Ep. 7: The Prisoner Exchange

One week after a friendly summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, CNBC details an aggressive plot by China to infiltrate one of the United States’ most important institutions: the Federal Reserve. This explosive documentary delves into the incredible saga of a Chinese spy's effort to obtain secrets from the inner confines of the US top bank. It's a tale of sex, money, deceit and betrayal that put some of the country’s vital economic and financial secrets at risk. With exclusive access to new documents, audio, photos and text messages, CNBC's Senior Washington Correspondent Eamon Javers uncovers the story of former Fed economist John Rogers and a Chinese spy posing as an economics student who he befriended in 2013. “Inside Man” is a spy story at the heart of the competition for global economic dominance, posing the question of whether Rogers was a spy himself or an unwitting dupe.

Eamon Javers continues his conversation with veteran CIA spy Jim Olson about a Mission Impossible-style raid Olson led on a Russian communications line outside of Moscow. He also reveals the one thing he ever refused to do for the agency - even if it meant protecting his country. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Eamon Javers talks to a spy on the other side - a former Russian FSB intelligence officer who has defected to the United States and now lives under U.S. protection. For the interview, his identity has been concealed as he still is under threat of Russian retaliation. He’s been studying the Vladislav Klyushin case and explains how Klyushin is just one of multiple Russian intelligence connected insider traders. The veteran spy alleges that this is a deliberate strategy by Vladimir Putin to destabilize Western economies and steer profits to his cronies. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Eamon Javers interviews veteran CIA clandestine operator Jim Olson, who worked for the agency in Moscow at the height of the cold war. Olson explains how the CIA tries to recruit Russians, like Klyushin, to turn on their country by using money, ideology, and ego. He also reveals spy tactics used by the CIA, such as the promise of U.S. college admissions for defector’s children and access to top notch healthcare for sick family members. Olson also gives listeners a course in how U.S. spies are taught to operate undercover. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Klyushin’s scheme starts to unravel and the online brokerage that he and his team have been using begins to raise questions about their remarkable success rate in the stock market. In a recorded call, Klyushin assures bankers that he is not using insider information while the FBI begins to move in to make the arrest. Klyushin’s Swiss attorney reveals this case isn’t about insider trading but rather it’s spy versus spy payback. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.