Memoir · A CIA career
The Accidental Cold Warrior
A CIA Officer’s Journey Through The Cold War
The Accidental Cold Warrior is the story of an unlikely journey into the secret world of American intelligence — and of a career that ultimately spanned more than three decades and much of the globe.
When Eric L. Qualkenbush joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1977, he could hardly have imagined where the decision would take him. What followed was a life lived against the backdrop of the Cold War and its aftermath, with assignments that carried him and his family from Washington to India, Jordan, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and other corners of a rapidly changing world.
Along the way, he encountered Soviet intelligence officers, worked with foreign intelligence services, participated in sensitive operations, and witnessed history from a perspective available to very few Americans. His career would eventually take him from young case officer to senior CIA executive, including service as Chief of Station in three countries and responsibility for some of the Agency’s most demanding operational and leadership assignments.
But The Accidental Cold Warrior is more than an account of espionage. It is also the story of a marriage and family adapting to a life in which new countries became home, friendships were formed and left behind, danger sometimes intruded unexpectedly, and much of what happened at work could not be discussed at the dinner table.
Written with humor, candor, and the perspective that comes from looking back across a lifetime, The Accidental Cold Warrior offers a personal glimpse behind the curtain of the CIA — and the extraordinary places an accidental career can lead.
