The Jordan Harbinger Show 1028: Jonna Mendez | The Moscow Rules (Redux)
Aug 8, 2024
Jonna Mendez, former chief of disguise at the CIA, shares thrilling insights from her Cold War experiences in Moscow. She discusses the unique challenges faced by spies under constant surveillance and the cunning tactics used to evade detection, including lifelike masks and pop-up dummies. Jonna also reflects on the CIA's innovative recruitment of artists and the evolution of disguise techniques over the decades. Through her captivating stories, she highlights the resilience of operatives navigating the high-stakes world of espionage.
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The Embrace of Surveillance
- Jonna Mendez describes the intense, constant surveillance CIA operatives faced in Moscow during the Cold War.
- This led to the creation of "Moscow Rules," specific tactics for operating under such scrutiny.
Control and Surveillance
- The KGB's tight surveillance was possible because of the lack of freedom in Soviet society.
- This allowed them to allocate vast resources to monitoring, which is impossible in free societies.
Bugged Embassy
- The US embassy in Moscow was riddled with bugs, even in the foundation, due to the Soviets' involvement in construction.
- This forced the US to rebuild the embassy, highlighting a security failure.
