[Fornlist] FORNL / Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series @ American Museum of Science & Energy -- Additional Information

[Bob Costner]

Additional information concerning Bob Wallace (America's 'Q' ):
In the Bond movies, Wallace says, "much of the equipment has an explosive characteristic." 
"The world of actual espionage is all about information and communication. James Bond
wouldn't last five minutes as an operations officer in the clandestine world," he says. 
The line between Bond movies and reality may be blurrier than some film buffs believe. When
the first few films hit theaters, Wallace says, the Russian KGB "looked at these as possible
indications of what the British service and the Americans had in store for them." 

Wallace, co-author of Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda, displays some of the Q-style technologies that real-life CIA agents have used in the
field. In a briefcase with a hidden pocket, he has items including a freeze-dried dead rat with a
hollow abdomen to hide money or information. In the field, the rodent would be covered with
Tabasco sauce so stray cats won't carry away the corpse. 

He also shows off a hollowed-out Soviet coin, roughly the size of a silver dollar. CIA agents
would use the coins to stash secret material, unscrewing them and hiding large quantities of text
inside that could be viewed later under a microscope. Other clandestine tools include ball-point
pens configured with tiny cameras, and paper that dissolves in water. Agents shred the paper,
drop it into a beverage and drink the liquid to make evidence disappear. 

Some early spy technologies are ubiquitous in American homes, Wallace says. Baby monitors,
for example, evolved from clandestine eavesdropping tools. And, he says, CIA employees spent
countless hours in the 1970s developing software that could send the kinds of text messages
teenagers now fire off countless times a day. 


Biography:
Wallace earned his BA in History from Ottawa University in 1966 and an MA in Political
Science from the University of Kansas in 1968. Bob served in the U.S. Army between 1968-1970, led long-range reconnaissance patrol teams of Company E, 75th Rangers in Vietnam in
1969 where he was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, two Bronze Stars with "V," and
three Air Medals. Wallace is co-author of Nine from the Ninth, a memoir of the Vietnam War
based on the authors' combat experiences. 

Bob moved to Washington, DC, in 1970 and served as an administrative assistant to the late
Congressman William McCullough before joining the Central Intelligence Agency in 1971.
Bob's CIA field assignments included three tours as Chief of Station with responsibility for
directing clandestine operations and managing intelligence collection programs. 
>From 1991 until 2003, Wallace held senior positions in operations and administration at CIA
headquarters. He was appointed Deputy Director of CIA's Office of Technical Service in 1995
and elevated to Office Director in 1998. There he managed multi-million dollar programs for the design, development, testing and deployment of technical equipment and personnel to support
worldwide operations. 

Wallace directed OTS' global response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks including the deployment of
officers into Afghanistan and the regional war zone. During his tenure at OTS, the office
received special recognition from the CIA's Inspector General for superior performance and
management. Bob's Agency awards include the Intelligence Medal of Merit and the
Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. 

Bob continues to support the CIA as a part-time historian with the Center for the Studies of
Intelligence, speaking and writing on intelligence, leadership and management topics. 
Bob and his wife, Mary Margaret, have three grown children and live in Reston, Virginia. He is a
member of the McLean Baptist Church and serves as Vice President of the Board of Managers of
Northwest Financial Services LLC in Herndon, Virginia. In 2005, Bob received the Ottawa
University Alumni Association Outstanding Achievement Award from his alma mater. 


Bob Wallace founded Artemus Consulting Group in 2004, after retiring from a 32-year career
with the Central Intelligence Agency. ACG's network of intelligence and security specialists
provide management counsel, strategic planning, and representational services to government
and corporate clients. 


- 
Robert Costner
http://www.fornl.org