True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics True Spies Classic: The Boiling Frog | CIA
Feb 3, 2026
Jack Devine, a former senior CIA operations officer who ran major Cold War covert programs, recounts his first overseas post in 1971 Chile. He describes working to bolster opposition media and politics. Short scenes show how small interventions fueled mass protests, the buildup to Sept 11, 1973, and a rushed family evacuation amid tanks and air strikes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Shaping Conditions Can Trigger Change
- The CIA's Track One support helped create conditions that made a coup more likely without directly organising it.
- Jack stresses the agency backed opposition media and parties, which altered the political environment.
Small Investment, Big Protest
- Jack Devine recruited a grandmotherly asset who organised a large march after he gave her $800.
- He realised later that a small investment unleashed a mass protest he hadn't expected.
Use Clear, Direct Crisis Signals
- Avoid ambiguous coded messages when reporting urgent events like coups.
- Use clear, direct language and confirm details: when, where, who and how sure you are.
