A former undercover CIA agent shared stories about his 31-year career with the agency on campus Thursday night.

Jim Olson also discussed the ethics involved with counterterrorism operations during his lecture in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

Olson, who is originally from Iowa, shared how he was recruited by the CIA after graduating from law school. Olson and his wife both worked as clandestine undercover agents in various parts of the world.

Olson shared how he was able to secure the help of a KGB agent in Moscow who was able to provide the United States with valuable security information.

He said this type of operation is not unusual in a government agency. CIA operatives often take grave risks in order to provide valuable security information for the country.

“What we do in the CIA is illegal,” Olson told an audience of over 450. “We break other countries’ laws.”

Olson said even though agents may have to break the laws of other countries and misrepresent who they are as spies, he believes intelligence is needed.

“It is important for our country and security that we acquire those secrets,” Olson said.

Next, Olson polled the audience about several ethical issues in the CIA. He asked members what they thought about using drugs or torture to obtain information from individuals, assassination of important political leaders, and whether or not the CIA should train other countries in torture. Many of these issues are not allowed in the CIA now.

Most people agreed that assassinations are sometimes necessary and the use of drugs to obtain information should be allowed. However, audience members disagreed about using torture on those captured, even for important information.

He told the audience he believes the CIA needs to have rules to follow. Policy makers, including Congress, “are very reluctant to get into that area,” Olson said.

Olson, who is currently the CIA Officer in Residence at the Bush School of Government and Public Service in College Station, Texas, also talked with audience members about current political situations.

He said he believes the U.S. will win the war against Iraq, but he thinks recent action was only round one. He also said he believed Bush had good intelligence when he made the decision to attack Iraq.

“There is no doubt in my mind. President Bush had the goods, he had the intelligence,” Olson said.

Audience members said they found Olson’s speech interesting.

“He is a careful thinker, a tremendous patriot,” said audience member Roger Coulson of Ames. “We will never know what he has done for our country.”

Others said they were also impressed by his dedication.

“He is just an ordinary guy, but he did extraordinary things,” said Nate Knutson, freshman in political science.