Episode 037: Dell Spry – CIA Betrayal, Aldrich Ames

JERRI WILLIAMS iTUNES

Retired agent Dell Spry served in the FBI for twenty years. During his career, he primarily worked counterintelligence, counterespionage, and counterterrorism investigations. While assigned to FBIHQ, Dell was a member of the National Security Council Counterterrorism Working Group. He was liaison to the CIA Counterintelligence Center, Counterespionage Group and was the lead investigator for the FBI in the Aldrich Ames case. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Dell is interviewed about the two-year-long investigation where he, as the FBI case agent, along with a team of FBI and CIA personnel, was successful in identifying Ames as a KGB mole. Ames, who was directly responsible for the execution of several Soviet and Russian assets and operatives, was charged and convicted of espionage in 1994 and is serving a life sentence. Dell received the FBI Director’s Award for Excellence in a Counterintelligence Investigation and the CIA Director’s Meritorious Service Award for his efforts. Prior to retirement, Dell supervised a Counterintelligence squad in Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, as a consultant, Dell teaches an advanced course of instruction to novice and experienced FBI personnel on human intelligence (HUMINT) collection, intelligence tradecraft, and counterintelligence matters.

Supervisory Special Agent (Retired)

Dell Spry

1/23/1986 – 1/31/2006

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The following are links to a FBI overview of the Aldrich “Rick” Ames investigation, newspaper articles about the case, and a video of an interview with Ames:

FBI Famous Cases – Aldrich Ames

How the F.B.I. Finally Caught Aldrich Ames – NYTimes.com

WHY I SPIED; Rick Ames

1997 Rick Ames Interview (Video)

ames-arrest
Photo of Dell Spry placing handcuff on CIA employee Aldrich Ames on the day of his arrest for espionage on February 21, 1994.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

rick-ames
Mugshot of  Ames taken on the day of his arrest for espionage on February 21, 1994. (Photo Credit FBI)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

note
This is the reassembled fragments of a yellow Post-It note, torn up and tossed away, that agents picked out of Ames’ garbage can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jerri Williams

View posts by Jerri Williams
Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, jokes that she writes about the FBI to relive her glory days. After 26 years with the Bureau specializing in major economic fraud and corruption investigations, she calls on her professional encounters with scams and schemers to write police procedurals inspired by true crime FBI cases in her Philadelphia FBI Corruption Squad crime fiction series featuring flawed female FBI agent Kari Wheeler. Jerri’s FBI for Armchair Detectives nonfiction series enables readers to discover who the FBI is and what the FBI does by debunking misconceptions about the FBI in books, TV, and movies. Her books are available as ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks wherever books are sold. She’s also the host of FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast with more than 300 episodes available on all popular podcast apps and YouTube.

2 Comments

  1. D.L.B.September 14, 2021

    Sally Grimes was the CIA officer who broke the case. He already mentioned her name, plus she wrote a book years ago.

    Fascinating interview, Jerri Williams!
    I have read so about this case, but NEVER heard the FBI POV before.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Jerri WilliamsSeptember 16, 2021

      Dell needs to write his book!

      Reply

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