Ann E. Butler: How a wife and mother of five kids became a spy for the CIA

Dec 19, 2025
39 mins

Episode Description

Clandestine late-night meetings in a park. Brushing past a contact, and discreetly sliding a note into a pocket. That was Ann E. Butler’s life for more than 25 years as an undercover agent for the Central Intelligence Agency. She lived and worked in cities around the world, recruiting people to spy on their own government and share secrets with the United States. In her new book, Wife, Mother, Spy, the retired operative tells the world how she gathered vital intelligence while also balancing life as a wife and mom of five kids.

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