Making Fun of Spies: Former CIA Officer and Satirist Alex Finley
Intelligence Matters
CBS News
4.6 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 July 2022
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Alex Finley, a former CIA officer in the Directorate of Operations and an author of three satirical books depicting life and work at the agency. Finley describes how CIA officers often use humor in unique ways to cope with high-stress assignments, and she and Morell discuss the ways in which satire can illuminate little-known realities about serious subjects. Finley also describes her newfound role as an amateur 'yacht-watcher,' tracking Russian oligarchs' yachts through the port of Barcelona.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Intelligence Matters with former acting director of the CIA, Michael Morel, brought to you by |
| 0:07.5 | Palantir Technologies, foundational software of tomorrow delivered today |
| 0:13.0 | Alex Finley was a CIA officer serving in Europe and Africa before joining the CIA |
| 0:17.9 | She was a journalist covering the Department of Energy the Panaghan and Capitol Hill |
| 0:22.2 | Alex currently works as a professor and writer focusing on national security |
| 0:26.1 | disinformation and covert influence online. She's known as the Yacht Watcher as she tracks boats owned by sanctioned Russian |
| 0:33.0 | Alligarchs around the world |
| 0:34.3 | She joins me today to talk about her career her yacht watching as well as her latest satirical novel about the CIA |
| 0:40.4 | Victor in trouble will be right back with that discussion after a word from our sponsor |
| 0:44.2 | I'm Michael Morel and this is Intelligence Matters |
| 0:47.1 | This is CBS News Business Analyst Jill Slesinger. Well, it has been a |
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| 1:53.1 | Alex welcome to intelligence matters. It's great to have you on the show |
| 1:57.5 | Thank you for having me. I think we're gonna talk about some serious stuff |
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