# Dead Drops and Disguises - A Female CIA Officer in 1980s Moscow (441)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-war-conversations-vivid-compelling-the-ny-times-1014119/dead-drops-and-disguises-a-female-cia-officer-in-1980s-moscow-441
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-war-conversations-vivid-compelling-the-ny-times-1014119/dead-drops-and-disguises-a-female-cia-officer-in-1980s-moscow-441.md
Podcast: [Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times](https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-war-conversations-vivid-compelling-the-ny-times-1014119)
Published: 2026-01-31T00:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://coldwarconversations.com/episode441
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR6688476177.mp3?updated=1769810645
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cold-war-conversations-vivid-compelling-the-ny-times-1014119/episodes/dead-drops-and-disguises-a-female-cia-officer-in-1980s-moscow-441
Duration seconds: 2960

## Resource

I explore the remarkable journey of a CIA operations officer who transitioned from a quiet childhood in California to the thrilling world of espionage. What began as a joke application to the CIA turned into a life-changing opportunity. The episode delves into her rigorous training, including paramilitary courses that prepared her for the realities of fieldwork and thrilling stories from her time in Moscow during the late 1980s. Susan also gives tradecraft insights on surveillance techniques and the unique challenges faced by women in intelligence roles during that era. Episode extras ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode441 Part two here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode442 Help me preserve Cold War history via a simple monthly donation, You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠ CONTINUE THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION Follow us on BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Threads ⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠ Facebook ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠ Youtube ⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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