In a phone interview, a retired clandestine officer who worked with Mr. Downing in Moscow and at Langley said that he restored morale “by his sheer emphasis on operations, on the collection of intelligence and tradecraft. Securely meeting agents on the streets of Moscow or Beijing — that’s what came first. It was easy to lose sight of that, and we had in some ways.” The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his assignments, added that Mr. Downing “inspired us to do this mission with a sense of adventure and dedication that ramped up our capabilities.”

Source: Washington Post July 03, 2021 04:10 UTC