James and Meredith Olson, who were spies for the CIA for most of their married lives with postings throughout Europe will be the featured speakers at one of the lunches.
Both James and Meredith were career case officers in the Directorate of Operations of the Central Intelligence Agency. James was Chief of Station in Moscow, head of the CIA’s counterintelligence division and has just published a book entitled FAIR PLAY: THE MORAL DILEMMA OF SPYING, of which the first printing has sold out and a second run will be available soon. Jim is currently a senior lecturer at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service and Meredith is a nurse. Their address is a captivating and entertaining saga of their lives as covert espionage agents.
As one of the most highly decorated espionage officers in the history of the CIA and former Chief of Counterintelligence at CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Jim is eminently qualified to speak about serving one’s country. Jim and Meredith’s joint presentation about their careers (she was an active case officer as well), is one of the most entertaining and patriotism-inspiring addresses imaginable.
“Jim Olson is a legend in the clandestine service, having served in some of the most difficult, dangerous and complicated assignments at the height of the Cold War. He was head of Counterintelligence at CIA when I was Director of Central Intelligence. I trusted him without reservation because I knew he was enormously capable, but also because I knew he was a moral man who thought deeply about the ethics and morality of what we did every day.”
--Robert M Gates, DDCI under President Ronald Reagan and DCI under President George H.W. Bush.