The legitimacy of the mole hunt in the first place is a, well, legitimate question. That is, did Angleton know that the mole hunt was a farce in some real sense? A designed-to-fail hunt, the ultimate purpose of which was to get the snake to eat its tail? He never seemed to raise a word about McMahon, indeed was feted in 84 at a Langley luncheon seated right beside him.

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