The First Female CIA Officer in Moscow, The Widow Spy | Marti Peterson (throwback episode)

The First Female CIA Officer in Moscow, The Widow Spy | Marti Peterson (throwback episode)

Author: dee takos December 10, 2025 Duration: 2:29:40
Original airdate 7/16/2021

In this episode, the team sits down with legendary CIA case officer Marty Peterson, whose Cold War mission in Moscow led to one of the most dramatic KGB arrests of the era. Marty walks through running a top Soviet asset, the night of the failed dead drop, her capture at Lubyanka Prison, and what she later learned about her agent’s tragic fate. It’s a firsthand look inside real espionage, tradecraft, and the cost of intelligence work at the highest level.

00:00 – CIA Widow Spy: Marty Peterson Intro
12:40 – Moscow Tradecraft: Dead Drops & Surveillance
27:15 – Running Soviet Assets Under KGB Pressure
44:10 – Psychological Toll of Life as a CIA Spy
1:05:30 – Losing “Trigon”: Top Cold War Asset Compromised
1:22:45 – Was There a Mole? Suspecting CIA Compromise
1:33:15 – The Failed Dead Drop: Something Is Wrong
1:42:02 – KGB Ambush on the Bridge: Marty Is Taken
1:46:37 – Inside Lubyanka: Interrogation by the KGB
2:04:03 – How Trigon Died: Betrayal, Poison & Cover-Up
2:16:14 – Briefing President Carter: From Moscow to the White House
2:26:24 – Life After the CIA & Why She Wrote The Widow Spy

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Hosted by Jack Murphy, The Team House is a long-form conversation built around a simple, powerful premise: to understand national security, you need to listen to the people who have been there. This podcast deliberately steps away from the partisan noise, offering a fiercely apolitical space where special operations veterans, intelligence professionals, and frontline reporters can share their experiences and analysis. Many guests here are speaking publicly for the very first time, providing raw, firsthand accounts that you won't find elsewhere. Each episode is a deep dive into the realities of conflict, the nuanced tradecraft of intelligence work, and the underlying geopolitical forces that shape global events. The conversations are detailed, often technical, and always grounded in the lived expertise of the guests. Alongside this main show, the The Team House network includes the sister program Eyes On Geopolitics, hosted by Mick Mulroy, Andy Milburn, and Jason Lyons, which continues the focus on global dynamics with a similarly experienced lens. For listeners seeking substance over soundbites, this podcast delivers complex narratives about modern warfare, espionage, and international relations, told directly by the individuals who have operated within these shadowed worlds. It’s a rare opportunity to hear unfiltered perspectives on the most critical security challenges of our time, making each episode an immersive lesson in the human and strategic dimensions of power.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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