In True Face by Jonna Mendez

When searching for authenticity about female spies, the true-life story of a CIA wife who becomes a CIA spy at the height of the Cold War just doesn’t get any better. Jonna Mendez’s In True Face recounts her life story as the CIA’s Chief of Disguise.

Jonna Hierstand grew up in Kansas in an ordinary Midwest family. When her best friend invited her to Germany for her wedding, Jonna planned to go for the wedding, return to her boyfriend, Don, graduate as a lit major, get married and live the conventional lifestyle of the women in the ’60s. Yet, the trip awakened her sense of adventure and an eagerness to explore the places she had dreamed of visiting.

Before long, Jonna started working at Chase Manhattan Bank in Frankfurt, but she was bored to death with her job in accounting. Her superiors soon transferred her to the president’s office where she began doing his English correspondence. Not long after this transfer, Jonna met a group of expats that included her future husband, John Goeser. John had grown up in Europe and spoke fluent German. Jonna was excited by his knowledge of the local culture and the ease with which he navigated it. John soon asked Jonna to marry him, and her life began to change.

Shortly before her marriage, she left her job at Chase and was hired to work in the U.S. Army’s 97th General Hospital supervising two dozen secretaries. Being married to a CIA employee made her eligible to be hired as an entry-level CIA contract employee, or a “contract wife,” as they were called. The position turned out to be misogynist in the extreme. As a dependent, Jonna was not allowed to do many things without her husband’s written permission, including purchasing a movie ticket to the American theater. Her husband had full access to her bank account, but she needed John’s written permission or physical presence to deposit or withdraw funds from his account. To someone who had managed her own finances from the age of 17, this was shocking.

Jonna felt her new job at the CIA was a demotion. At the hospital, she was a supervisor, but at the CIA she dropped to the bottom of the General Schedule (GS), where previous experience, skills and potential were of no importance. Another injustice inflicted upon women was the arbitrary reduction in their GS grade. Each CIA tour abroad was typically two years, followed by a home tour in Washington, D.C. Women often had their GS grades reduced when returning to D.C., and again when reassigned overseas, regardless of any promotions they had earned!

The main part of the book is devoted to how Jonna managed to break out of the mold of a typical CIA contract wife and become Chief of Disguise in the organization. Early in her CIA life, she became proficient with cameras by taking pictures on weekend trips and holidays around Europe. Later, during her first Far East posting, Jonna worked for the executive officer and began discovering the importance of the techs from the Technical Services Division. These were the guys (yes, all guys!) who drilled pinholes in hotel room walls to place audio bugs. They also created false documents and disguises to allow agents to cross into foreign countries clandestinely.

After 12 years in CIA secretarial positions, Jonna became the secretary of the Director of Technical Services. Jonna realized she had reached the pinnacle of secretarial positions, and she yearned to spread her wings by doing more important work. Her new boss encouraged her. He suggested she take the Agency’s photography courses. For her first course, she spent an afternoon flying over the Virginia countryside, high and low, taking pictures in different conditions. She passed and was encouraged to take more courses.

When they were assigned to Europe for the second time, Jonna began working as a photo lab technician. Her assignments included hiding cameras in laundry baskets, the bellies of fake pregnant women, a man’s tie or almost anywhere. As her lab skills grew, so did her assignments around Europe.

At this point, the book takes off. For most of her career, she had bosses who mentored and encouraged her. Others actively tried to harm her or thwart her career. Jonna doesn’t mince words in talking about them. By succeeding in all challenges that presented themselves in her career, she is promoted until she reaches the position of Chief of Disguise.

In True Face is a memoir about feminist struggles in the CIA told against the backdrop of a thriller. Jonna recounts the stories of many successful women in the CIA who struggled on different fronts to change the misogynistic culture and break down barriers for the women coming after them. Is it any wonder the book’s dedication is to Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the CIA’s legendary Eloise Page?