Inside the FBI's Hunt for a Russian Mole | Wayne Barnes

We speak with retired FBI agent Wayne Barnes about his career in counterintelligence, from undercover work with the Black Panthers and a hidden Nixon assassination plot to debriefing Cold War defectors and recruiting Soviet intelligence officers. We also dig into his book A Traitor in the FBI, the hunt for a Russian mole inside the Bureau, and the tradecraft, deception, and lucky breaks that shaped the case.Grab Wayne's book "A Traitor in the FBI: The Hunt for a Russian Mole"https://a.co/d/06ffYkg0Find Wayne here:https://www.waynebarneswriting.com/Today's Sponsors:GhostBed ⬇️https://www.ghostbed.com/houseFOR 10% off! Stash ⬇️https://www.stash.com/HOUSE for 15% off your monthly subscription or 30% off your annual subscription.GLD ⬇️https://www.gld.com/code "teamhouse" for 40% your first orderQuince⬇️go to: https://www.quince.com/housefor free shipping and 365 day returns For ad free video and audio and access to live streams...JOIN OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouseTo help support the show and for all bonus content including:-live shows and asking guest questions -ad free audio and video-early access to shows-Access to ALL bonus segments with our guestsSubscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse___________________________________________________GRAB JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featuredJack Murphy's book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouseSocial Media: ⬇️The Team House Instagram:https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_linkThe Team House Twitter:https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePodJack’s Instagram:https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_linkJack’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21Team House Discord: ⬇️https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"00:00 — Start01:16 — Debriefing Cold War Defectors02:28 — Wayne Barnes’ Origin Story07:13 — Penn State, Villanova, and the Road to the FBI14:08 — Early FBI Career Before Quantico17:39 — The Undercover Black Panther Operation26:38 — The Compton Vetting Test29:52 — Bill Cosby, Backstopping, and the Cover Story31:23 — George H.W. Bush and the UN Recognition Play35:59 — The Hidden Nixon Assassination Plot39:22 — Debriefing Defectors and the CIA-FBI Divide42:49 — Ion Pacepa and the Romanian Intelligence Collapse45:33 — Courtship: CIA and FBI Working Together48:08 — Country Music, Cover Legends, and Recruiting Soviets53:06 — The FBI Mole Hunt Begins59:21 — The Mission: Get a Russian to Identify the Mole01:04:25 — Robert Hanssen, Breach, and What the Movie Missed01:07:03 — Setting the Stage at the Santa Monica Film Festival01:11:17 — Hollywood Help, Polly Platt, and Backstopping Ivan01:20:03 — Staging the First Visual Contact01:25:43 — Who “Ivan” Was and Why He Mattered01:28:58 — The Poolside Setup That Made Contact Possible01:35:35 — Why Cold Pitches Don’t Work01:42:24 — What Happened After Ivan Pointed Out the Photo01:48:38 — Brian Kelley, False Leads, and Dead Drop Maps01:52:52 — Why the Case Almost Disappeared01:58:23 — Robert Redford, Three Days of the Condor, and Real-World Fallout02:06:37 — What Spy Movies Get Wrong02:09:01 — A Traitor in the FBI and Final ThoughtsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.