APPHGVED FC34
Fi'ltW PROGRAM IfSMrrfir'
TITLB: Training Pays
AUTHOR: James A. Savacool
VOLUME:
STUDIES IN
INTELLIGENCE
A cotlcclion ol articles on the historical, operational, doctrinal, and theoretical aspects ol intelligence.
1
All statements of fact, opinion or analysis expressed in Studies in Intelligence are those of
ihe authors They do noi necessarily reflect official positions or views of the Genital Intelligence Agency or any othei US Government entity, past or present. Nothing in lhe conienis should be construed as asserting or implying US Government endorsement of an article's factual statements and interpretations
A new contract agent wins his spurt and reports with conviction
TRAINING PAYSavacool
The foBotoing are esxerptejrcma contract egeti&jejgrtpn hit successful operations tn aS7 haci^erT^rcMed,e sure, but only In the courseass roundup of potentially tub-verstoe elements, and his security had been so good that after about eight weeks he was released for lack of evidence. Hit report shows the possibility as wen as the dtfficuUy of operating under severe couriterrnlelligence controls and above all the value of thorough train-ing. Experienced intelligence operatives may find the lessons hereinit elementary, but this agent is understandably sold on the value of those elementary lessons end proud of having learned them well and followed them,
I am altogether convincedanaged to evade detectionof tbe thorough teaching inas given byparticularly Al with his insistence on careful planning and close attention to every detail regardless of how small or b> cortscquentfal it might appear.
Meetings
Because of the close surveillance to which all persons living under tbe block system of neighborhood control are subject, meetings and meeting places were the problem of primary concern. Meetings just to transfer material or funds were comparatively simple; the main essential was coordinated timing. There was no telephone number that could be called for the exact time,ocal radio station gave the hour on the minute. We used this to synchronize our watches. Our unalterable rule was, "Never before the hour and never more than three minutes after thef contact was not made in that interval it was deferred to an alternative time and place.ull year of such meetings wc had to resort to the alternative only two or three times.
We soon discovered that Al's advice about woo cover for statu* and for action was right, that it was much easier toeason
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far being who and where we were and doing what we werememben of the opposite sex were involved. So whereverarranged tooman as cutout, and the cover for aher would beovers' tryst We met in barsand, seemingly by chance, in areas normallyboth parties. Meetingsutout were held onlyunavoidable, as when planning the details of a_
'When such direcV contactenerall^oUcSRa
this basic outline: The time and place, plus the alternate plan, were passed by the cutout We used code words for the meeting placeslus or minus number of hours. At tbe appointed hour one of the two parties would be, let's say.us stopafcly busy section of town, with an appropriate cover forhe cover for action was almost invariably tbe other's offer to giveide home. Cover for their acquaintance wasormer pupil-teacher relationship. Neither person carried documents to these meetings. Information was given orally and no notes were taken. The writing up was done immediately after the meeting when safety at home.
Staying Inccmrpicuovi
Every effort was made to avoid both deserted sections andbusy areas. ATs maxim "Know the area"ay of life. In my area, which was quitenew the location of security forces, where government officials lived, and where foreigners of consequence were to be found. How important this knowledge is was impressed on me one timearked my car in anspot to goeeting. It luppeDcd hie this:
Ferurning to my car after tbeecalled Al's reiterated "Alwayioverrathfulh/ did not believe there was any needover story at this point, but just to follow therepared one. It wasest-planned cover; certainly it could not compare withrepared after that- But Iteacher who Livedlock fromad parked myent by his bouse andew minutes there before going back to the parking place. As soonot to tbe car and opened the door about Gve spotlights went onas suriounded by militiamen. They searched me and the car, made me identify myself, and askedas doing there.asr-
mi
I could tell my story readily and convincingly, and it had enough truth in it to get by.
I learned laterigh government official had moved that very day into the house in front ofad parked.ood object lesion, and an extremely convincing one. Al was right:over story at all times, for if you don't you may panic aod trap yourself."
Jttji, Regular Sessions
Tutoring sessions were usedover for regular meetings. The "pupil" was supposed to be taking English lessons from me at myupplied him with books, gaveist of things we would have covered in the but session, had him do under myaper to be handed in as homework, and gave him another list of Items to be covered in the current session. He always armed carrying several books to use in the lessen, and be would enclose In them any papers necessary for the meeting. We drewlass schedule foreek andeason why he had not been able to attend bis last class if we had not met then. If be was there off schedule he was makingession he had missed. While our meetings were inape recording of Englishto give more realism to the cover and also to preclude any eaves-dropping on our conversation.
This attention to detail made it possible for me to meet with one of my contacts countless times, though the block warden might be standing in front of the bouse watching us. Thoroughness in detail had been one of tbe fundamentals drilled into me by alltructors, and in practice It paid off.
Camion with New Contact
Oneall from my case officer asking me to come immediatelyestaurantrrived be told me sre weretudent wbo be believed bad good potentialolitical agent The case officer was leaving the country,ould have to handle this man on my own. He was energetic, ap-parenUy well acquainted, and anxious to do sometlung against the government; but be needed some financial aid to continue in theas to give0 and explore tho possibility of his working for us.
1 raining Payt
The student surivedas Introduced to him,irst namenvited him toalk with me and talk about bis acbvi-tics. He was very enwusiastic. He told me he had organizedtudents but they needed arms. He wanted me to get him weapons. geUtin,leadedll such matters. Then he began asking questions. He asked meave him the nameuburb favored by Americans. He askedold him no. that was one of my problems; living in the suburbs-and workingdown towrtfWostf.tffif^ge to know howad been In the country, etc
Then he turned to describing the -active" groups at theHe seemed thoroughly conversant with the membership of these groups.nquired which one he belonged to he said he was an independent. He cooperated with several groups in sabotage undertakings, but he preferred to remain unattached; it gave him more chance toust listened,sked him where he could meet me soould give him the tuition money. He was very grateful for our helping him continue his studies; he would always cherish the memory of our friendship for the Tittle' people, the real people of his country.eet him atorner tomorrowOf course; would you like the money in big bills orTwenties would bee said.
All the information he had ebatcd from me was of courseeallv don't knowent to such pains to lie so plausibly, even adding little anecdotes about my troubles with pubhe transportation during the rushresume it was the oft-repeated adrnonitiOD of my instructors to let my contacts know as little of me as possible. The added oinvmings to induce belief were probably just instinct, quickened by the knowledge that two Americans had recently been seized in the area of our rendezvous.
Provocation Deflected
The unmediate problem was this prospective meetingerson who had been handed to meromising contact butad not checked. My solution wasalled one of myof university age and gave him an envelope containing theold him that athen my new contact would be standingorner Eve miles away, he was toiosque this man's parents owned and hand them the envelope with
the ton's name on it He was then to leave Immediately, takingagainst being followed. The courier did exactly asaod reported back that no one except the mother badhe store.
In theadheck on my new would-be friend, asking the bead of one of the activist groups at the university to look into him. He returned mystified; my friend was unknown to anyone ia>hisure of,tbeerified these "and asked him to try again. At the sametarted another investigationecond group. The results were the same: subject unknown; their security suspected counterintefligrnce.
I cow alerted both groups and gave them the names of the people the man had mentioned as members. They were appalled that counterintelligence was onto these, their top echelon at theOne of them muttered it mightood idea if the man got in the wayeard later that he died under mysteriouson't know what happened to him
A regretful postscript is that at the time of tlte mass arrests they picked up an American citizen, fluent In tbe local language, who lived In tliead named, had no car, and worked down town. Tbey Interrogated him frequently and at oddlunch or supper time so he wouldn't get anything to eat, in the middle of the night, etc My story held up all too well in the absence of kleutiSca-tion by the dead man.
Security Behind Bart
A big headache was caching materials. My bouseile Boor, and any attempt toile would be fatal There is noconceal its looseness. At the time of the mass roundup the bouse was searched tile by tile; light futures were taken down from the ceiling; the hi-fi cabinet was taken apart and examined nunutcfy; every piece of clotlung was processed, the bathroom was torn up. even the little tank on the roof for maintaining water pressure wis examined and measured. The only item tbey missedreakfast table.
Thistandard formica-top table with tubular aluminum legs. During the first search my data was hidden In one of theestroyed it but they overlooked the table again in the second search.on't know whether they thought of
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it in Inter scar dies,as taken to Jail immediately after the second one.
When be trained me, Al insistedafety signal ratherangerot that system into effect with my contacts,them never to approach me but just make this safe sign. One day shortlyas sent toaw one of my contacts in theas under observation and was afraid he might Involve both of us by recocmizmgme. He followed the rulefriowever, and when be gave theI walked away. >
I waited my chance and one day managed to sit next to him at lunch.ould tell him that as faras in the clear, merely having been picked up in the mass arrests. He said his case was the same. That made it much easier to sleep atautioned him against making friends in prison and urged him to sit tight and confine his conversation, even with those he beheved to be friends, to generalities. From then on we saw each otherIn the prison yard but did not so much asink.
Seeds of Success
The prisoners were all curious about tbe reasons why their fellows were in jail In concocting an answer forecalled thead been given, to think in case of capture aboutesser rap.egan laying the groundworkesser charge. Ithatas known toad been failedartJcwlar reason, the police just might tend to investigate that reason rather than another. So when askedasouldhink they are accusing me ofnd explain how when they searched my house the police had foundit of soap and probablyas black-marketing that scarceook good care oot to mention any specific amount ofidn't want to make the case against me tooo not know how effective this story wased herring, but the fact rernainsas never questioned and was eventually released.
elieve it was theeceived that permitted me to operate without detection and provided me, when pickedhe mass arrests, with the resources to weather the danger and elude any traps the secret police badas glad my instructors bad insistedover story;ot bad one the firstas stopped andould have had no need for any Their ojilling me In attention to detail made it possible
Coining
for me to meet contacts regularly and laiery despite close surved-Unce. The rules forew contact, no matter who bar introduced him. saved me from an evident disaster. The valueafety signal was brought homeas able to warn off try contact in the prison without any telltale gesture. And being well schooled in what to do underid not panic but was able tolan underould have maintained my mnocencc of everything eicept having amassed eight or ten bars of soap atjiome..
Original document.
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