Stan interviews author and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) veteran Jack Devine. They talk about his memoir Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story.
Jack Devine served at the Central Intelligence Agency for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations – the head of all CIA spying operations. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story, which Bob Woodward called “a sophisticated, deeply informed account of real life in the real CIA that adds immeasurably to the public understanding of the espionage culture.” His life’s story is one of gripping intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering, and he was present at nearly every major CIA operation. The issues present in the news today – Russia/the Ukraine, Snowden, cyber security, China, the Middle East, and ISIS – are issues he spent his entire career working on, and his expertise in the intelligence community is highly sought after by top-tier media outlets.
He describes covert operations in colorful detail (though not disclosing still-classified information), and gives audiences a look behind the curtain at some of the agency’s most controversial entanglements, from Iran-contra to the covert war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. With a keen sense of humor, sharp wit, and enthralling tales of his life as a spymaster, Devine shares insights from the top of the intelligence community, offering a unique view of the latest in geopolitics, cyber security, homeland security, and international affairs. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities, Inc. speakers bureau, his presentation, which is not to be missed, is an unprecedented look into the clandestine world of the CIA and how it ties to current events around the world.
Jack Devine has had a storied career at the CIA. He ran Charlie Wilson’s War in Afghanistan, which was the largest covert action of the Cold War, and it was Devine who helped to push the Soviets out of Afghanistan with his decision to supply the mujahudeen with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. He oversaw the operation that brought down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, was in Chile when Allende fell, and tried to stop the Iran-Contra affair. He also tangled with Rick Ames, the KGB spy inside the CIA, and aided in the search for FBI mole Robert Hanssen. Devine later ran CIA stations in Latin America and Rome, headed the Counternarcotics Center, and eventually rose to become acting chief of the agency’s clandestine service. For his work, he received the agency’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal and several meritorious awards.
Devine is a recognized expert in intelligence matters and has written for the Washington Post, Financial Times, the Miami Herald, and the World Policy Journal. He has also made guest appearances on CBS, NBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg News, Fox News, Discovery, PBS, the History channels, and ABC Radio.
Devine is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he is the founding partner and president of The Arkin Group LLC, which is an international risk consulting and intelligence firm whose mission is to use strategic intelligence and prescient analysis to enable our clients to minimize risks and maximize payoffs when making critical business decisions. He also speaks Spanish and Italian.
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