![]() He always impressed me, the way he came from such lowly roots, and used his insatiable drive and talent to win the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, showing unprecedented courage at a time when Americans had little hope of winning anything in Russia. My thoughts bounced with the music, and settled on the inspirational pianist Van Cliburn. As I got lost in the piece, I thought about the rush I’d gotten when we recovered the Chinese orb and Rodin statue, what it felt like to hold history in your hands. One evening, I sat alone at my piano and played a Chopin “Fantasie.” It was a favorite from my days as a piano performance major in college, but one I had not played in years. I knew it would make me a better agent, especially undercover. My newfound ability to see both sides of a situation-to think and feel like the accused-was invaluable. Perhaps as important, I also now knew what most suspects, guilty or innocent, truly feared, and what they wanted to hear. I understood that just because someone made a mistake in judgment, it didn’t make him evil. Most agents saw things in black and white I started seeing shades of gray. ![]() I brought a perspective few of my brethren could match. Fewer still win acquittal, and only a handful of those choose to remain with the bureau. ![]() Few FBI agents indicted on felony charges take the case to trial. ![]()
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