CIA LEAK 39The enormity of his ill-advised position did not seem to faze Secretary
Baker, however. I still recall overhearing him, as he exited his suite at the
recently opened Belgrade Hyatt, slowly drawl, “Anybody got a breath mint?”
In the summer of 1991, I met my sensitive Yugoslav agent during a
trip to Greece so that I could debrief him in a relaxed and secure setting
on the situation unfolding in Yugoslavia. My agent was himself a profes-
sional intelligence officer and one of the CIA’s most valuable sources on
Yugoslavia. Lengthy debriefings in the course of my multiple, long-term
temporary duty assignments (TDYs) to Yugoslavia were impossible because
of Yugoslav security service monitoring and surveillance of the both of us,
although I was able to meet him occasionally for a “brief encounter” late at
night on the streets of Belgrade. (I describe how these risky internal meet-
ings were planned and conducted in chapter 17.)
Over several days, in a suite rented in alias at the luxurious St. George
Lycabettus hotel in Athens, I spent hours discussing various scenarios with
my agent. These productive debriefings were exhilarating, since I knew the
reporting was anxiously awaited in Washington and was critical to help
guide US policy during this historic crisis in progress.
Equally enjoyable was my brief escape from my TDY to dreary, Com-
munist Belgrade. Athens was a chance to experience a lively, brightly
colored environment and spectacular food. I took advantage of my time in
Greece to buy several CDs by my new favorite musical artist, Italian pop
star Eros Ramazzotti. I also relished my daily hikes up Mount Lycabettus
and seeing the Acropolis for the first time with my own eyes.
Generally speaking, it’s impossible to get unbiased information out of
a Serb, Croat, Bosnian, or Kosovar, since they have all been effectively
brainwashed since birth in their own cultures and identities. Ancient
hatreds have been passed down for generations; they harbor (sometimes)
legitimate grievances against each other, and in the end, they will convinc-
ingly spout their “tribe’s” party line or latest conspiracy theory. They are
typically intelligent and highly educated people, but in the end, they always
revert to their roots.
I later witnessed a similarly troubling tribal phenomenon in Iraq,
between Sunnis, Shi’ites, and Kurds. More on this in chapter 24.
My agent was different. He considered himself a true Yugoslav first
and foremost, and he was also a seasoned professional who was able to