Morrill talk encompasses CIA

On May 14, Newton’s Christina Hillsberg, a former CIA officer, guided about 20 residents on a journey that celebrated the women in the agency and how their work shaped modern intelligence as she discussed her book “Agents of Change: The Women Who Transformed the CIA.” During her discussion, Hillsberg dismantled popular spy myths, showcased the evolution of how women were portrayed in the James Bond films, and the challenges her interview subjects faced in their intelligence careers.

Hillsberg, originally from Seattle, joined the CIA in 2006 as a case officer. Over her nine years at the agency, she wrote analytical assessments and daily briefs for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, their Cabinets and senior-level policymakers. Additionally, she specialized in African politics, and she was one of the agency’s few Swahili and Zulu linguists. She also said she is a fan of the James Bond franchise, but she shared with the crowd, “My biggest beef with the Bond franchise was its portrayal of women.”

She explained how women in the franchise’s early films, such as Ursula Andress’ Honey Rider from 1962’s “Dr. No,” were seen as “mere arm candy” to Bond’s spy skills.

“Female intelligence agents were not punchlines,” Hillsberg emphasized to attendees. “Women were competent, leading ladies… and they were leveraging their emotional intelligence. They were often better than their male colleagues,” she added.

However, she said most women haven’t shared their stories publicly. “It felt pertinent to me for historical record to really preserve the stories of these women and their incredible intelligence operations and to dispel these myths that we’ve seen on screen,” which inspired her to write her book.

One woman discussed was Marti Peterson. She was married to a CIA agent and was stationed with him in Laos in the 1960s. There, she wrapped packages and performed other menial tasks.

“She felt that her identity was lost and she was just considered an appendage of her husband’s career,” Hillsberg noted. However, after her husband was killed, Peterson became a CIA case officer in her own right in the 1970s and she became the first woman to operate clandestinely in Moscow.

“What’s so interesting about Marti’s story is she was able to conduct dead drops,” added Hillsberg. A dead drop is an operation where an agent drops off information in a manner that nobody will notice it, such as within a log or crushed milk carton, so an asset can pick it up and share intelligence.

“Marti found that no one was following her. She had no surveillance whatsoever,” Hillsberg continued, “The KGB thought ‘Why would a woman be doing anything of importance?’ So, what did we do? We gave her our most important case.”

That’s not to say the KGB didn’t employ women, with Melita Norwood being a rather locally-pleasing example – https://gvimes.link/norwoodkgb

Hillsberg added it was an honor to hear Marti’s story directly.

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However, in the 1980s and 1990s, women in the CIA faced challenges like career sabotage and sexual harassment. Janine Brookner, for example, was preparing to be a chief of station in a Caribbean country but was sabotaged by her colleagues.

“It was a very inspiring story because she went to law school to represent other federal employees who experienced sexual harassment,” Hillsberg noted. She spoke to people who worked with Brookner directly, and they dispelled negative comments from former coworkers that Hillsberg initially received.

After a question-and-answer discussion, attendees bought all five copies of the featured book and Hillsberg’s 2021 book “License to Parent: How My Career as a Spy Helped Me Raise Resourceful Self-Sufficient Kids,” that were sold by Aesop’s Fable of Holliston. “Women are a vital part of national security,” explained Hillsberg.

“I want to dispel the myths of the female spy and share these stories with my kids,” she added.

Attendees were pleased to hear Hillsberg’s stories, and they appreciated how she highlighted the issues about how established women in the CIA didn’t want to associate with or sabotage newer women to the agency. “People like Christina are addressing this,” explained Normajean Longval of Norwood. “It will take time, but it’s changing to be better,” she added. Learn more about Christina and her books at https://www.christinahillsberg.com/