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"AFIO NOW" Interview Series — Released exclusively to members...

The true story of the father and son co-conspirators who deceived their country by selling national secrets to Russia.

Released 18 January 2022

Bryan Denson
author of "The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia"

Interview of Monday, 10 January 2022 of Bryan Denson, author of the 2015 book "The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia": Host/Interviewer: James Hughes, AFIO President, a former CIA Operations Officer.

TOPIC: Bryan Denson tells the riveting story of the Nicholsons—father and son co-conspirators who deceived their country by selling national secrets to Russia. Jim Nicholson [Harold James Nicholson] was one of the CIA's top veteran case officers. By day, he taught spycraft at the CIA's clandestine training center, The Farm. By night, he was a minivan-driving single father racing home to have dinner with his kids. But Nicholson led a double life. For more than two years, he had met covertly with agents of Russia's foreign intelligence service and turned over troves of classified documents. In 1997, Nicholson became the highest ranking CIA officer ever convicted of espionage. But his duplicity didn't stop there. While behind the bars of a federal prison, the former mole systematically groomed the one person he trusted most to serve as his stand-in: his youngest son, Nathan. When asked to smuggle messages out of prison to Russian contacts, Nathan saw an opportunity to be heroic and to make his father proud.
The interview runs 19 minutes. The book is available from Amazon.

Access the Denson interview here or click above image.

Prior Videos and Podcasts in this "AFIO Now" Series

To view publicly-released videos, click video below or visit our YouTube page here
To see all videos log into the Member-Only area of our website here.
Page down to see a full listing of the videos in the AFIO Now series.

Upcoming AFIO and Intelligence Community Events
Many informative, fascinating programs are occurring in the Washington Metro Area and across the country. Find out which ones to add to your calendar to stay connected and to stay current.

Corporate
Learn how your company can make a difference with AFIO corporate memberships and marketing opportunities. Reach more than 4,800 intelligence professionals.

National Members
Join or renew your existing membership and enjoy member benefits, such as special publications, invitations to events, unique banking & investment services, scholarships, and career assistance.

Publications
As a member or subscriber you receive the popular Weekly Intelligence Notes [WINs] and the print-only academic journal: Intelligencer - Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies for the intelligence community by intelligence professionals. AFIO also produces Intelligence As A Career - a printed and online guide to organizing your life and education to qualify for work in the intelligence community, and a Guide to the Study of Intelligence to assist college instructors, secondary school teachers of history, civics, and current events, and students, on the best readings on a wide variety of current intelligence topics.

About Us
Learn about us - our many events, publications, programs, and legislative alerts. Support AFIO with purchases and donations or meet our members at events throughout the US. Make your views known.

Chapters
Local chapters have appeal to many members, so after you have joined AFIO National, consider adding a local chapter membership to your mix.

Saturday, 12 February 2022, 11:30am - Indialantic, FL - AFIO Florida Satellite Chapter hosts Lt Gen Pat Hughes, former D/DIA, on "The Threat to the U.S. from China."

The Florida Satellite Chapter, at this in-person meeting, hears from Lieutenant General Patrick M. Hughes, US Army (Retired), the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, discussing "The Threat to the US from China."
Cost: The sit down lunch (which follows Gen. Hughes' presentation) is $35 per person.
Location: Doubletree Hotel, Rt A1A, in Indialantic, FL.
To register or more information, contact chapter president Larry Sanford at larryfsanford@gmail.com.

Gifts appropriate for intelligence officers, colleagues, recruitments, agents, advisors, and family. The AFIO Store has following new items ready for quick shipment.

Visit our store page to see these new items — Duffle, Cap, and PopSocket:

Also available are Long-Sleeved Shirts and Hooded Sweatshirts with embroidered AFIO Logo

Show your support for AFIO with our new long-sleeved Polo Shirts and Hooded Sweatshirts.

