Jeanne Ruth Vertefeuille (December 23, 1932 – December 29, 2012) was a CIA officer who participated in a small team that investigated and uncovered the actions of Aldrich Ames, a notorious Cold War spy.
Jeanne Vertefeuille | |
|---|---|
 Vertefeuille in the 1990s | |
| Born | December 23, 1932 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | December 29, 2012 (aged 80) Reston, Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Bachelor's degree, history, University of Connecticut, 1954 |
| Occupation | Intelligence Officer |
| Years active | 1954–1992 (active) 1992–2012 (reserver) |
| Employer | CIA |
| Known for | Investigation which uncovered the actions of Aldrich Ames |
Early life
editBorn in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 23, 1932, Vertefeuille earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Connecticut in 1954, where she also learned German and French. She began her career as a typist for the Agency in 1954[1] and obtained promotions and expertise on the Soviet Union over several decades, serving in Ethiopia, Finland, and the Netherlands.[2][3]
Career
editIn 1976, Vertefeuille wrote ''The GRU Today'', which was a study on the operations of the GRU, the Soviet Union's foreign military intelligence organisation.[4]
She was made the lead investigator of a small team looking at the high rate of Soviet double agent disappearances in 1986.[2] As it became more clear to the team that there could be a mole in the organization, Vertefeuille worked to keep the team small and focused to minimize the chances of the mole escaping before an arrest could be made.[5] Over the course of eight years, this investigation led her to Ames's involvement in the disappearances – he had exposed them in exchange for millions of dollars, leading to at least eight executions. The investigation was fraught with difficulty, but the team began to uncover his treachery in 1989 when it was found that he had bought luxury cars and a house, beyond the salary of a typical CIA agent. The case was not cracked until 1991, when Vertefeuille and her team correlated Ames's meeting times with large deposits in his bank account.[2] She officially retired in 1992 but continued to work as a contractor until a few months before her death in 2012.[3] Ames was arrested with the involvement of the FBI on February 21, 1994.[2] Prior to his arrest, Ames had told the KGB that Vertefeuille had the requisite access to be framed instead.[6]
Illness and death
editThroughout her career, Vertefeuille was known for her intense personal privacy and solitary nature. She died of brain cancer at the age of 80.[2]
According to Peter Earnest, executive director (emeritus) of the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., Vertefeuille's "friend, in her final days, was, of course, Sandy Grimes. They had been friends for years, very close friends, and very close teammates."[7]
Legacy
editIn 1998, Ames' story was dramatized in the TV movie Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within, starring Joan Plowright as Vertefeuille.[8]
In 2014, ABC aired The Assets, an eight-part American drama television miniseries based on Circle of Treason.[9][10][11]
References
edit- ^ "Spy Hunters - The Women Who Caught Aldrich Ames" (video). Washington, DC: International Spy Museum, September 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Martin, Douglas (January 11, 2013). "Jeanne Vertefeuille, C.I.A. Official Who Helped Catch a Notorious Mole, Dies at 80". New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Morell, Michael (January 4, 2013). "Message from the Acting Director: Jeanne Vertefeuille". CIA. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ Sandra, Grimes; Vertefeuille, Jeanne (2012). Circle of treason : a CIA account of traitor Aldrich Ames and the men he betrayed. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 6. ISBN 9781612513058. OCLC 824081739.
- ^ Wise, David (1995). Nightmover. HarperCollins. pp. 176–177. ISBN 0-06-017198-7.
- ^ "The People of the CIA...Ames Mole Hunt Team" (PDF). CIA. April 30, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ "Spy Hunters - The Women Who Caught Aldrich Ames" (video), International Spy Museum, September 18, 2013.
- ^ "Aldrich Ames: Traitor Within (TV Movie 1998)". Internet Movie Database. February 24, 2018.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 24, 2007). "ABC Orders Cold War Limited Series 'The Assets' For 2014". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ Lacey Rose (July 23, 2013). "ABC Orders Limited Series About The Cold War". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
- ^ "ABC Orders Cold War-Inspired Limited Series 'The Assets' - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
Further reading
edit- Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille. Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 2012. ISBN 9781591143345 OCLC 785079499