Yet Ms. Brookner was among the most skilled and admired case officers in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations — the clandestine service that infiltrates foreign countries and recruits agents to provide secrets to the United States. She was among the few women to ascend the ranks of the department, until her career was derailed in the 1990s over what turned out to be false accusations of professional misconduct.
…. .Ms. Brookner was still in her 20s when she had her first CIA assignment in Manila. She learned an old spy’s trick of befriending bartenders, telling them to leave the gin out of her gin and tonics as she met potential sources……
Source: Janine Brookner, ousted CIA officer who challenged agency in court, dies at 80 – The Washington Post
