The Psychology of Spies and Spying


Book Description

The Psychology of Spies and Spying tells the story of the people involved in spying: the human sources (agents) who betray their country or organisation and the professional intelligence officers who manage the collection and reporting process




The Psychology of Spies and Spying


Book Description

The Psychology of Spies and Spying tells the story of the people involved in spying: the human sources (agents) who betray their country or organisation and the professional intelligence officers who manage the collection and reporting process




How Spies Think


Book Description

From the former director of GCHQ, learn the methodology used by British intelligence agencies to reach judgements, establish the right level of confidence and act decisively. Full of revealing examples from a storied career, including key briefings with Prime Ministers and strategies used in conflicts from the Cold War to the present, in How Spies Think Professor Sir David Omand arms us with the tools to sort fact from fiction. And shows us how to use real intelligence every day. ***** 'One of the best books ever written about intelligence analysis and its long-term lessons' Christopher Andrew, The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5 'An invaluable guide to avoiding self-deception and fake news' Melanie Phillips, The Times WINNER OF THE NEAVE BOOK PRIZE 2022 LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2021




Noir White Papers


Book Description

This book contains all three White Papers by Dr. David Charney that provide a full-spectrum solution for managing insider threat: 1) True Psychology of the Insider Spy 2) NOIR: A White Paper Proposing a New Policy for Improving National Security by Fixing the Problem of Insider Spies and 3) Prevention: The Missing Link for Managing Insider Threat in the Intelligence Community. The author of the White Papers, David Charney, M.D., is a psychiatrist who had the unique experience of interviewing former FBI counterintelligence officer Robert Hanssen in jail, weekly, for approximately two hours per visit, for a year. Dr. Charney did the same with two other incarcerated insider spies: Earl Pitts (former FBI Special Agent revealed as a KGB spy), and Brian Regan (former Air Force/NRO). Dr. Charney's interest was to better understand the minds of spies for the sake of strengthening our national security. Over the eighteen years of his work with these cases, Dr. Charney developed a greater understanding of insider spy psychology and formulated new approaches and fresh proposals for better managing the problem of insider spies. Most Insider Threat management initiatives have been technology driven. While clever and useful up to a point, they are subject to the Law of Diminishing Returns and can backfire by creating a negative, distrustful workplace atmosphere. A well-motivated insider can defeat nearly any technology-based system. They will always find a way. By contrast, Dr. Charney's NOIR proposals center on the minds of potential or current insider threats: their psychologies and their inner worlds. The battle must be won there. The second white paper proposed an off-ramp exit solution, which does not yet exist, for those who have crossed the line. Quoting Sun Tzu: "Always leave your enemy an exit." Extending the logic, why not off-ramp exits, meaning robust prevention mechanisms, for BEFORE they cross the line? Security breaches and other insider threat events are the endpoints that indicate a failure occurred somewhere along the sequence of links in security chains. These links are the protective measures intended to counter potentially disastrous breaches. Breaches are proof that the links failed. Failed security chains in the Intelligence Community (IC) should be analyzed the same way the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) goes about studying aircraft disasters. The NTSB seeks to understand how each link failed in chains that resulted in disasters and whether protective links that should have been built into security chains were simply missing. The third white paper asserts that there are two critical missing links in Intelligence Community security chains. These missing links can be described as two types of off-ramp exits: exits for BEFORE someone crosses the line and exits for AFTER someone crosses the line. The absence of these two links in IC security chains weakens effective management of IC insider threat. If both missing links were added to the considerable number of existing and planned detection links-which at present seem to be the only game in town- a full spectrum solution would come into existence for the comprehensive management of insider threat. This part of the paper is proposes how to achieve this full spectrum solution. NOIR for USA is a 501(c)3 entity to educate the US Intelligence Community, other government components, including the Congress, the courts, responsible journalists, and the general public, about the NOIR concepts and proposals. Dr. Charney and his colleagues at NOIR For USA would appreciate any comments, criticisms, or additional thoughts you may have about NOIR concepts and proposals: [email protected]




The Spy and the Traitor


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The celebrated author of Double Cross and Rogue Heroes returns with a thrilling Americans-era tale of Oleg Gordievsky, the Russian whose secret work helped hasten the end of the Cold War. “The best true spy story I have ever read.”—JOHN LE CARRÉ Named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist • Shortlisted for the Bailie Giffords Prize in Nonfiction If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of the best Soviet institutions, the savvy, sophisticated Gordievsky grew to see his nation's communism as both criminal and philistine. He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union's top man in London, but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6. For nearly a decade, as the Cold War reached its twilight, Gordievsky helped the West turn the tables on the KGB, exposing Russian spies and helping to foil countless intelligence plots, as the Soviet leadership grew increasingly paranoid at the United States's nuclear first-strike capabilities and brought the world closer to the brink of war. Desperate to keep the circle of trust close, MI6 never revealed Gordievsky's name to its counterparts in the CIA, which in turn grew obsessed with figuring out the identity of Britain's obviously top-level source. Their obsession ultimately doomed Gordievsky: the CIA officer assigned to identify him was none other than Aldrich Ames, the man who would become infamous for secretly spying for the Soviets. Unfolding the delicious three-way gamesmanship between America, Britain, and the Soviet Union, and culminating in the gripping cinematic beat-by-beat of Gordievsky's nail-biting escape from Moscow in 1985, Ben Macintyre's latest may be his best yet. Like the greatest novels of John le Carré, it brings readers deep into a world of treachery and betrayal, where the lines bleed between the personal and the professional, and one man's hatred of communism had the power to change the future of nations.




