--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I handed over the names and…" description: "\"When I handed over the names and compromised so many CIA agents in the Soviet Union, I had come to the conclusion that the loss of these sources to the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c90/aldrich-ames-16838_cia_when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-comprom_1491809.jpg" --- # When I handed over the names and compromised so many CIA… ![“When I handed over the names and compromised so many CIA agents in the Soviet Union, I had come to the conclusion that the loss of these sources to the U.S. would not compromise significant national defense, political, diplomatic interests.” quote by Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c90/aldrich-ames-16838_cia_when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-comprom_1491809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c90/aldrich-ames-16838_cia_when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-comprom_1491809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c90/aldrich-ames-16838_cia_when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-comprom_1491809.jpg) > “When I handed over the names and compromised so many CIA agents in the Soviet Union, I had come to the conclusion that the loss of these sources to the U.S. would not compromise significant national defense, political, diplomatic interests.” [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He believed that losing compromised CIA sources would not significantly harm U.S. national interests. **In simple terms:** He thought losing agents wouldn’t hurt U.S. security. Key Takeaway Assess the true impact of intelligence losses. Themes espionage national security risk assessment Mood analytical cautious Type policy strategic When to use this quote - counterintelligence work - policy making - risk management Key Concepts tradecraft information value policy implications Questions to Reflect On - How accurate are judgments on intelligence value? - What safeguards prevent underestimation? A Different Perspective The assessment may underestimate hidden strategic value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia/) [Cia agents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia-agents/) [Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [National defense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-defense/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) ## Related quotes > [I handed over names and compromised so many CIA agents in the Soviet Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-handed-over-names-and-compromised-so-many-cia-agents-in-the-soviet/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [I knew quite well, when I gave the names of our agents in the Soviet Union, that I was exposing them to the full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-knew-quite-well-when-i-gave-the-names-of-our-agents-in-the-soviet/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [The fact is, psychiatric help is not widely available to CIA agents - and as in the military, there is a stigma attached to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-fact-is-psychiatric-help-is-not-widely-available-to-cia-agents/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [It used to be just CIA agents with ear-pieces who walked round with preoccupied, faraway expressions, and consequently regarded all the little people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/it-used-to-be-just-cia-agents-with-ear-pieces-who-walked-round-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“For many years there have been rumours of mind control experiments. in the United States. In the early 1970s, the first of the declassified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-hersha/for-many-years-there-have-been-rumours-of-mind-control-experiments-in/) [Cheryl Hersha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-hersha/) > [You can say that I lived in Asia for a long time and in Japan I became close to several CIA agents. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-seagal/you-can-say-that-i-lived-in-asia-for-a-long-time-and-in-japan-i/) [Steven Seagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-seagal/) > [“Some writings spotted U.S. history said that the CIA agents who were watching the Communists, in the period after the Second World War, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-addakhakhny/some-writings-spotted-u-s-history-said-that-the-cia-agents-who-were/) Mohamed Addakhakhny > [Theres no hope, none, of ever talking about it without pissing somebody, if not everybody, off...By the end of this hour I will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/theres-no-hope-none-of-ever-talking-about-it-without-pissing-somebody/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [40 million Russians are convinced that I am a scoundrel, a thief, a criminal or a CIA agent, who deserves to be shot, hanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/40-million-russians-are-convinced-that-i-am-a-scoundrel-a-thief-a/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-is-no-plausible-theory-under-which-the-record-of-the-pentagon/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Though a wide ocean separates the United States from Europe, yet there are various considerations that warn us against an excess of confidence or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/though-a-wide-ocean-separates-the-united-states-from-europe-yet-there/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [We will build a Navy of 350 surface ships and submarines, as recommended by the bipartisan National Defense Panel. We right now only have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-build-a-navy-of-350-surface-ships-and-submarines-as/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Not only is a healthy America a strong America - it's vital to our national defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-james/not-only-is-a-healthy-america-a-strong-america-it-s-vital-to-our/) [John E. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-james/) ## More by Aldrich Ames > [I said in court a long time ago that I didn't see that the Soviet Union was significantly helped by the information I gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-said-in-court-a-long-time-ago-that-i-didn-t-see-that-the-soviet/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [The U.S. is, so far as I know, the only nation which places such extensive reliance on the polygraph. It has gotten us into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/the-u-s-is-so-far-as-i-know-the-only-nation-which-places-such/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [I came into the Agency with a set of ideas and attitudes that were quite typical of people coming into the Agency at that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-came-into-the-agency-with-a-set-of-ideas-and-attitudes-that-were/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [When I got the money, the whole burden descended on me, and the realization of what I had done. And it led me then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/when-i-got-the-money-the-whole-burden-descended-on-me-and-the/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [The FBI, to its credit in a self-serving sort of way, rejects the routine use of the polygraph on its own people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/the-fbi-to-its-credit-in-a-self-serving-sort-of-way-rejects-the/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [The Soviet Union did not achieve victory over the West, so was my information inadequate to help them to victory, or did it play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/the-soviet-union-did-not-achieve-victory-over-the-west-so-was-my/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [The human spy, in terms of the American espionage effort, had never been terribly