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“Exposes the worldwide operation of the Sino-Soviet espionage system and shows how Communist agents used any means to obtain vital information from military personnel. Reconstructs three actual cases to demonstrate various facets of espionage techniques. Explains how agents of different nationalities probe for vulnerable areas, such as loneliness, indebtedness, fast money, sex and the sporting life. Portrays the agent as he subtly approaches, ensnares and involves his victim until it is too late for the victim to retreat. Purpose: Information on communist espionage methods.”
Public domain film from the US National Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).
Espionage or, casually, spying involves a spy ring, government, company/firm or individual obtaining information considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, as it is taken for granted that it is unwelcome and in many cases illegal and punishable by law. It is a subset of “intelligence gathering”, which otherwise may be conducted from public sources and using perfectly legal and ethical means. It is crucial to distinguish espionage from “intelligence” gathering, as the latter does not necessarily involve espionage, but often collates open-source information.
Espionage is often part of an institutional effort by a government or commercial concern. However, the term is generally associated with state spying on potential or actual enemies primarily for military purposes. Spying involving corporations is known as industrial espionage.
One of the most effective ways to gather data and information about the enemy (or potential enemy) is by infiltrating the enemy’s ranks. This is the job of the spy (espionage agent). Spies can bring back all sorts of information concerning the size and strength of an enemy army. They can also find dissidents within the enemy’s forces and influence them to defect. In times of crisis, spies can also be used to steal technology and to sabotage the enemy in various ways. Counterintelligence operatives can feed false information to enemy spies, protecting important domestic secrets, and preventing attempts at subversion. Nearly every country has very strict laws concerning espionage, and the penalty for being caught is often severe. However, the benefits that can be gained through espionage are generally great enough that most governments and many large corporations make use of it to varying degrees.
Further information on clandestine HUMINT (human intelligence) information collection techniques is available, including discussions of operational techniques, asset recruiting, and the tradecraft used to collect this information…
Modern history
The Cold War involved intense espionage activity between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and China and their allies, particularly related to nuclear weapons secrets. Recently, espionage agencies have targeted the illegal drug trade and those considered terrorists. Since 2008 the United States has charged at least 57 defendants for attempting to spy for China.
Different intelligence services value certain intelligence collection techniques over others. The former Soviet Union, for example, preferred human sources over research in open sources, while the United States has tended to emphasize technological methods such as SIGINT and IMINT. Both Soviet political (KGB) and military intelligence (GRU) officers were judged by the number of agents they recruited.
Targets of espionage
Espionage agents are usually[citation needed] trained experts in a specific targeted field so they can differentiate mundane information from targets of intrinsic value to their own organisational development. Correct identification of the target at its execution is the sole purpose of the espionage operation.
Broad areas of espionage targeting expertise include:
– Natural resources: strategic production identification and assessment (food, energy, materials)…
– Popular sentiment…
– Strategic economic strengths…
– Military capability intelligence…
– Counterintelligence operations…
