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Jonna Mendez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withJonna Mendes.

Jonna Mendez
Born
Jonna Hiestand

1945 (age 78–79)
Campbellsville, Kentucky,U.S.
EducationWichita State University(BA)
Spouses
  • John Goeser
​
​
(m.1991; died 2019)​
AwardsIntelligence Commendation Medal(1993)
Espionage activity
AllegianceUnited States
Service years1966–1993

Jonna Mendez(néeHiestand;born 1945) is an American former technical operations officer, photo operations officer, and chief of disguise for theCentral Intelligence Agency(CIA).

Life and career

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Jonna Hiestand was born in 1945 inCampbellsville,Kentucky.In 1963, she graduated from high school inWichita,Kansas and went on to attend college atWichita State.After graduation, she worked forChase Manhattan BankinFrankfurt.In 1966, she was recruited by theCIAin Europe and started a career with them.[1][2]

In the CIA, Mendez lived under cover and served tours of duty in Europe, the Far East, theSubcontinent,and at CIA Headquarters. In the 1970's, she joined theOffice of Technical Serviceand worked overseas with a speciality in clandestine photography. As a technical operations officer, Mendez also prepared the CIA's most highly placed foreign assets in the use of spy cameras and the processing of intelligence gathered by them. In this role, she also developed creative photography skills. In 1982, she was one of the few selected for a year-long leadership development program. At the program's completion, she was given a choice among some assignments and became a generalist in disguise, identity transformation, and clandestine imaging inSouthandSoutheast Asia.

She was assigned to Denied Area Operations for disguise in 1986. This took her to the most difficult and hostile operating areas in the world where she and her colleagues matched wits with the overwhelming forces of the KGB in Moscow, the Stasi in East Germany and the Cuban DGI.[1]In 1988, she was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Disguise Division and in 1991, Chief of Disguise. During her tenure as Chief of Disguise, she met with PresidentGeorge H.W. Bushin a mask disguise, which she removed in the meeting to demonstrate the effectiveness of the art of disguise.[3][4]In 1993, she retired and was awarded theCIA's Commendation Medal.[1][5][6][7]

Jonna Hiestand Goeser met her future second husband,Tony Mendez,also a CIA officer, while assigned toBangkok.Following Mendez's retirement in 1990, they married in 1991. They had a son together.[8][6][9]

Later years

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After retiring from the CIA in 1993, Mendez and her husband[10]served on the board of directors for theInternational Spy Museumin Washington, D.C. They were both involved in the museum planning and design.[6]

Works

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  • Co-authorTony Mendez,Bruce Henderson;Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold WarNew York: Atria Books, 2003.ISBN9780743428538,OCLC54680464
  • Co-author Antonio J Mendez;The Moscow Rules:the secret CIA tactics that helped America win the Cold War,New York: PublicAffairs, 2019.ISBN9781541762190,OCLC1078953368
  • In a 2015 lecture, Jonna Mendez explained howCzechoslovakianhusband and wife KGB spiesKarl KoecherandHana Koecherused sex to infiltrate the CIA and gather top-secret information. One popular Washington, D.C., “swinger’s club”frequented by the couple counted at least 10 CIA staffers and aUnited States senatoras members.[11]

References

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  1. ^abc"Jonna Mendez - The Master Of Disguise".The Master Of Disguise.RetrievedOctober 25,2018.
  2. ^Hunter, Ryan Ann (February 12, 2013).In Disguise!: Undercover with Real Women Spies.Simon and Schuster.ISBN9781442467262.
  3. ^"Jonna at White House 1".The Master of Disguise.January 7, 2020.
  4. ^"Jonna at White House 2".The Master of Disguise.January 7, 2020.
  5. ^The Washington Post: CIA’s former ‘chief of disguise’ has a new holiday job: ‘Kids’ Gift Detective’ for Target
  6. ^abcPatton, Phil (July 17, 2002)."Once Secret, And Now On Display; Declassified: A Spy Museum Opens This Week in Washington".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 25,2018.
  7. ^"Jonna Mendez".International Spy Museum.RetrievedMarch 24,2023.
  8. ^Gardner, Karen (December 11, 2011)."Undercover no more".Frederick News-Post.RetrievedDecember 5,2012.
  9. ^Mendez, Antonio; Mendez, Jonna; Henderson, Bruce (November 7, 2003).Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War.Simon and Schuster.ISBN9780743434584.
  10. ^"Antonio Mendez: Author of the Master of Disguise and Spy Dust".Themasterofdisguise.com. Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2012.RetrievedOctober 6,2012.
  11. ^Sex and KGB Spies in the 1970s,C-Span,(February 4, 2015).
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