Both items are high quality and shrink resistant and feature a detailed embroidered AFIO seal.
The color of the long-sleeved Polo Shirts is royal blue; the price is $55 and includes shipping.

The Hooded Sweatshirts are dark grey; price is $70 and includes shipping. 

Purchase a shirt and sweatshirt for yourself and consider as gifts for colleagues, family, and friends.

Both items are available in men's sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL, and XXXL. The long-sleeved Polo Shirts and Hooded Sweatshirts are not available in ladies' sizes. Shirts and other items may be viewed here.

You may pay by check or credit card. Complete your order online here or mail an order along with payment to: AFIO, 7700 Leesburg Pike, Ste 324, Falls Church, VA 22043-2618. Phone orders at 703-790-0320.
If interested in other shirt colors or sleeve lengths, contact Annette at: annettej@afio.com.

Thursday, 24 February 2022 - Tampa, FL - The Florida Suncoast AFIO Chapter hears David Oakley on "The DoD/CIA Postwar Relationship."

David Oakley will address the Florida Suncoast AFIO Chapter on the DoD/CIA postwar relationship.
In the face of concerns that intelligence support to the military was over-emphasized towards the end of the 20th century, Mr. Oakley makes the case that the CIA has maintained its support of the military by directing a significant amount of its resources toward global counterterrorism efforts and military operations.
We have striven to make our meetings informative but also provide the opportunity to meet with colleagues and maintain the ties that are a foundation of involvement in the intelligence community. Almost certainly, we have all experienced Zoom overload, so this is a great chance to gather in person following all COVID-19 and Omicron guidelines.
SAFETY: As done in past inperson meetings, the chapter will employ suitable safeguards as required by local authorities.
REGISTRATION GUIDELINES: Forthcoming. Obtain details from the Chapter secretary at michaels@suncoastafio.org to also email your RSVP or fax them to (813) 832-1154.
The cost is $10, cash or check made out to "Suncoast Chapter, AFIO."
TO ATTEND: If you will be attending, please send an email to Michael Shapiro at michaels@suncoastafio.org, no later than noon on Wednesday, 16 February, with your name and the names of any guests.
If you make a reservation, find that you cannot attend, but do not formally cancel and receive a cancellation confirmation by 16 February, and then fail to show up, you will be responsible for the cost of your registration because the chapter will have to pay for your scheduled, uneaten meal.

Friday, 8 April 2022 - McLean, VA - HOLD THE DATE. Tentative AFIO National "First of 2022" In-Person Luncheon

Omicron, or variants to follow, still has many events and conferences speculative; but, hold this date on your calendar for a possible "first of 2022" in-person AFIO National event to be held at DoubleTree, 1960 Chain Bridge Rd, McLean, VA.
Details and registration links to follow. Questions to annettej@afio.com

Mug with color glazed logo. Made in America. Sturdy enough to sit on desk to hold pens, cards, paperclips, and candy.

This handsome large, heavy USA-made ceramic mug is dishwasher-safe with a glazed seal.
$35 per mug includes shipping. Order this and other store items online here.

Also available are our popular Intelligence Community Mousepad

Full color seals of all 18 members of the U.S. Intelligence Community on this 8" round, slick surface, nonskid, rubber-backed mouse pad. Price still only $20.00 for 2 pads [includes shipping to U.S. based address, only. For foreign shipments, we will contact you with a quote.] Great gift for colleagues and self. Click image above for larger image. Now with dark navy background, brighter, updated seals of member agencies. And now MADE IN USA. Order MOUSEPADS here.

AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence
Are You Using It?

Full no-cost, online version of Guide is here.

Perfect for professors, students, those considering careers in intelligence, and current/former officers seeking to see what changes are taking place across a wide spectrum of intelligence disciplines.

