Agent handling is a generic term common to intelligence organizations. It refers to the management of agents, principal agents, and agent networks by intelligence officers that are typically known as case officers.
Human Intelligence
A primary purpose of intelligence organizations is to penetrate a target with a human agent, or a network of human agents. Such agents can either infiltrate the target, or be recruited "in place." Case Officers are professionally trained employees of intelligence organizations that manage human agents, and human agent networks. Intelligence that derives from such human sources is known as
HUMINTHUMINT, a syllabic abbreviation of the words HUMan INTelligence, refers to intelligence gathering by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as SIGINT, IMINT and MASINT...
.
Sometimes agent handling is done indirectly, through "principal agents" that serve as proxies for case officers. It is not uncommon, for example, for a case officer to manage a number of principal agents, who in turn handle agent networks, which are preferably organized in a cellular fashion. In such a case, the principal agent can serve as a
"cut-out"In espionage parlance, a cutout is a mutually trusted intermediary, method or channel of communication, facilitating the exchange of information between agents. By definition, a "cutout" does not know the source or destination the information being trasmitted, or the identities of any persons...
for the case officer, buffering him or her from direct contact with the agent network.
Utilizing a principal agent as a cut-out, and ensuring that the human agent network is organized in a cellular fashion, can provide some protection for other agents in the network, as well as for the principal agent, and for the case officer in the event that an agent in the network is compromised. Assuming that standard principles of intelligence
tradecraftTradecraft is a general term that denotes a skill acquired through experience in a trade.The term is also used within the Intelligence Community as a collective word for the techniques used in modern espionage...
have been strictly observed by the principal agent and the agents in the network, compromised agents will not be able to identify the case officer, nor the other members of the network. Ideally, agents may work side by side in the same office, and conduct their
clandestineA clandestine operation is an intelligence or military operation carried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed.The Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms defines "clandestine operation" as "An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental departments or...
collection activities with such discipline, that they will not realize that they are both engaged in espionage, much less members of the same network.
Since an agent can sometimes identify his or her principal agent, however, or reveal information under
interrogationInterrogation or questioning is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police and military.The interviewee is also referred to as a "source"...
that can lead to the identification of a principal agent, the protection provided by cellular network organization can be time-sensitive.
If principles of intelligence tradecraft have not been strictly observed, it is also possible that compromised agents can reveal information that exposes other members of the network. In the real world of espionage, human lapses are very much the norm, and violations of the principles of tradecraft are common. It is for this reason that agents are ideally trained to resist interrogation for a defined period of time.
If an agent is able to resist interrogation for a defined period of time, the odds that other members of the network can be alerted to the compromise improve.
Case Officer
Case officer -
An intelligence officer who is a trained specialist in the management of agents and agent networks, case officers are official employees of intelligence services.
Case officers manage human agents, and human intelligence networks. Case officers spot potential agents, they recruit prospective agents, and they train agents in tradecraft. Case officers emphasize those elements of tradecraft which enable the agent to acquire needed information, as well as to enable the case officer to communicate with and supervise the agent. Most of all, case officers train agents in methods of avoiding detection by host nation counter-intelligence organizations.
Agents, Spotting, and Recruitment
By definition, an "agent" acts on behalf of another, whether another individual, an organization, or a foreign government. Agents can be considered either witting or unwitting, and in some cases, willing or unwilling. Agents typically work under the direction of a principal agent or a case officer. When agents work alone, and are not members of an agent network, they are termed "singletons."
The identification of potential agents is termed "agent spotting." Identifying potential agents, and investigating the details of their personal and professional lives, involves the granular verification of their
bona fideBona Fide is a studio album from rock band Wishbone Ash. It is the first studio album in six years and is the only studio album to feature guitarist Ben Granfelt...
s. Such activities can include uncovering personal details that leave potential agents vulnerable to
coercionBlackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal substantially true information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand made upon the victim is met. This information is usually of an embarrassing and/or socially damaging nature...
or other inducements, such as sexual approaches.
The recruitment of potential agents is an art form, and it is the
raison d'être of the intelligence case officer. Approaches to potential agents can be multitudinous and interminable, and considerable time can pass before the potential agent is suborned or maneuvered into a position where a recruitment "pitch" can be hazarded.
