Sex, Lies and Women at the CIA
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Sex, Lies and Women at the CIA
Former senior CIA officer Laura Thomas joins this week's SpyTalk podcast
You may have seen yesterday’s bombshell story on sexual assaults of CIA women by their male bosses and so-called colleagues, which opened with a vivid, stomach-turning account of a woman accosted by a male officer trainee—a trainee!—in a stairwell at headquarters. In a very rare instance of a case emerging from the veil of CIA secrecy, Ashkan Bayatpour was arrested, prosecuted and convicted on a Virginia state misdemeanor charge of assault and battery, the A.P. reported. Many others have escaped justice, aided by the CIA.
“At least two-dozen women have come forward in recent months with their own complaints of abusive treatment within the CIA, telling authorities and Congress not only about sexual assaults, unwanted touching and coercion but of what they contend is a campaign by the spy agency to keep them from speaking out, with dire warnings it could wreck their careers and even endanger national security,” wrote AP reporters Jim Mustian and Joshua Goodwin. It’s an extraordinary—and upsetting—story.
As it turns out, we had already invited former CIA operations officer Laura Thomas to come on the SpyTalk podcast this week. Our interest was prompted by a piece she wrote recently on her Substack page entitled, “Espionage is a Man’s World: Sex, Lies and the CIA.” Timely, eh?
Do give it a listen—here on Apple, or wherever you usually listen to podcasts. And we’d love to hear back from you about it.
Until then, have a great late August weekend. We will—it’s the third anniversary of our launch in 2020. Hooray!
Sex, Lies and Women at the CIA
Colin Thompson's comments could, unfortunately, apply to most large bureaucracies. CIA's poor record traces all the way back to the shameful treatment of Virginia Hall after WW II in the early days of the Agency. An officer record of proven operational ability, the Agency kept her in desk jobs for the remainder of her career. The Army has its own problems. Claudia Kennedy, a former student of mine at the US Army Intelligence School and the first woman to achieve three star rank, was sexually harassed by another general officer in the Pentagon when she was the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence.
Ms. Thomas makes a number of valid remarks in the podcast as well as her Substack essay on female case officers in the CIA. There are many problems that need to be addressed, if not resolved, before these women can more fully contribute to the success of the CIA's mission. Problem is, this essay could have been written forty, even fifty, years ago. The major difference is that there were far fewer female officers back then. That's depressing. There should have been improvement, at least, but male dominance persists. Male bosses still chase female subordinates around desks. And there are still sexual assaults. Women are discriminated against in the same ways they always have been. Panels, studies, conferences by the dozens. All for nothing? That's even more depressing. Common sense has to prevail in operations, of course., and that will rule out the use of women in some situations, but only some. Otherwise, what a waste of talent. And don't get me started on the advancement of mediocrity. Or the inherent weaknesses in the promotion system. Or risk aversion. Or the Me Tarzan, You Jane syndrome. These are all old hat. In my opinion, the CIA lacks an institutional memory. Not to the extent that it keeps reinventing the wheel. There has to be a continuing plan--and effort-- to solve problems. Not simply to take a swipe at them and then push them aside when interest wanes or a greater priority arises.