AFIO's Guide to the Study of Intelligence helps instructors teach about the large variety of subjects that make up the field of intelligence. This includes secondary school teachers of American History, Civics, or current events and undergraduate and graduate professors of History, Political Science, International Relations, Security Studies, and related topics, especially those with no or limited professional experience in the field. Even those who are former practitioners are likely to have only a limited knowledge of the very broad field of intelligence, as most spend their careers in one or two agencies at most and may have focused only on collection or analysis of intelligence or support to those activities.

We regret that the printed, bound edition has sold out. No copies remain for sale.

AVAILABLE ONLINE-ONLY: As an educational service to professors and students, AFIO provides the full 788-page Guide online here for free. This was made possible through the generosity of our foundation, corporate, and institutional members, coupled with the donations we received from our many individual members. We thank all of them.
Online version of the Guide.

Other Upcoming Educational Events....includes selection of events from advertisers, corporate sponsors, and others—

Wednesday, 26 January 2022, 6pm - Washington, DC - Live Virtual Spies & Spymasters Happy Hour: Spies, Comics, and Cocktails - Virtual International Spy Museum Program

Since the Cold War, spies have been hot, and the world of comics have had a great assortment of undercover operatives. SPY's program panel will include national security lawyer and comic collector/dealer Mark S. Zaid, comic book writer Andy Diggle (author of James Bond comic books Hammerhead and Kill Chain; The Losers, which was adapted into the movie starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Zoe Saldana and Idris Elba; and Green Arrow: Year One, which inspired the hit TV show Arrow), and Eisner Award nominated artist Shawn Martinbrough (author of How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling and with projects including Batman: Detective Comics, DMZ, Luke Cage Noir, The Black Panther: Man Without Fear and Hellboy).
Register here www.spymuseum.org

Sunday, 6 February 2022, 2 - 3:30 pm ET - Zoom Webinar - "Wilderness of Mirrors: The Work of the Cold War Military Liaison Missions" with Aden Magee by The Cold War Museum

Aden Magee is an internationally-renowned expert on full-spectrum threats to our way of life. He is a career intelligence and counterintelligence (CI) professional with a legacy of experience supporting U.S. government agencies including the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Department of Homeland Security.
The Cold War was a Wilderness of Mirrors—a broad labyrinth of chess games played on multiple boards in support of integrated battles supporting even larger fronts on the "battlefields" of the Cold War. This presentation addresses two of the little-known, interrelated games of chess involving the U.S. Military Liaison Mission and the Soviet Military Liaison Mission -- both of which operated "behind enemy lines" for over four decades in Cold War Germany. These Military Liaison Missions were unique to the Cold War era, and their operations were among the most fitting microcosms of the battle for Europe which was a vital component of the strategic Cold War landscape.
The presentation opens an unprecedent historical time-capsule based on declassified U.S. government documents and first-hand accounts that could only be provided by the few secret warriors who fought the enemy in the streets of Cold War Europe. This disclosure of the many never-before documented histories and insights regarding the competing Military Liaison Missions also provides missing pieces to many of the puzzles that would have otherwise faded from human memory. In addition to being a unique story within a story within another story, this discussion applies some of the most important and relevant counterintelligence and intelligence principles to the lesser-known, and mainly never-known, episodes that will be recounted. The lessons learned when the bar was the highest are the ones that should be retained, and the Cold War Soviet adversary set the absolute highest counterintelligence, intelligence, and disinformation bar ever.
Cost: $20, 100% of which is a contribution to the Cold War Museum.
Location: ONLINE ONLY. Eventbrite ticket buyers will receive a link to the virtual room on the Zoom platform where this event will take place. We are recording the whole event, including the Q&A, for the Museum's archives.
Agenda: • 1:30-2:00. Participants arrive in the Zoom room online; • 2:00-2:05. Jason Hall, Executive Director of the Cold War Museum, introduces the Museum and Aden Magee; • 2:05-3:00. Aden presents on the history of the U. S. AND Soviet Military Liaison Missions; • 3:00-3:30. Q&A opportunity for the audience.
Register here
Questions? Call or email Jason Hall, 703-283-4124 (cell), jason@coldwar.org

