The CIA director responsible for creating spy devices (217)

After service in the US Army during the Vietnam War Bob Wallace was recruited into the CIA. In the CIA his initial assignments were as a field case officer. He rose through the ranks at the agency and was Chief of Station in three locations where he directed the full range of CIA activities. In 1995 Bob became deputy director of the Office of Technical Service and in 1998 was appointed its director responsible for creating spy devices and capabilities necessary to conduct clandestine operations with safety and security. In other words, Bob was the "Q" of the CIA. Buy Bob's book here UK listeners https://amzn.to/3pBDrF4 US listeners https://amzn.to/3qvX0xD This podcast relies on listener support to enable me to continue to capture these incredible stories and make them available for free. You can support my work and help to preserve Cold War history via one-off or monthly donations Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/for for more details. Do join our Facebook discussion group where the cold war conversation continues between episodes. Just search Cold War Conversations on Facebook. I am delighted to welcome Bob Wallace to our Cold War conversation… There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode217/ 0:00 Introduction and Bob's journey to the CIA 7:00 The professional career training program at the CIA 14:21 Use of technology in clandestine operations in the 1970s 20:07 Development of devices for espionage operations 42:04 Role as Director of The CIA's Office of Technical Service 48:41 The science of disguise and examples of successful disguises 54:31 The role of Hollywood in disguise techniques 58:31 Reflections on the Cold War era and thoughts on the future of espionage 1:00:24 Inspiration from James Bond movies and spy fiction 1:02:31 Closing remarks and appreciation Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices