STUDIES IN
INTELLIGENCE
A collection ol articles on Ihe historical, operational, doctrinal, ono* thcorotical aspects ol intelligence.
All si*icmcnts of fact, opinion or analysis expressed in Studies in Intelligence are those of
the authors They do not necessarily reflect official positions or views of the Central Intelligence Agency or any other US Government entity, past or present Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying US Government endorsement of an article's factual statements and inicrpretaltons.
The teaman as observer, courier, or recruiter in his own denied-area country.
THE MARINER AS AGENT Art HcoeTsticfa
In rnvcymg tbe possabrhtlesressenied country, the intelligence officer's eye naturally falls upon rise fleers of cerchant ships whichod out of its ports, shuttling bade and forth to the outside world, each vessel potentiallycarrier of theof espionage, eachotential agent. It is common knowledge that intelligence services use seamen of their own or friendly countries* merchant fleets to make clandestine portin denied areas. The potential for clandestine activitiesconsiderably, however, when we consider for use as carriers and agents the merchant ships and seamen of the target country itself.
For the native mariner there are no such obstacles at home as language barriers, area tufaoifllajtty, and the routine securityapplied to foreigners. Heoyage and returns to mingle freely with family and associates, travels iiuestrictedly. and enjoys an access to people and places which the foreigner cannot hope to duplicate. Most importantly, tbe seaman comes out regularly to free ports where he can be reached. This periodic access to bis native country alternating with our access to him outside prompts us to examine his suitability for clandestineunder cover of bis trade.
Homo Mcrinarua
First let us consider tbeimself. In some countries seafaringraditional, honorable, and respected profession. In others it is not, and the merchant marine mayink for the dregsountry's humanity. Either way, tbe fob is hard and dangerous and the men are not ov-erpaicL Moat of them are alert for ways to profit from the advantages their profession offers fn frequent travel tocountries. The crewman, at opposed to his officers, isracticed smuggler; be procures goods cheaply in one country aod sells them illegally in another where the demand is great and prices high. Tbe officers' chicanery isomewhat more sophisticated
level with rank seldom nussing an opportunity to exercise its privilege. It is the rare captain or chief engineer wbo does not accept kickbacks from ship chandlers or fuel salesmen for channeling his business their way.
Mariners are unusual in that the enforced intimscy of shipboard Hie. matched in no other calling, gets them to know one another especially well This may be true throughout an entire fleet The men sail together, this means working together, eating"together, relaxing together, talking togetlter endlessly, all within tbe narrow confines of their vessel Then in port in foreign lands they carouse and let ofi steam together. Theyegree of camaraderie rarely found elsewhere. It would not be an exaggeratioo tohip or small merchantloating fraternity, with strong hoods of loyalty tying the "brothers" together. At tbe same time seamen remain intense individualists. Strongly self-centered and self-reliant andifficult to enbst them In any enterprise that errors them oo element of personal gain.
Mitssonr: Reporting and Recruiting
The easiest mist ion for seamenhe colketino of positive intelligence, and the simplest of all coDoctiooheariner can make concerning his own vessel and its cargo or the others In hb fleet These' obaervarioos may be significant if detailed iWormation on the country's foreigneeded. The agent, having natural access, need not go out of his way or make any special effort to collect such information. He need only observe and report accurately. Tbe shipboard agent can also make the traditional port-coH observations In tbe ports of his own or other denied countries. Both are usually worth while, and the seaman's access to these targets i. unique.
Far more difficult, yet of correspondingly greater potentialsing the mariner torimary source of intelligence in the denied areab home country. The difficulty of tbe task should not be under estimated, buthe real opportunity toto the full the right man's access and talents. The marina acts as go-between for the case officer operating at one end and thesource at the other. Most recrnitnaenrsrat-adistartce bave no human intermediary to bring the In-place source the boon of penonal contact with the employing service. Here encouragement and counsel can be delivered by word of mouth, personally, from case officer to
intermediary to agent with niirilrriurn riik because all accesses are riatural. totcrmcdiary and source will have plausible reasons for coo-sorting with each other. Officer seamen are invariably best suited for this type of mission because their education, mtcffigrrxo, and social level wul more Dearly match thoseell-placed prirnary source.
Perhaps the raost critical tingle determinant of success or failtms fnission Is the selection of the potential source, the inside lead to be approached through the mariner. An in-depth target study of tbe seaman's probable circle of contacts is indispensable. Re himself seldom has any real idea of the stuff of which espionage is made and wiD. often neglect to pass on perfectly good leads. In the course of debriefings he should be asked whether be knows such-and-such target individuals. Eventually It may come out that someone in whom we are keenly Interested used to date the man's sister; the two men, although they have not seen one another for some years, were always good friends. Such leads are not likely to occur to the agent until brought to his attention, bonce the great importancearget study.
One of tbe best circles to look into is theervice closely related to the merchant marine, especially In small countries. There may be opportunities to penetrate the defense ministry if the mariner canaval officer friend Tbe key criteria in selecting the target inside are good primary access to ialarrrsatioa, native tntelli-gence, ability to work independently, and (as Dearly as can be determined) nscrptibihiy to recruitment. Often, if all the homework bas been done well, tbe candidate-wul prove to have greater wit, motivation, and resourcefulness than the mariner himself. He may have been just waitingecure contact to be offered from outside.
Kiperieace has shown that of all methods which may be used to activate an Inside lead, personal contactariner friend fa one of the most satisfactory to the man himself. While be would shy away from approaches by mail or from one-shot travelers, he Is glad to talk things overrusted friend who enjoys authorized access to tbe outside world The mariner then need only follow simple Instructions in order to establish secure clandestine communications between the source and the intelligence bea dcpiarters; and once these are funcsuoning. be may step out of the operation entirely and thus alliance its security. It is difficolt, however, to resist the temptation
to continue using him to service) (he source with such materials as secret writing supplies, commuiueations equipment, money, ordevices, whatever he requires for bis mission.
or Persons
The idea of having the mariner service his inside recruitsuggests another potential use ofcouriers inof other operations. The courier need not even make personal contact with the mdependont agent he services If the two are taught to communicate via dead drops. In this way shipboard agents caneritable supply line to compartmented nets inride the country. Money, propaganda materials, communications equipment, training manuals, all lands of devices, etc, can be sent In bya universally acknowledged skill of seamen the worldsmuggling.
This is one mission for which the crewman is perhaps betterthan his officers. Crewmen often boast that they can smuggle in "anything they can conceal on their persons. Occasionally one will go further than that: he haspecial relationshipenal customs official or guard, who, in returnoturfderatjoo, wfll look the other way while the sailor brings in bulky contraband. Little training Is required toeamanaluable asset for courier support.
There is no difficultyackage on boardestern country; mariners return to the ship laden with purchases almost daily. The first problem will be to conceal it on board for theof the voyage. The case officer can help out here by prcrviding oneariety of concealment devices. Possibly the best for this kind of operation is the magnetic clam, which the agent can clamp onto any of tbe numberless steel surfaceship. His mostJob will be to get it off the ship in the target country, and bow he does this is best left to his own judgment
An allied use of the mariner and his ship is for cxfiltratjoo. Traffic in stowaways is an old money-making business among merchantThe right people with the right connections in waterfront circles can get anyone outountry if it is made worth their while to run the risk. Itifficult fob. though, usually requiring the cooperation of some watchman or customs official on shore and of one or two seamen aboard ship, and the penalties for helpingenied area are heavy. Yet it is done surprisingly
often. So many refugees have fled one particular unhappy country stowed away In its merchant ships that the cargo fleet is jokingly referred topassenger line."
The cunning that seamen exhibit in getting stowaways on board and out of the countryeal talent for clandestine operations. In one ingenious scheme of which we became aware, an officer made friends with the harbor pilot and would borrow bis official launch to take pleasure cruises arotioel'the harbor. In this pan tbe draft Umits were such that the ship could load only half full at quayside and then bad to be moved to deeper waters in the middle of the bay and finish loading from barges. Instead of the usual dockjide fences, checkpoints, and guards, the authorities relied on the physical barrier of the stretch of waterustoms official keeping watch aboard ship On the night chosen for the exfiltratioo, then, our officer would enlist the aidonfederate aboard to ply the customs man with food and wine. He himself would take the pilot's launch and after cruising around the bay until the appointed time would pick up the stowawayrearranged pier, take him to the ship, and get him on board while the watchman was otherwise plcasurabty occupied. He would hide him in his own cabin for the voyage.
Motmring the Operation
The first requisite in setting uparitime program fa toaritime principal agent for recruiting the mariners. One member of the seamen's "floating fraternity* can provide entree to all the others. The first step, therefore, is toefected mariner and play him back into (he .ranks of bis former colleagues. Tbe ideal maritime principal agent should:
have served recently as an officer in the target merchant marine and consequently be on close personal terms with many of the seamen;
have defected to tho West for political reasons and be motivatedesire to help his countrymenetested regime;
be of forceful personality, able to handle men well;
ood knowledge of English In order to serve as interpreter when required;
have servedhipboard agent himself, if possible, before defecting.
A principal agent with this background will be able to read crew lists like menus, picking out those of his old shipmates he can talk
to and knowing which he bad best avoid. Being well acquainted with their routine aad habits both aboard aod ashore, he can choose an approach well suited to the recruitment objective. It isood idea to follow tbe principal agent's Instincts in these early phases.
To be sure, you can make recruiting contactsrincipal agent. You can rtrikc up conversations in waterfront bars, yon can get mtermediarie* who have natural access to the ships, like thfp chandlers, to bring candidates off- This way, however, you always have the initial problem inherent in any cold rrxruitracnt, theof bona Bdes. The advantage of the prmcrpal agent is that bona fides fa established inrtantly. The two mariners, usually old friends, greet one another warmly, retireearby cafe, talk over old times, get to discussing the current situation In the homeland, and swing around to politics;hort time your man knows what kind of agent prospect the other fa. To get such an assessment by yourself may take months of cultivation.
itfall fn this early phase fa the peril to cornpartmcntation that results from the seaman's ignorance of what the principal agent wants to sec him about Upon receiving word that his old buddy fa in town the shipboard prospect fa likely torowd to come along with him to the meeting, and such group reunions are no place for opcratiooal explorations. Each candidate must be approached and run singly; do matter how many agents are picked up fn tbe fleet oringle vessel, they must be kept unsvitting of one another's activities. The case officer should not hesitate toontact If be finds him tied in with other recruited agents.
Experience has been that the average mariner fa not disposed to be particularly good agent material; it fa the unusual one we are looking for. Much depends, therefore, on the selection and testing process. Of ten seamen the principal agent approaches, perhaps one or two will develop into secure, reliable agents. Development of the case must be slow and deliberate enough that the prospect has time to gain confidence and overcome bis Initial apprehensions about what be fa gettingrial period of throe voyages, that fa three sets of meetings, fa suggested for testing his potential thoroughly. The patience this demands will be amply rewarded fa the long run.
first timeolid recruitment, with tbe aid of tbe principal agent, should be the sole business of the first go-around. Along with the usual effort to establish rapport, emphasize security, and Tplam
tbe ccotjiDutioo the lecruit can make, he should be given clear and unecjuivocal mstructions to take the initiative in settingersonal meeting oo the next trip out His adherence to these instjnctions will constitute bis first hurdle in the terting process. If he tails to initiate contact the next time out, itood sign that he lacks interest and motivation and will not develop further. Besides this rjrimary fob of maintain ing contact, he should be assigned an fnnocn-our minion such aseport on his ship's itinerary and cargo or on port observation* at home. The main purpose of this exercise Is to provide an excuse to reward blm on his Deal trip.
Second rim* out- His meeting arrsmgexneratt should be critiqued to show whether they were completely satisfactory. Praise fa due his positive report, no matter how mediocre it is, if it shows effort Unless be objects rrtost strenuously to accepting money, be should bo paid for this report and told it fa Just the sort of thing that is worth good rncoey to tbe service. Heare exception among mariners ifot interested tn getting some money for bis efforts. The soonerutegular salary, the smoother tbe operation v. ill run.
This second series of meetings should also begin hb txsining. Ifoourier, he needs training In dead drop selection and description. This Es best accomplished by practical exercisesbe city, in which be unloads practice drops and finds and writes up some of hb own. Provided the training goes satisfactorily, hb mission on this trip in will consist of finding and describing several dead drop sites inside the country. If, oo the other hand,o goecruitment rnbssoo. be wiH need exhaustive briefing on the purpose and technique of hb approach to the selected target
Third time out. The thirdood time for hbexamination, the main questions being wbo knows about his contact with the case cancer and whether he did what be says be did en hb last trip home. By this time the operation will have progressed to the point whereoving forward under its own steam and Its future direction will be self-evident The recruit will have gained enough self-confidence and awareness ofnvolved to merit the appellation "agent" When the agent has thus proved himself, he can be run using the same basic tradecraft techniques as any other agent wbo travels into and outeniedmphasxied that the primary criteria in testing the agent are, first, that heecure contact when he comes out and second, that be remain conxpartmented from others. To continue workingecruit who cannot pass both theseo invite trouble.
Place and Time Problems
Two interrelated difficulties inherent in maxiner operationsto plague the operating service. There ia little that can beforestall these problems; one must learn to live with them.first, the difficulty of arranging secure persona] meetingsand agent are on an irregular schedule, and second, themulti-station handling, ie, thease officer toagent from whatever field station has Jurisdiction in tbe areato sail
erfect operational world the agent would remain assigned to one ship, and that ship would return to the same port every few months, so that be couldre-arranged plan to contact tbe same case officer every time. In practice this almost never happens. Personnel may be shifted and ships rerouted so swiftly andthat simply keeping track of the agents' whereaboutsajor problem. The difficulty is compounded if the program has grownonsiderable size,umber of agents on several ships. Tbe disadvantages are not limited to having to shift case officers.
