their acts of espionage.

Author Notes

A second generation CIA officer, Alan Trabue traveled extensively in Central America, South America, the Far East, Southeast Asia and Europe interrogating foreign spies. For five years, he directed the CIA's world-wide covert ops polygraph program. He served as Director of the CIA Polygraph School for six years and as an adjunct instructor at the current federal polygraph school for eight years. He retired in 2011. He currently lives in Virginia.

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Memoir from a veteran of the arcane specialty of covert polygraph espionage interrogations. A second-generation CIA officer, Trabue served from 1971 to 2011, directing both the covert-ops polygraph program and the CIA Polygraph School. His longevity seems attributable to his restrained persona. As he emphasizes, he is no James Bond, averring instead that "the threat of arrest and incarceration was realthe gentleman's game of espionage was really an extremely serious enterprise." Yet, he was drawn to covert examinations for the chance to travel abroad, satisfying the wanderlust remaining from his years as an "Agency Brat," noting, "a childhood filled with foreign travel made me attractive to Polygraph Section management." Trabue's identification with the agency results in a circumspect account, even by genre standards. He steadfastly avoids identifying a single actual city or real-world case, relying on such obfuscations as "one of my favorite South American locationsa favorite for most visiting polygraph examiners." He credits the previous generation of Cold War veterans for instilling in him rigorous respect for operational security, given that covert examination involves secretly bringing together the traveling examiner, the CIA case officer, the asset, and a 25-pound polygraph machine in safe houses in often hostile environments. Much of the text explores this basic challenge with anecdotal narratives, which become repetitive, although Trabue's presentation of tradecraft, such as avoiding surveillance or utilizing hotels discreetly, feels authentic. Instead of historical narrative, the author focuses more on the psychological implications of his trade's intricate probing of the human condition: "Whatever illegal activity people can do has been discussed during CIA polygraph tests." He emphasizes that his interrogations veered far from heavy-handed noir cliches: "The goal was always to snatch the information out of the examinee's back pocket without his knowledge through the use of persuasive and rational arguments." An avuncular account of a life spent uncovering deception for the CIA. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

A second-generation CIA employee, Trabue spent four decades with the agency, most of it with the polygraph division. The use and accuracy of this technique is controversial within the intelligence community. Most of this book is about the author's many missions abroad to conduct tests on foreign agents and employees in the field, to try to assess their truthfulness and the value of their information. This could be nerve-racking as the local security services weren't always friendly and case officers weren't always professional; Trabue survived some dangerous moments. He makes this a personal story, with some generalized details as to cases, tradecraft, and how the process of conducting these examinations actually worked, and doesn't dwell on policies or bureaucratic politics. As often happens with the art of intelligence work, success boils down to the experience and skills of the individual, plus a little luck, although even the veterans can be fooled sometimes. Effective training, which Trabue enjoyed, is key to providing a solid foundation to doing these jobs. VERDICT For anyone interested in spy operations and the use of lie detectors.-Daniel Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Acknowledgments	p. xi
1 Ready, Aim...	p. 1
2 Welcome to My World of Lies and Spies	p. 8
3 Destination: Covert Ops Polygraph	p. 15
4 On the Road	p. 32
5 Trying Times	p. 52
6 Covert Operations and the Polygraph Process	p. 68
7 Thor at the Door	p. 91
8 Poorly Chosen Test Sites	p. 104
9 Tales of the Unexpected	p. 124
10 The Inebriated Case Officer	p. 135
11 Extreme Nervousness	p. 145
12 Castro's Buddy Beats the Box	p. 166
13 Mata Hari	p. 175
14 A Failure to Communicate	p. 186
15 The John Wayne Impersonator	p. 206
16 The Perilous World of Espionage	p. 217
17 Security Eirst	p. 236
18 Best Laid Plans	p. 262
19 One Interpreter Too Many	p. 275
20 Keep a Low Profile	p. 287
Epilogue	p. 302

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Kirkus Review

Library Journal Review

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