Three Minutes to Doomsday

An Agent, a Traitor, and the Worst Espionage Breach in U.S. History

By: Joe Navarro

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

An intense cat-and-mouse game played between two brilliant men in the last days of the Cold War, this shocking insider's story shows how a massive giveaway of secret war plans and nuclear secrets threatened America with annihilation.

In 1988 Joe Navarro, one of the youngest agents ever hired by the FBI, was dividing his time between SWAT assignments, flying air reconnaissance, and working counterintelligence. But his real expertise was "reading" body language. He possessed an uncanny ability to glean the thoughts of those he interrogated.

So it was that, on a routine assignment to interview a "person of interest" - a former American soldier named Rod Ramsay - Navarro noticed his interviewee's hand trembling slightly when he was asked about another soldier who had recently been arrested in Germany on suspicion of espionage. That thin lead was enough for the FBI agent to insist to his bosses that an investigation be opened.

What followed is unique in the annals of espionage detection - a two-year-long battle of wits. The dueling antagonists: an FBI agent who couldn't overtly tip to his target that he suspected him of wrongdoing lest he clam up, and a traitor whose weakness was the enjoyment he derived from sparring with his inquisitor. Navarro's job was made even more difficult by his adversary's brilliance: not only did Ramsay possess an authentic photographic memory as well as the second highest IQ ever recorded by the US Army, he was bored by people who couldn't match his erudition. To ensure that the information flow would continue, Navarro had to pre-choreograph every interview, becoming a chess master plotting 20 moves in advance.

And the backdrop to this mental tug of war was the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the very real possibility that its leaders, in a last bid to alter the course of history, might launch a devastating attack. If they did, they would have Ramsay to thank, because as Navarro would learn over the course of 42 mind-bending interviews, Ramsay had, by his stunning intelligence giveaways, handed the Soviets the ability to utterly destroy the US.

The story of a determined hero who pushed himself to jaw-dropping levels of exhaustion and who rallied his team to expose undreamed of vulnerabilities in America's defense, Three Minutes to Doomsday will leave the listener with disturbing thoughts of the risks the country takes even today with its most protected national secrets.

©2017 Joe Navarro (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio

most gripping account I've heard/read in 50+ yr t

this sends chills & leaves one wondering what the heck goes on in this world of national security espionage & treason every second of every day

Its okay

The storyline sounds much more gripping than it really was. If someone gives it to you and you have lots of time to listen it is worth a go. Does not too the list for books I tell friends that they must read or hear.

Great story

This is a great story. You really get pulled into the story and get to know the characters.

Three Minutes to Doomsday

A fascinating book about the FBI and how a case progresses. The book takes you through different partners and their take of the case. Interesting to the end.

Gut wrenching.

I rank this among the 4 or 5 most enlightening books I have ever read (heard). I can't help asking myself if we are in any better shape right now.

I want to ask Joe if he thinks, perhaps, the sociopaths are in ascendance.

Great Book!

This book provides an excellent telling of an espionage event that I was unaware of. Highly entertaining and eye opening!

Wow! Incredible Story!

This story was mind blowing! I love a good spy story but the fact that Joe's story was true and he tracked and captured this traitor in the 1980's makes this bone chilling. Hearing such an espionage tale and how deeply compromised our nation was in the late 1980's and early 1990's by the two spies talked about by Joe in his book, it scares me to think about others that may not get caught. I am glad to hear and want to thank Joe for his heroic efforts to not give in to the pressures and give up when most would have. His persistance possibly literally saved the world but definitely literally saved the entire United States and NATO nations from nuclear disaster. I DO hope we have solved the nuclear authenticator issue. We will never know if they did or didn't unless we get or have top secret clearance. If you are lost by my review, I suggest buying and listening to this audiobook. If you like a great back and forth police interview drama story. This is it! It has a good amount of suspense in it too. I could not believe all the different U.S. agencies and foreign governments and their special agencies that were getting "involved" making Joe's work all that more challenging. Check it out, you'll be glad you did! #Espionage #LawEnforcementDrama #GlobalSetting #Suspenseful #NuclearThreat #TagsGiving #Sweepstakes

Doomsday Averted

Who knew? Which intelligence agency knew? NO ONE! No one but the spies! This tale of espionage will send chills down your spine and leave you wondering HOW COULD IT HAVE HAPPENED! Could it happen again? Now? Get ready for some sleepless nights asking just those questions.

Wow!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Great audiobook with great narration. My favorite since Boys in the Boat. I’ll probably listen to it again.

A great listen

Not only is this an interesting story, there is much to learn in it on many levels. The information in the book can help with your interpersonal skills, and it gives a glimpse into the toll on the dedicated agents of the FBI.