This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

The action-packed, technology-filled life of spies can be intoxicating to read about or watch on TV. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine these kinds of scenes playing out in real life—but for Jonna Mendez, a former covert operative in the Soviet Union and former chief of disguise for the CIA, everything from complex disguises to “Spiderman” rappelling technology to high-speed car chases were part of her daily life.

Her new book, The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War, recounts the most exciting parts of the job, as well as the moments with the highest stakes for U.S. interests. Together with her co-author and husband Antonio Mendez, she explains the techniques and technologies that helped the Americans get one step ahead of the KGB.

Join us for a conversation with a real-life spy about her experiences as a covert operative and her role in the advancement of the American intelligence strategy that helped America win the Cold War.

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The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum 📣, bringing together its 20,000 members for more than 400 annual events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy. 

Founded in 1903 in San Francisco California 🌉, The Commonwealth Club has played host to a diverse and distinctive array of speakers, from Teddy Roosevelt in 1911 to Hillary Clinton in 2010. Along the way, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton have all given landmark speeches at the Club.