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Whether it was the cause or a coincidence, since the publication of Tim Weiner’s New York Times bestselling book on espionage, The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century, 16 Central Intelligence Agency officers mentioned within its pages have had their top-secret clearances revoked by the Trump administration.
That was one of the eye-openers imparted by Weiner as he shared the Van Metre Hall stage with National Public Radio national security correspondent Greg Myre during the September 9 forum hosted by George Mason University’s Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security at Mason Square in Arlington, Virginia.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Weiner shared untold insights and revelations of the Agency, quoting more than 100 current and former CIA officials.
“Very few people said ‘no’,” Weiner said when describing how he wrote what is considered the most detailed account of the past 25 years of the CIA. Throughout his career Weiner had opportunities to interview top operatives, including Tom Sylvester, deputy director of the CIA for operations, and share their stories with the public.
The exclusive discussion between Weiner and Myre brought more than 150 in-person attendees and some 120 viewers virtually via livestream. The discussion was opened by Schar School of Policy and Government professor Ellen Laipson, director of the Master of International Security program.
Recording of the event is available at the Hayden Center YouTube channel at this website.
Freely (apparently) discussing everything from the war in Afghanistan to the 9/11 attacks and a nuclear threat from Pakistan, Weiner was not afraid to make somewhat brazen political statements. With the current administration in power in the United States, he said, “the world and the situation is as dangerous as it was in the months and years leading up to the 9/11 attacks.”
When discussing one of the global intelligence efforts at this time—Russia’s war in Ukraine—Weiner confirmed the CIA’s presence on Ukraine’s soil since the start of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In 2022, CIA officers conducted a unique operation penetrating the Kremlin and stealing war plans, which were eventually shared with NATO leadership.
“Usually when the CIA steals a huge secret, it does not tell the world about it,” he said. But this one had ”an immediate, electrifying, galvanizing effect” among NATO nations.
“The CIA has been crucial to survival of Ukraine since 2014, which is now in doubt,” he warned.
Myre remarked after the event that the opportunity to speak with an intelligence reporter on a stage was unique.
“Tim Weiner has been covering the CIA for nearly 40 years, which gives him an incredibly deep understanding of the agency,” he said.
The discussion was followed by a question-and-answer session from the audience, primarily led by first-year students in the Schar School, eager to ask questions of an intelligence expert.
Katherine Shatokhin, a technology policy concentration student, asked Weiner about the fast-paced field of artificial intelligence development and its effects on intelligence community work.
“He reassured me that [AI] cannot replace humans and their power,” Shatokhin said, inspiring her to work toward integrating the helpful tools of AI in the intelligence work while sustaining human leadership in the field.
Government and International Politics (GVIP) freshman Harris Barker, a member of the Schar School’s First-Year Democracy Lab Learning Community, reflected on the discussion.
“He was very transparent,” Barker said of Weiner, “and you don’t get that a lot today, especially in intelligence.”