Read Online Hitler's Lost Spy by Greg Clancy - Free Book Online Page B

to men and women, the latter usually score more highly. Unfairly or otherwise, when a female politician lies to the people, it usually carries a greater public criticism than may have been expected if the politician were a male. From this, and other individual traits, popular culture has ensured a disproportional degree of intrigue is attached to the female spy. It is commonly perceived to be more difficult for women to play the dishonest role.
    Ultimate Credentials
    What are the desired qualities of an ideal spy? It’s a straightforward question so we just need to look at the basics. Let’s ignore Hollywood’s definitions and images gleaned from James Bond and John Le Carre and focus on the central factors. These are:

Security within the operating environment . A good spy’s primary responsibility is not to be caught. This may sound elementary, but to an espionage service, an active spy in its employ is both an investment and a potential risk. It is imperative that sufficient work and resources are injected into the program of ensuring that the planned  ‘work’ area is secure. This means suitable training for the spy and his or her contacts. Remaining above suspicion is paramount, and the ability of a spy to read the danger of exposure is more than simply having an advantage – it could be life saving.
Information collection . A good spy obtains facts and data deemed useful by the agency for which the spy operates. Working tirelessly in a target territory and doing so above suspicion is of little value if useful information cannot be obtained.  Not forwarding evidence of activity may raise suspicions from the agency that the spy in the field is either slack or has, voluntarily or involuntarily, committed the ultimate betrayal by changing sides.
Information transmission . The gathering of significant material is worthless while it remains with the spy. It needs to be delivered to the right people. But meetings may be monitored, telephones tapped, radio transmissions traced, codes broken and letters intercepted. Therefore, complete safety in transmission will require strict rules.
A spy’s expertise in neutralising sudden adversity .  Events likely to create suspicion of a spy need to be addressed with speed and conviction.  Mistakes may occur, or coincidental incidents could place the spy in a compromising setting.  The ability to confidently and hastily defuse a problematic situation may never be necessary, but if needed, it could be the best protection obtainable.
Motivation . Why does an individual agree to risk the hazards inherent to the murky world of espionage? One reason is money, or the receipt of some tangible benefit. Personal revenge, coercion and threats, or the general dislike for the target country may be other reasons. But in the 1930s the most reliable force was a simple desire to serve one’s country, or a powerful conviction favouring support of someone else’s country.  The gauging of motivation is critical in a spy assessment process. Where an applicant’s enthusiasm is misjudged, the danger of an agent  ‘rolling over’ to the enemy may become a lethal reality.
    So, an ideal spy will be an individual confidently living in the target community, positioned to collect valuable data and to successfully move this data to its point of transfer, capable of diverting suspicion from sudden adverse circumstances and inspired in the work by the opportunity to serve their country or another country to which they have been converted.
    There are other factors, but without all of the above, the ‘returns’ a spy’s endeavours may generate will be at a risk that could miscarry a critical strategy against an enemy.
    The Defector – the Spy’s Enemy Below
    Like everything else in an imperfect world, a flawless spy has never existed. Human shortcomings and a vast range of unforeseen circumstances have always guaranteed that