Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Adolf Tolkachev became the CIA's most valuable mole. Try brilliant.org/Newsthink and get 20% off your annual premium subscription.
I highly recommend The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman: https://a.co/d/0nvd8Mk
David E. Hoffman’s website: davidehoffman.com/the-billion-dollar-spy-home
Watch my video on CIA mole Aldrich Ames: youtu.be/DP7x6Zs1gP0
Chapters:
0:00 The CIA’s Jack-in-the-Box Ruse
0:46 Life Under a Brutal Regime
1:40 Tolkachev Reaches Out to the CIA
2:19 The Letter That Changes Everything
3:12 The CIA Makes Contact
4:20 The First Meeting: New Year’s Day 1979
4:49 How He Stole Secrets
5:31 The Intel That Changed Everything
6:15 Today’s Sponsor: Brilliant
7:27 A New Handler, A New Danger
8:28 The KGB Closes In
9:12 Tolkachev Prepares to Die
10:01 The CIA Traitor: Edward Lee Howard
11:51 Arrest and Trial
12:37 The Final Goodbye
13:12 The KGB Comes for Natasha
13:40 Why Tolkachev Really Spied
14:09 The Portrait at Langley
Newsthink is produced and presented by Cindy Pom
https://x.com/cindypom
Grab your Newsthink merch here: newsthink.creator-spring.com
Support Cindy on Patreon! patreon.com/Newsthink
Sources:
Moscow's Hotel Rossija in 1979: Karl Oppolzer, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Moscow, view of the Moszkva river: FORTEPAN / Bakó Jenő, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Vorkuta Corrective Labor Camp (gulag): Absukr, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
MiG-31 fighter: Dmitriy Pichugin (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
The Pentagon: Mariordo Camila Ferreira & Mario Duran, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Phone booth image: A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pentax ME Super camera: Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Painting of Tolkachev by Kathy Krantz Fieramosca
1980s Moscow during the Olympic Games: Derzsi Elekes Andor, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Russian Air Force Beriev A-50U (Red 41): Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Russian Air Force MiG-25PU: Leonid Faerberg (transport-photo.com) (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
73-1580 Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call over Nellis AFB: Tomás Del Coro, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Led Zeppelin performance: Jim Summaria, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
MiG-29: Artem Katranzhi from Bakashikha, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Summer dacha: Figure, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Soviet/Russian consulate in Washington, DC: AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Soviet/Russian embassy in Vienna: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Lefortovo prison in Moscow: A.Savin, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons
Perm-36 gulag: Gerald Praschl, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
U.S. embassy in Moscow: NVO, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Woodstock Music and Art Fair: Woodstock Whisperer, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Adolf Tolkachev became the CIA's most valuable mole. Try brilliant.org/Newsthink and get 20% off your annual premium subscription.
I highly recommend The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman: https://a.co/d/0nvd8Mk
David E. Hoffman’s website: davidehoffman.com/the-billion-dollar-spy-home
Watch my video on CIA mole Aldrich Ames: youtu.be/DP7x6Zs1gP0
Chapters:
0:00 The CIA’s Jack-in-the-Box Ruse
0:46 Life Under a Brutal Regime
1:40 Tolkachev Reaches Out to the CIA
2:19 The Letter That Changes Everything
3:12 The CIA Makes Contact
4:20 The First Meeting: New Year’s Day 1979
4:49 How He Stole Secrets
5:31 The Intel That Changed Everything
6:15 Today’s Sponsor: Brilliant
7:27 A New Handler, A New Danger
8:28 The KGB Closes In
9:12 Tolkachev Prepares to Die
10:01 The CIA Traitor: Edward Lee Howard
11:51 Arrest and Trial
12:37 The Final Goodbye
13:12 The KGB Comes for Natasha
13:40 Why Tolkachev Really Spied
14:09 The Portrait at Langley
Newsthink is produced and presented by Cindy Pom
https://x.com/cindypom
Grab your Newsthink merch here: newsthink.creator-spring.com
Support Cindy on Patreon! patreon.com/Newsthink
Sources:
Moscow's Hotel Rossija in 1979: Karl Oppolzer, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Moscow, view of the Moszkva river: FORTEPAN / Bakó Jenő, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Vorkuta Corrective Labor Camp (gulag): Absukr, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
MiG-31 fighter: Dmitriy Pichugin (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
The Pentagon: Mariordo Camila Ferreira & Mario Duran, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Phone booth image: A.Savin, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Pentax ME Super camera: Joe Haupt from USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Painting of Tolkachev by Kathy Krantz Fieramosca
1980s Moscow during the Olympic Games: Derzsi Elekes Andor, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Russian Air Force Beriev A-50U (Red 41): Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Russian Air Force MiG-25PU: Leonid Faerberg (transport-photo.com) (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
73-1580 Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call over Nellis AFB: Tomás Del Coro, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Led Zeppelin performance: Jim Summaria, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
MiG-29: Artem Katranzhi from Bakashikha, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Summer dacha: Figure, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Soviet/Russian consulate in Washington, DC: AgnosticPreachersKid, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Soviet/Russian embassy in Vienna: C.Stadler/Bwag, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Lefortovo prison in Moscow: A.Savin, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons
Perm-36 gulag: Gerald Praschl, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
U.S. embassy in Moscow: NVO, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Woodstock Music and Art Fair: Woodstock Whisperer, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