For example, the agent may write to his accommodation address from his first port of call Lisbon, toeeting tn Algiers, his next stop,ase officer is unable to get to the right place in time. The contact is missed through no fault of the agent's; be has followed instructions exactly. The case officer is then forced to initiate tbe contact Despite its ursdesirability, there are severalof doing this which blend into normal patterns of action. In order of desirability and security they arc the following:
L If the ship has rhip-to-shote telephone, this is the easiest and safest way to get hold of anyone.
If not, telephone the ship's agent or the dodsidc porter and ask him to get the agent to the phone. It should be noted that the captain, chief mate, and chief engineer arc easiest to reach naturally by telephone; they receive several such summons daily in theof theirhone callowly crew member is unusual and may arouse suspicion.
Write to the agent in care of the ship's agent Letters to the three top officers can be disguised as advertising literature, business correspondence, sales promotion, etc
Use an unwitting messenger, suchock worker, toote on board to thepersonally to him.
A 6iing that seerns to work do matter how tight shipboard security is is tooung lady to tbe pier asking for bor seagoing boy friend No one givesecond thought Tbe lady need not even be pretty, those loog weeks at sea dull critical faculties.
ocal intelligence or security service is assisting In tbepolice officers or other officials can make contact with the agent oo board and arrange meetings in town.
RccruTt someone in the port who has natural access to theship charrdiers, lasmdryrnen, salesmen, etc.
Under no circumstances should another seaman be used to haul the agent off the ship. Such an expedient could speD theof the end of the operation, or indeed of the entire program.
Punning an agent is difficult enough when the same case officer, having good personal rapport with him, well versed in the background and objectives of the programhole, and thoroughly familiar with this case,iven ageot regularly. But hi the iisaritiroe program, where multi-station handling willecessary evil, different case officers, subject to tbe cruel accidents of time and geography, will shuttle fn and out of the handling of each case. Veteran operators, aware of the dislocations that may be caused by even infrequent case-officer turnover, will appreciate tbe effect on tbe poor agent when be meets upew face almost every time. Even with top-notch guidance and centralized control from headquarters and with excellent coordination and cooperation among field stations, there are still bound to be some stitches dropped.
Headquarters aod field elements must work hard together to ensure that these unavoidable losses are keptigh itandards of handling skill must be maintained if the agent is to respondto multi-station handling. Record keeping and operationalmust also beigh order, for the case officer at anycannot be sure it wul be he who will bold tbe next Each report of an operational meeting must be so prompt, complete, and deartranger stepping in can pick up the operation from tbe written record alone. Usually each field station involvedoing maritime program assigns one officer part-time to ft. Frequent personalof all these officers to talk over and work out mutualare highly desirable.
OppoJilityn Measures
With the passage of time and the growth ofantiroesome strains are bound to show. The exposed principal agent.
for one. it sure to become known. If the program is quite ertcnsive so the merchant marine is thoroughly riddled, percentages will catch up with it and some indication of what is going on will undoubtedly reach tbe opposition. Inside the target area, of course,can bring its full apparatus to bear on suspect mariners.and mvestigations can be mounted. Censorship may be concentrated on their mail There is little tbe ease officer can do about this except to warn' the agent and keep him alerted aboutthat he is under suspicion.
During voyages and calls at Western ports, however,can make only limited efforts to neutralize the program. Some of the measures it is likely to take are these:
Informants wiD be placed among the crew to observe theirof action. One pair of seamen was arrested because they stayed ashore overnight andational border, without sufficient visible funds.
Surveillance of suspect mariners may be mounted in Western ports. This measure is usually severely limited by practical considerations such as the number of men available.
Searches of the ship, cabins, and suspected hiding places on board will be conducted. This may be doneatter of routine, but It will be intensified if it is suspected thatis afoot. Contraband and stowaways are the usual objects ofearch, but if espionage is suspected aD notebooks, address books, clothing,ill be searched.
All officers and men may be warned against contact withand exiles in town.
A simple if drastic count enneasure, one which is quite effective, bas been used by nationsradition of xenophobia andindividual seamen from going into town alone. Seamen going ashore must travel in groups.till more extreme instance, the Czechs setoatingan Isolated section of the port of Hamburg and forbade the Czech sailorsarge fleet on the Elbe to go into town at all With most nationalities, however, such iron discipline provesThe seaman's life is hard, his long stretches at seaand tiring. His free time ashore, his chance to expand and paint therecious to him. Indeed, those who must enforce the discipline are themselves susceptible to the
luic of pleasure ashore So no matter how strict the rules, there is usually some room left in which to operate. We have emphasized the difficulties and hazards in mounting man rime operations in the hope of being helpful to others who attempt them, not In order to discourage them nor because we do not think them worth the effort On the contrary, we are convinced that if his case is given the thoughtful planning and careful esecubon it deserves, the seaman agent canaluable clandestine asset.
Original document.
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