The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field • Hacker News Board

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#21

Post by Spooky23 » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 7:29 PM UTC

EdwardCoffin wrote: post #19

Spooky23 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try Google. This is pretty widely known phenomena, as in anyone who has read anything about cold war espionage is aware of it. This article confirms it through a source from the former KGB. Here's a 1985 NY Times article detailing Soviet use of this ruse in Mexico: http://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/23/world/mexico-city-depicted... Here's a 1983 NY Times article "Soviet Orders US Vice Consul Expelled as Spy": http://www.…

Unless I missed something, those articles just give specific examples of agents being uncovered. Nothing is given to indicate how many remained uncovered. Its a pretty long jump from examples of such to the general statement that "the majority of official-status officers" being known by their host countries.

From the 1985 article:

>"United States counterintelligence specialists estimate that at least 150 K.G.B. officers are working out of the embassy under cover as diplomats, clerks, chauffeurs, journalists and in other jobs."

Just as a point of reference, the US Embassy in Iran during the 1979 revolution and subsequent hostage crisis had something on the order of 75-100 people working there.

Again, Google around, there is a ton of material out there on these topics. If you read Russian, I'm sure there are similar stories talking about US spies. (Although the reliability of Soviet media is questionable at best) I was really interested in this stuff when I was a kid, and recalled these events vaguely from those days, there's plenty more to find.

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#22

Post by tacos » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 7:31 PM UTC

EdwardCoffin wrote: post #17

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, that's why it's a "dirty little secret."

... so how do you know, and why should I believe you?

The most valuable information never comes with a citation. Thus the derogatory term "book smart."

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#23

Post by tacos » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 7:33 PM UTC

Spooky23 wrote: post #15

EdwardCoffin wrote: post #3

> Any Soviet citizen had an intimate acquaintance with how bureaucracies function This makes me wonder whether there is any literature out of the Soviet Union on topics like this, kind of like how the U.S. produced works like Dale Carnegie's How to make friends and influence people .

The Soviets weren't unique in terms of sprawling bureaucracy. Anyone attending a large public university is getting a similar experience, albeit with better food.

Anyone attending or teaching in a large university, public or private, is getting a similar experience, albeit with worse poetry and a weaker space program.

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#24

Post by neurotech1 » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 7:33 PM UTC

The problem today is that with LinkedIn and Facebook, some CIA personnel are stupid enough to actually mention their status with the Agency, or are friends/connections with known CIA Analysts etc. who do mention their status.

NSA Contractors sometimes mention classified codenames in their LinkedIn page. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/13482623512/disco...

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#25

Post by EdwardCoffin » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 7:43 PM UTC

ptaipale wrote: post #20

EdwardCoffin wrote: post #3

> Any Soviet citizen had an intimate acquaintance with how bureaucracies function This makes me wonder whether there is any literature out of the Soviet Union on topics like this, kind of like how the U.S. produced works like Dale Carnegie's How to make friends and influence people .

I think that Ilya Zemtsov's Encyclopedia of Soviet Life could be entertaining reading for you. Excerpts here: https://books.google.fi/books?id=XFje-RiHeisC&pg=PA302&dq=en...

That does look interesting, thanks.

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#26

Post by theworstshill » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 7:55 PM UTC

tacos wrote: post #22

EdwardCoffin wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... so how do you know, and why should I believe you?

The most valuable information never comes with a citation. Thus the derogatory term "book smart."

Upvoted this. Not all cases require a rush for citations to support what you're saying.

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#27

Post by TazeTSchnitzel » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 8:00 PM UTC

neurotech1 wrote: post #24

The problem today is that with LinkedIn and Facebook, some CIA personnel are stupid enough to actually mention their status with the Agency, or are friends/connections with known CIA Analysts etc. who do mention their status. NSA Contractors sometimes mention classified codenames in their LinkedIn page. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/13482623512/disco...

Are they actually NSA contractors, or is this a honeytrap?

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#28

Post by gherkin0 » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 8:02 PM UTC

neurotech1 wrote: post #24

The problem today is that with LinkedIn and Facebook, some CIA personnel are stupid enough to actually mention their status with the Agency, or are friends/connections with known CIA Analysts etc. who do mention their status. NSA Contractors sometimes mention classified codenames in their LinkedIn page. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130617/13482623512/disco...

That seems like something that competent counterintelligence people should be monitoring and shutting down.

Hell, they probably should have unit in their new employee orientation covering this: "Do not list your occupation as 'Spy'" on LinkedIn.

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#29

Post by frandroid » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 8:04 PM UTC

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #6

The most important of which was how officers in the field under diplomatic and deep cover stationed across the globe were readily identified by the KGB. A dirty little secret within the world of clandestine operations is that the majority of official-status officers (diplomatic or military cover) are known by the host country intelligence services. This is largely because you generally only take so much risk with ong…

There is a strong implication in the article that the Soviets were much better than the Americans at this game.

Re: The KGB’s success identifying CIA agents in the field

#30

Post by irl_zebra » Mon, Sep 28, 2015, 8:05 PM UTC

tacos wrote: post #22

EdwardCoffin wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... so how do you know, and why should I believe you?

The most valuable information never comes with a citation. Thus the derogatory term "book smart."

It's easy to say your information is true when you say I can't look at the information and see if it's true. Not a tenable position, sir.