GRP 164-The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing: A conversation with a 26-year veteran of the CIA.
Global Recon
John Hendricks
4.8 • 592 Ratings
🗓️ 13 July 2022
⏱️ 116 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Joining me for this week's podcast is Marc Polymeropoulos. Marc retired from the Senior Intelligence Service ranks in 2019 after serving for 26 years. He is a highly decorated field officer serving in various leadership roles. His book "Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA" was published in 2021. He received the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Commendation Medal, and the Intelligence Medal of Merit. We discussed his time working counter-terrorism in the middle east, running agents in the field, being hit with Havana Syndrome in Moscow, and much more. Tune in.
Main Takeaways
- Running agents in the Middle East
- Gina Haspel
- Working alongside American Special Operations Forces
- The Tragedy in Khost, Afghanistan
- Open Source Intelligence
- Russia
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just inside the main entrance of CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, is a white marble wall |
| 0:07.0 | with a collection of stars etched into the stone. It is the most sacred space on our compound. |
| 0:17.0 | Each star memorializes a life lost in the line of duty, a sacrifice to our nation. |
| 0:25.6 | The inscription above the stars read, in honor of those members of the Central Intelligence Agency, |
| 0:31.6 | who gave their lives in the service of their country. |
| 0:34.6 | The Book of Honor, on display in front of the memorial wall, contains the names of CIA officers |
| 0:40.8 | who died in service. |
| 0:42.7 | Each is written next to a gold leaf star. |
| 0:45.8 | To protect intelligence sources and methods, some of the names must remain classified even |
| 0:50.0 | in death. |
| 0:51.5 | Once a year, though, every name, even those unlisted, is read out loud in recognition |
| 0:56.0 | at CIA's annual memorial ceremony. CIA officers are administered the oath of office in front |
| 1:01.6 | the memorial wall on their first day. The wall not only reminds these new officers of the inherent |
| 1:06.3 | risks of our work, but it inspires them to continue to carry CIA's mission forward in honor of those who came before them. |
| 1:17.8 | Welcome to the Global Recon Podcast. I'm your host, John Hendricks. I have a special guest for you guys for this podcast. |
| 1:26.3 | He spent 26 years at the CIA and retired from the |
| 1:31.5 | senior intelligence service ranks. He's also the author of Clarity and Crisis Leadership |
| 1:38.7 | Lessons from the CIA, Mark Polymeropoulos. Mark, how's it going? |
| 1:45.9 | John, thanks so much for having me. |
| 1:48.6 | You pronounced my name correctly, so that's a good start. |
| 1:49.5 | That's a good start, yeah. |
| 1:51.8 | So I have great stories on this. |
... |
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