Valerie Plame Wilson, the former CIA operations officer whose covert identity was revealed by senior White House and State Department officials and her name subsequently published in a syndicated newspaper column, will speak at Vanderbilt University Wednesday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m.
The title of Wilson’s talk, “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House,” is also the title of her new book published this month. Her talk will be held in the Ballroom of the Student Life Center located at 310 25th Ave. S. on Vanderbilt’s campus.
The university’s Speakers Committee, a student-run organization, is sponsoring Wilson’s talk.
General public tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 615-255-9600 or www.ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets are free to Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff and must be picked up in advance at the Sarratt Student Center box office. Only one free ticket may be picked up per person with Vanderbilt identification card. Tickets are $5 for non-Vanderbilt students with valid school or university identification – these tickets are available at the Sarratt Student Center box office and Ticketmaster outlets. For more information, call 615-322-2471 or visit www.vanderbilt.edu/vpb.
Wilson’s husband, retired Ambassador Joseph Wilson, challenged the Bush administration alleging the White House misrepresented its intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq. Shortly following his accusations, his wife’s employment as a CIA agent was revealed in what was believed to be retaliation for Joseph Wilson’s criticism of the Bush administration.
A Justice Department investigation found that Valerie Plame Wilson’s “outing” was coordinated with the involvement of Karl Rove, President George W. Bush’s deputy chief of staff, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. Libby was indicted on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators. In March 2007, Libby was found guilty of four of the five counts against him. The Wilsons also have filed a civil suit seeking damages against officials involved in leaking her name.
Born on Elmendorf Air Force base in Anchorage, Alaska, Wilson’s career in the CIA included extensive work in counter-proliferation operations with regard to weapons of mass destruction. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and master’s degrees from The London School of Economics and Political Science and the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.
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Media Contact: Princine Lewis, 615-322-NEWS
princine.l.lewis@vanderbilt.edu