Spies, Lies, and Algorithms


Book Description

Intelligence challenges in the digital age : Cloaks, daggers, and tweets -- The education crisis : How fictional spies are shaping public opinion and intelligence policy -- American intelligence history at a glance-from fake bakeries to armed drones -- Intelligence basics : Knowns and unknowns -- Why analysis is so hard : The seven deadly biases -- Counterintelligence : To catch a spy -- Covert action - "a hard business of agonizing choices" -- Congressional oversight : Eyes on spies -- Intelligence isn't just for governments anymore : Nuclear sleuthing in a Google earth world -- Decoding cyber threats.




Work Like a Spy


Book Description

“The book you are holding will fundamentally change the way you look at the collection, compartmentalization, analysis, distribution, application, and protection of intelligence in your business. J. C. Carleson’s presentation of years of spy tradecraft will make you a more effective force within your organization.” —James Childers, CEO, ASG Global, Inc. When J. C. Carleson left the corporate world to join the CIA, she expected an adventure, and she found it. Her assignments included work in Iraq as part of a weapons of mass destruction search team, travels throughout Afghanistan, and clandestine encounters with foreign agents around the globe. What she didn’t expect was that the skills she acquired from the CIA would be directly applicable to the private sector. It turns out that corporate America can learn a lot from spies—not only how to respond to crises but also how to achieve operational excellence. Carleson found that the CIA gave her an increased understanding of human nature, new techniques for eliciting informa­tion, and improved awareness of potential security problems, adding up to a powerful edge in business. Using real examples from her experiences, Carle-son explains how working like a spy can teach you the principles of: Targeting—figuring out who you need to know and how to get to them Elicitation—a subtle way to get the answers you need without even asking a question Counterintelligence—how to determine if your organization is unwittingly leaking information Screening—CIA recruiters’ methods for finding and hiring the right people The methods developed by the CIA are all about getting what you want from other peo­ple. In a business context, these techniques apply to seeking a new job, a promotion, a big sale, an advantageous regulatory ruling, and countless other situations. As Carleson writes, “In a world where infor­mation has a price, it pays to be vigilant.” Her book will show you how.




Spy the Lie


Book Description

Three former CIA officers--the world's foremost authorities on recognizing deceptive behavior--share their techniques for spotting a lie with thrilling anecdotes from the authors' careers in counterintelligence.




The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception


Book Description

Magic or spycraft? In 1953, against the backdrop of the Cold War, the CIA initiated a top-secret program, code-named MKULTRA, to counter Soviet mind-control and interrogation techniques. Realizing that clandestine officers might need to covertly deploy newly developed pills, potions, and powders against the adversary, the CIA hired America's most famous magician, John Mulholland, to write two manuals on sleight of hand and undercover communication techniques. In 1973, virtually all documents related to MKULTRA were destroyed. Mulholland's manuals were thought to be among them—until a single surviving copy of each, complete with illustrations, was recently discovered in the agency's archives. The manuals reprinted in this work represent the only known complete copy of Mulholland's instructions for CIA officers on the magician's art of deception and secret communications.




Think Like a Spy


Book Description

'It's rare to find a book that is not only intensely personal but deeply practical. Julian Fisher has somehow pulled it off, in this fascinating and engaging guide to the art of influence. Think Like a Spy is a fantastic read, full of eye-opening espionage tradecraft as well as insightful tips on how to achieve your business goals. Highly recommended' - Henry Hemming, author of Four Shots in the Night Discover the secret skills of influence and persuasion taught to intelligence officers and how to adapt them to win over personal and professional allies to your cause. Every day, intelligence officers achieve the unimaginable. They persuade people to share classified secrets with them. To become traitors, in fact. And their targets do it willingly, despite the risk of imprisonment, torture and, even, execution. Spies achieve this thanks to their structured use of nine secret skills of espionage. In Think Like a Spy, you'll learn these techniques and how to adapt them for effective and ethical use in your own life. A good spy is a people-person. She knows how to identify a potential agent, how to attract their attention and what to do to build an enduring relationship with them. From this base, she will coax out personal information to work out what makes her target tick. She will use that knowledge and her understanding of human psychology to her advantage while winning lasting commitment from her new ally. All these skills can be mastered and turned to use in civilian life. The author realised that he used all of them in his own progress from the poorest postcode in Britain to Oxford University, into a blue-blooded stockbroking firm, and on to a thrilling and varied career in the security and intelligence worlds. Julian uses a wide variety of stories from this journey to illustrate how spy skills can be adapted to situations and challenges that we all face. Everyone is capable of thinking like a spy and of using that thinking to transform their lives. This is your opportunity to learn how.