“Indochina Hand” – CIA Officer Barry Broman
- “Indochina Hand” – CIA Officer Barry Broman Ben Buehler-Garcia 39:50
“Indochina Hand; Tales of a CIA Case Officer” by Barry Broman features a compilation stories about situations encountered during a 25 year career with the agency. He can attest to the fact that sometimes truth IS stranger than fiction.
Barry was first approached by the CIA while in graduate school. The recruiter said Barry was precisely the “kind of guy we are looking for”. However, when Barry informed him that he was commissioned in the Marine Corps and was headed to Vietnam. The recruiter handed him a business card and said “Here’s my card. If you live, call this number six months before you get out of the Corps.” Barry eventually did call that number and it was fifteen days between the Marine Corps and the CIA.
We begin with some stories from his time serving in Vietnam. He describes the role of the “Combined Action Marines” who interacted with local militias. He also shares the story of how one of his friends almost lost his life do a drunk South Vietnamese soldier just days before he was scheduled to return home.
One of the more compelling stories involved John Gunthner Dean, the Ambassador to Cambodia. Barry, Dean and some others were the last to get out of the country just ahead of the Khmer Rouge. The fate of those left behind still weighs heavy on Barry. Indochina was one of his favorite postings.
Barry recruited 41 agents during his career and shares the delicate line one walks while performing those actions. If the recruitment fails, the CIA agent may only be ejected from the country. But the existing foreign assets exposed by the failure were likely to lose their lives.
Contrary to popular belief, Barry says that many of the foreign agents were not in it for the Money. It was usually the American traitors that were primarily motivated by greed.