Training
Agent training often includes techniques of
tradecraftTradecraft is a general term that denotes a skill acquired through experience in a trade.The term is also used within the Intelligence Community as a collective word for the techniques used in modern espionage...
such as clandestine communications, including
cryptographyCryptography is the practice and study of hiding information. Modern cryptography intersects the disciplines of mathematics, computer science, and engineering...
, the use of one-time pads, the construction of
concealment deviceConcealment devices or diversion safes are used to hide things for the purpose of secrecy or security. They are made from an ordinary household object such as a book, a soda can, a candle, a can, or something as small as a coin...
s, and the employment of
dead dropA dead drop or dead letter box, is a location used to secretly pass items between two people, without requiring them to meet. This stands in contrast to the live drop, so called because two live persons meet to exchange items or information....
s. Other elements of tradecraft include elicitation,
surveillanceSurveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people and often in a surreptitious manner...
and counter-surveillance, photography and the emplacement of audio devices, sensors, or other transmitters. Case officers generally train agents one at a time, in isolation, including only those elements of tradecraft needed to penetrate the target at hand. Case officers will also teach agents how to develop
cover for status, and
cover for action, meaning how to establish credible pretexts for their presence and behavior while engaged in collection activities. A well-trained and competent agent can conduct his or her clandestine tasks while under close surveillance, and still evade detection. More advanced agent training can include resistance to
interrogationInterrogation or questioning is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police and military.The interviewee is also referred to as a "source"...
.
MICE
The acronym "MICE" is used to understand the motives of spies in betraying their countries. MICE stands for
MoneyMoney is anything that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value, and occasionally, a standard of deferred payment...
,
IdeologyAn ideology is a set of aims and ideas that directs one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a...
,
CoercionCoercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats, intimidation, trickery, or some other form of pressure or force. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
, or Ego.
Individuals who are motivated to betray their country for money often feel that they have been cheated out of their just rewards by life circumstances or career setbacks, so they have no qualms about being fairly compensated, in their own eyes, for their worth. At the same they can get back at the society which has misunderstood them and failed to appreciate their talents. When
Aldrich AmesAldrich Hazen Ames is a former Central Intelligence Agency counter-intelligence officer and analyst, who, in 1994, was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and later Russia.-Early life and work:...
bought a $60,000 Jaguar, he did not exhibit the slightest pretense of hiding the fruit of his labors.
Ideology, however is the opposite end of the spectrum. Prospective spies motivated by ideology are committed to a system of beliefs that can place them at odds with their own government. Such spies may risk their lives for no payment, with service to the cause being their reward. Both
Julius and Ethel RosenbergJulius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg were American communists who were executed in 1953 after having been found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage. The charges were in relation to the passing of information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union...
, for example, were "patsies," or fall guys, for members of a much larger conspiracy, most of whom escaped unscathed. The Rosenbergs were willing martyrs to a cause for which Julius was willing to see his own wife executed rather than implicate others, and Ethel was willing to orphan her own children.
Coercion can be used against an unwilling participant,
homosexualityHomosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex, situationally or as an enduring disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie within the heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and refers to an individual’s...
-related blackmail and
briberyBribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an...
being two historical forms. The classic example of homosexual coercion is the case of
Donald MacleanDonald Duart Maclean was a British diplomat and member of the Cambridge Five who were members of MI5, MI6 or the diplomatic service who acted as spies for the Soviet Union in the Second World War and beyond...
, who was sexually compromised by
Guy BurgessGuy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
. As for bribery, corrupt government officials must cooperate out of fear of exposure, not to mention the loss of income, or the potential consequences to their families. Coercion can also be used against loved ones.
Elizabeth BentleyElizabeth Terrill Bentley was an American spy for the Soviet Union from 1938 until 1945. In 1945 she defected from the Communist Party and Soviet intelligence and became an informer for the U.S. She exposed two networks of spies, ultimately naming over 80 Americans who had engaged in espionage for...
is perhaps the classic example of excitement being the motivating factor in espionage. Bentley began spying for the benefit of a fascist organization, but quickly joined a communist entity. Her ideology was somewhat labile. Bentley then became the lover of a high-level CPUSA underground operative who had been a chekist. When he died, Bentley took over his operations, but her personal loss had a negative impact on her work. Excitement, romance, and sex were her original reasons for engaging in espionage, and when she lost those things she defected back to her home country.
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