Sellout: Aldrich Ames and the Corruption of the CIA

by James Adams

On February 21, 1994, Aldrich H. Ames and his wife, Rosario, were arrested outside their home in Alexandria, Virginia, by the FBI. It was the end of the largest spy hunt in history and the beginning of one of the worst disasters ever to hit the CIA. As the investigators soon learned, never before had one man done so much damage to his country as Aldrich Ames did to U.S. intelligence and security during his nine years of spying for the Russians. Sellout by James Adams, the Washington bureau chief of the London Sunday Times and a renowned expert on intelligence issues, chronicles the Ames story in gripping, page-turning detail. Sellout is the story of a man destined for failure. Rick Ames entered the Agency at age twenty-three and soon distinguished himself for his lack of ability: he couldn't recruit sources, left top-secret papers on the subway, and as the years went by, was more often drunk on the job than not. Yet he survived and even flourished within the CIA.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Espionage, Politics

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Library of Congress Authorities: Adams, James, 1951-

Journalist ; Narrator
(CEO of UPI, formerly the Washington Bureau Chief, defense correspondent for the London Sunday Times)
(Narrator James Adams is one of the world's leading authorities on terrorism and intelligence)

Reviews

[G.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed. Gripping tale. I did skim the last few chapters describing what happened once he and his wife Rosario were caught. It should have been easy to spot their wild spending but he carried on selling lives to the Russians for years.

The last chapters became a summary of the government’s attempt to prevent this happening again. Not sure what impact that attempt had.

This book was particularly interesting to me because Ames lived just a few miles away from me when he operated out of Virginia. I am familiar with many of the dead drop locations, where he would communicate with the Russians by leaving an item or a mark. I have driven by those spots.

I had not realized the extent of his spending. It seemed as though he and his wife had a significant compulsion or disorder. She had an insatiable desire for gold necklaces and bracelets, only settling for the best. The housekeeper noted that she seldom returned home without a shopping bag, generally from the upscale Tyson's shopping mall. He, on the other hand, indulged in expensive cars and watches and similar luxuries. When people questioned their lavish spending, they claimed that Rosaria came from a wealthy family and they were using the family's money. A simple investigation would have revealed the falsehood, but it was too late by the time the FBI and CIA reached that point with him.

These breaches of security inevitably cost lives, as part of Ames' betrayal involved revealing the names of people spying for the US.

Intriguing to see the psychology, although hers is easier to understand. She found out about her husband's deceit late in the game and got on board in part because she thought she was protecting family. But they both ended up losing everything.

[Mandy Walkden-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling read. Well written.

It's a couple of decades since I last read this eye-opening book that adroitly delves into the failures within the CIA that allowed Aldrich Ames to create such havoc. Thought it well past time for a reread.

I think I might be even more shocked this time around by the distinctly hamfisted search for a mole within the CIA during the 1980s and early 90s. Mind-boggling amateur lack of basic investigatory principles.

Fluent précis of events leading up to Ames' perfidy and traitorous behaviour. Shocking lack of intelligent (ironic) assessment of what or who was ultimately responsible for the almost clean-sweep rolling up of CIA sources within the Soviet Union in 1985/86.

Disappointingly, I think the same old Intelligence intra-Agency obstructionism still exists. The US Intellegence community is still sadly lacking in the field of HUMINT. On the surface, little appears to have changed. Certainly, the impact of 9/11/2001 demonstrated the gulf in intelligence sharing still existent.

Would be interesting to know if any of the suggested changes by various investigating organs post-Ames debacle have ever actually been implemented. My guess? Probably not ...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, although it goes a little long in its future reforms section. At this point (27 years after first publication in 1995), most of that seems moot as there has undoubtedly been so much restructuring and changes in policy and appropriations since then.

I do find it ironic and rather funny that Adams goes so easy on the FBI. Six years after publication of this book, Robert Hanssen of the FBI was arrested for espionage that went back to 1979. He and Ames unwittingly raced each other to provide information to the Russians while both of their organizations pointed fingers at one another and refused to look inward.

The author's acknowledgement of sexism within the CIA before the age of Me Too, on the other hand, was actually prescient.

While acknowledging that crucial information on military and technology was provided to the U.S. (thus making the case that there is SOME point to espionage and that those Ames years weren't a total waste), this book paints the world of James Bond as little more than an impotent, incompetent, and, frankly, embarrassing game played by overgrown boys. Unfortunately, the many lives lost due to Ames betrayal makes it clear that this game has very serious consequences and Adams doesn't forget that.

Overall, I think it's worth a read, although to really appreciate the stakes at hand, I'd recommend that people first read Oleg Gordievsky's Next Stop Execution which was published the same year (so it wasn't used as a source here).

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is worth reading purely for its accounts of breathtaking incompetence. Large institutions like the CIA are so complex they defy managerial laws. The writing style is pleasant; it reads like a modern day spy story, with Ames being the anti-James Bond except for the alcoholism part which they have in common. I especially enjoyed the part where the author not only wrote two paragraphs about Ames' impotence, but also got leading psychologists to opine about possible causes for it. Another standout was the few paragraphs towards the end that describe all the debauchery that CIA officers get up to

[Gleyson Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very complete review of teu Aldrich Ames case. It not only tells the story, but goes far back to give context, relates to other important spy cases, like the Oleg Gordievsky case (which have another great book) and finishes with a high level analysis of the intelligence scenario in the United States.

It may get boring some times (mostly at the start and ending).

Anyway, it was a very detailed research and gives all possible details you might want (even the specific locations of the "dead drops" for communication with the KGB)

[Jane Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spy Story

This was an interesting book, though I didn't understand all of the nuaces. It gave a complete picture of the damagedone by Ames ad the reasons he was able to get away with it. I learned about the intelligence business and how it works.

[ENRIQUE E COTES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding reading !!!

Great book on the treason on CIA agent Aldrich Ames in the 1980s and 1990s. This is the kind of book that you cannot put down. I highly recommend "Sell Out ....." by James Adams

[Madhatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history of Ames betrayal and the CIA culture that enabled it.

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guilty!!! The drunk and his wife should have been found out years ago!

[Lennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses Aldrich Ames, a CIA agent who spied for Russia for nine years and sold them top secret information. He was eventually arrested on February 21,1994. I enjoyed reading this book and I thought the author did a good job writing about the events that led to his arrest.

[G Ream · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative - I enjoyed reading how a 'normal' guy gets sucked into espionage.