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The Spy Who

The Spy Who Outplayed Nixon | The Gamble | 3

March 17, 2026 • 36m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

This episode chronicles the dramatic conclusion of Larry Chin's decades-long espionage career, spanning from 1982 to 1986. Chinese intelligence officer Yu Changshong infiltrates his boss's files to gather information about China's spy within U.S. intelligence, ultimately leading the CIA to identify Chin. After three years of surveillance, the FBI finally arrests Chin through a masterful interrogation that leads to his confession. The episode reveals that Chin had been spying for China since 1948—far longer than investigators suspected—and ends with his suicide in prison just months after his conviction.

Yu Changshong's Risky Search for the Mole

In summer 1982, Chinese intelligence officer turned CIA asset Yu Changshong seizes an opportunity to search his boss's desk for information about China's spy in U.S. intelligence. The CIA has made it clear they will only exfiltrate him from China if he can provide details about this mole. Working late at night in the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, Yu discovers crucial clues including the spy's code number, handler name, and travel dates that will ultimately lead to the spy's identification.

  • Yu Changshong searches his boss Miss Wong's desk after hours at the Ministry of Public Security
  • The CIA will only exfiltrate Yu from China if he finds information about the Chinese spy in U.S. intelligence
  • Yu discovers an unlocked drawer containing a folder with the spy's code number and handler's name (O. Chi Ming)
  • The file reveals the agent attended a banquet in Beijing and received a medal from the deputy minister
  • Yu finds the dates of the spy's inbound and outbound flights, believing this information will secure his escape to America
" The CIA will only exfiltrate him from China if he finds out more about the Chinese spy working within US intelligence. "
" Surely what he's learnt tonight will be enough for the CIA to identify China's spy. And if it is, then he's just secured his one-way ticket to America. "

FBI Identifies Larry Chin as the Suspect

In September 1982, FBI Special Agent Tom Carson is reluctantly assigned to investigate a Chinese spy buried somewhere in U.S. intelligence services. With minimal information from the CIA—just the spy's ethnicity, gender, and travel dates—Carson faces what he calls a 'nightmare case.' After discovering the CIA's flight date was incorrect due to a weather delay, Carson and his team cross-reference customs records with security clearances to identify Larry Chin as their primary suspect, a former CIA translator who had top secret clearance.

  • FBI Special Agent Tom Carson is assigned to investigate a Chinese spy with only minimal details: Chinese male who flew to Beijing on February 6th and returned on the 27th
  • Carson discovers there was no flight to Beijing on February 6th, putting the investigation at risk
  • A wiretapped call reveals a Chinese official's flight was delayed by five hours due to a snowstorm, explaining the date discrepancy
  • By cross-referencing customs forms with security clearances, the team identifies Larry Chin, who had top secret clearance since 1970
  • The CIA admits Chin was one of their employees but opposes his arrest, claiming it could endanger their source inside China
" It's got nightmare written all over it. "
" Are you telling me that one of your employees sells U.S. secrets to a foreign enemy power and you think he should get away with it? "
" If we want to stop spies, we need to punish them, not give them a pension and a pat on the back. "

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