pertinent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/the-human-spy-in-terms-of-the-american-espionage-effort-had-never/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [Our Soviet espionage efforts had virtually never, or had very seldom, produced any worthwhile political or economic intelligence on the Soviet Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/our-soviet-espionage-efforts-had-virtually-never-or-had-very-seldom/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [The national security state has many unfair and cruel weapons in its arsenal, but that of junk science is one which can be fought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/the-national-security-state-has-many-unfair-and-cruel-weapons-in-its/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [In my professional work with the Agency, by the late '70s, I had come to question the value of a great deal of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/in-my-professional-work-with-the-agency-by-the-late-70s-i-had-come-to/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [My little scam in April '85 went like this: Give me $50,000; here's some names of some people we've recruited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/my-little-scam-in-april-85-went-like-this-give-me-50-000-here-s-some/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [There are so many things a large intelligence espionage organization can do to justify its existence, that people can get promotions for, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/there-are-so-many-things-a-large-intelligence-espionage-organization/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [Foreign Ministry guys don't become agents. Party officials, the Foreign Ministry nerds, tend not to volunteer to Western intelligence agencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/foreign-ministry-guys-don-t-become-agents-party-officials-the-foreign/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [I knew quite well, when I gave the names of our agents in the Soviet Union, that I was exposing them to the full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-knew-quite-well-when-i-gave-the-names-of-our-agents-in-the-soviet/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [I'm a traitor, but I don't consider myself a traitor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/i-m-a-traitor-but-i-don-t-consider-myself-a-traitor/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) [Explore all 38 Aldrich Ames quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) ## More Cia quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I find a difference in British spy fiction and American spy fiction. In the American version, it's more militaristic, partly because the CIA has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-cumming/i-find-a-difference-in-british-spy-fiction-and-american-spy-fiction/) [Charles Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-cumming/) > [I spent close to a decade as an undercover officer in the CIA and have spent most of my adult life collecting intelligence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/i-spent-close-to-a-decade-as-an-undercover-officer-in-the-cia-and/) [Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/) > [People went out there and they wrote articles and went on television shows saying that I am an operative that the CIA who used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-went-out-there-and-they-wrote-articles-and-went-on-television/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“Havens turned again. Someone else passed between the trucks. That someone walked with less purpose than the other workers near the stalls. To Havens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-patten/havens-turned-again-someone-else-passed-between-the-trucks-that/) J.T. Patten > [“Marcia Wilson was a good example of Omega’s core strategy for creating a New World Order. It involved placing their people, or moles, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-morcan/marcia-wilson-was-a-good-example-of-omega-s-core-strategy-for/) [James Morcan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-morcan/) > [As a former undercover CIA officer, I've worked with my colleagues in the 114th Congress to approach the growing terrorist threat from a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hurd/as-a-former-undercover-cia-officer-i-ve-worked-with-my-colleagues-in/) [Will Hurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hurd/) > [“On December 11, 1996 in a posting on the internet list WITCHNT@MITVMA.MIT.EDU, Dr Peter Freyd, husband of the Executive Directory of the False Memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-a-ross/on-december-11-1996-in-a-posting-on-the-internet-list-witchnt-mitvma/) [Colin A. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-a-ross/) > [The CIA has acknowledged that it has detained about 100 terrorists since 9/11, and about a third of them have been subjected to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/the-cia-has-acknowledged-that-it-has-detained-about-100-terrorists/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [Scouting is like CIA work and investigative work. You create a lot of stuff and try a lot of stuff. Some works and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/scouting-is-like-cia-work-and-investigative-work-you-create-a-lot-of/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [“The men were smashing windows and aiming their weapons through them. The driver had opened the door and was shouting for the women and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-zlotchew/the-men-were-smashing-windows-and-aiming-their-weapons-through-them/) [Clark Zlotchew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-zlotchew/) > [The activities that went on at Camp King between 1946 and the late 1950s have never been fully accounted for by either the Department…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-activities-that-went-on-at-camp-king-between-1946-and-the-late/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [Immediately after the September 11th attacks, I volunteered to go to Afghanistan in any capacity that the CIA wanted me. Four months passed before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kiriakou/immediately-after-the-september-11th-attacks-i-volunteered-to-go-to/) [John Kiriakou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kiriakou/) [Browse all 389 Cia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I handed over the names and compromised so many CIA agents in the Soviet Union, I had come to the conclusion that the loss of these sources to the U.S. would not compromise significant national defense, political, diplomatic interests.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aldrich Ames" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-compromised-so-many-cia-agents-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cia" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-compromised-so-many-cia-agents-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c90/aldrich-ames-16838_cia_when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-comprom_1491809.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c90/aldrich-ames-16838_cia_when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-comprom_1491809.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c90/aldrich-ames-16838_cia_when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-comprom_1491809.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I handed over the names and compromised so many CIA agents in the Soviet Union, I had come to the…” — Aldrich Ames", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aldrich Ames", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I handed over the names...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-compromised-so-many-cia-agents-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/when-i-handed-over-the-names-and-compromised-so-many-cia-agents-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```