Lost Son

When a young American named Billy Reilly vanished into Russia's war with Ukraine, his parents embarked on a desperate search for answers. Was their son’s disappearance connected to his mysterious work for the FBI, or was it a personal quest gone wrong?

Wall Street Journal reporter Brett Forrest embarked on his own investigation revealing a secretive FBI intelligence program, a young man's lust for adventure within the world's conflicts, and the costs of a rising clash between Moscow and Washington. Join International Spy Museum Historian and Curator Dr. Andrew Hammond in conversation with Forrest about his new book Lost Son: An American Family Trapped Inside the FBI’s Secret Wars. They’ll discuss how Forrest applied years’ worth of research, along with decades of extensive experience in Russia, illuminating the inner workings of the national-security machine that enmeshed Billy and his family, picking up the lost son’s trail. It’s a trail that brings Billy to the center of the story — a young man who yearns to matter, whose dream led him headlong into Russia’s war with Ukraine. 

Following the conversation, you’ll be able to ask questions via our online platform.

Auto-generated closed captioning will be available for this program.