How do you fool a sitting president? Who also happens to be a former director of the CIA? In 1991,

John A Mendez stepped foot into the Oval Office, greeted by big names of the White House cabinet,

like Chief of Staff John Sununu, National Security Advisor Brent Skowcroft and CIA director Robert Gates.

But as Johnna entered the daily briefing, she sat across from President George H.W. Bush,

prepared to discuss and showcase the new disguised technologies and capabilities of the CIA.

The president closely studied the woman before him.

He saw a young, Latina woman with dark eyes and styled dark hair. At first, the president glanced around her feet,

looking for what he expected to be a bag full of the disguised technology. But she informed him

she was already wearing it. He searched her

face for a wig, a nose, any prosthetics, false teeth, anything, but he was stumped. He could not

identify where the disguise ended and she began. Then in an instant, John appealed back her entire face. The Latina woman disappeared.

The real Jonna, with light skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair unmasked herself, revealing the true

face of the chief of disguise for the CIA. I'm Emily Campano, and this is the Fox True Crime podcast. John A Mendez had a remarkable career at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Her time with the agency began in 1966 when she was hired as a secretary in Frankfurt, Germany.

Her boredom with a role inspired her to pursue new opportunities,

and she was soon brought into the CIA's Office of Technical Service,

where she was able to hone her skills in clandestine photography.

Despite a daunting structure within the ranks of the CIA and a misogynistic culture that challenged her at every step,

John's creativity, independence, and free-thinking spirit propelled her through the ranks,

and her proficiency with cameras, photography, and eventually, disguise, impressed and inspired her colleagues.

In 1991, Jonna was promoted to chief of disguise

at the Central Intelligence Agency,

...