POSTPONED - Date TBD - Arlington, VA - Operation Soirée: Social Like a Spy and Save the World - POSTPONED

Mission: Mix and Mingle Like a Pro
Spyher welcomes Paul S. to OPERATION SOIRÉE. Paul is a counterintelligence subject matter expert and served 28 years as an NCIS Agent. During that time, he worked everything from onboard and offshore counterintelligence investigations and operations worldwide to oversite activities of counterterrorism and infrastructure protection. Paul is a highly credentialed and experienced trainer. Coached by senior former intelligence officers, guests prepare for a high-stakes mission to help thwart an imminent chemical attack against the McMillan Reservoir in Washington, D.C. Guests will craft a cover story and learn how to discreetly gather information with the elicitation techniques used daily in the world of espionage. With specific requirements in hand, guests deploy to a cocktail party celebrating the opening of a new art exhibit to find their targets. With new skills, they must tease out details of the attack plan that the Spyher team needs to be successful in stopping the perpetrators.
Location: Ideal lnnovations, inc., 4401 Wilson Blvd Suite 210, Arlington, VA 22203
Dress Code: Cocktail
For More Info or Questions: Spyher - Spy Tours and Events; 703-653-0115; rosanna@spyher.co ; Price: $275/pp;
POSTPONED - Event will be rescheduled - new dates TBD

Additional Events:

Wednesday, 26 January 2022, 1 - 2 pm ET - Zoom Webinar - NCF Winter 2022 Cryptologic Program - GCHQ Historical Perspective

The National Cryptologic Foundation's Winter 2022 Cryptologic Program will feature Mr. Tony Comer, retired GCHQ historian and Dr. John Ferris, author of Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain's Secret Cyber Intelligence Agency. The program will be moderated by Dr. David Sherman.
During the program, our guest speakers will discuss GCHQ's history and its relationships with its allies, including the U.S.
Registration: The cost to attend is free, but registration is required. Zoom login details will be provided in your registration confirmation email.
Questions for the Guest Speakers: A space to submit questions is provided on the registration form. Please use this even if you are unable to attend the live program.
Contact: If you have questions about this program, please contact the NCF office at 443-795-4498 or send an email to ncfinfo@cryptologicfoundation.org
Register here

1 - 3 May 2022 - Tucson, AZ - Spies Lies & Nukes Conference

Join Valerie Plame and several of her legendary, highly decorated CIA colleagues as they dive into the secretive world of espionage. Hear intriguing, provocative, and sometimes shocking conversations on cyber attacks, covert actions, nuclear scams, recruiting real spies from those that lived in the "wilderness of mirrors" for years.

Speakers: Valerie Plame, Conference Host and former Covert CIA Ops Officer; James C. Lawler, former Senior CIA Ops Officer; Alma Katsu, former CIA and NSA Analyst; Marc Polymeropoulos, former Senior CIA Ops Officer; Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer; Mary Beth Long, former Asst SecDef for Intl Security Affairs; Glenn Carle, former Senior CIA Ops Officer; Lucy Kirk, former CIA Chief of Station and Ops Officer; Jonna Mendez, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer; Gary C. Schroen, former Senior CIA Intelligence Officer
Topics: Some of the topics that will be presented by our experts and panelists:
"Afghanistan: Ending the Forever War"; "What is the 'Havana Syndrome'?"; "Russian election hacking / cyberwarfare"; "SoulCatcher: How to recruit a spy"; "Women in the CIA"; "Spy Fiction: What is real and what isn't?"; "The Morality and Politics of Torture"; and "The Nuclear Threat."

Location: Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Resort - a beautiful and historic resort 5501 N Hacienda Del Sol Rd, Tucson, AZ 85718
To celebrate the New Year we are offering $40 off ticket prices through Jan 31.
More information or to register while tickets remain, visit https://www.spiesliesnukes.com/