![]() The Enigma machine, and the Ultra intelligence derived from it, would be the greatest coup of the war. It was secured by the Poles, who managed to supply British intelligence with a means of breaking the coding used by the Germans. ![]() One of the first intelligence triumphs occurred before the first shot was fired. The best known fictional character is James Bond, a master spy for her Majesty, the Queen.In 1939, there can be little doubt that each of the major powers saw the value of intelligence in the war effort, yet none could have anticipated just how central it would become. ![]() Spying has been a popular topic in books and films for some time. The threat of terrorism has made it essential to get as much data as possible on terrorist cells and foreign governments that fund them. Gathering intelligence has become especially important since 9/11. In 1963, the most notorious, Kim Philby, fled to Moscow after he had caught spying for the Soviet Union. British spies were caught working for the KGB. In former times they were even executed.ĭuring the Cold War spies were often exposed as double agents. They are often expelled or await a trial and long prison sentences. When spies are caught, they face severe punishment. In some cases, spies are employees at a foreign embassy or representatives of companies that have offices abroad. Spying often involves working secretly in foreign countries. In addition, governments can listen in to personal calls on your cell phone or monitor everyday routines. Seismographs, normally used for collecting information on earthquakes, are used to detect nuclear bomb tests around the world. Some countries have spy satellites that can take detailed images of everything that happens on the ground. Today there are methods that help find out which information is important and which is not. ![]() Military espionage involves stealing information on weapons and troop movements. Company secrets are stolen in order to gain an advantage over a competitor. Industrial espionage has become widespread in the last decades. In the past few years, the CIA has been widely criticized for collecting secret information from American allies in Europe.Įspionage is not only political. Spying is not only done on enemies, it includes gathering information about friendly countries as well. In fact, there were situations, like the Cuban missile crisis, in which espionage even helped to prevent a war.Īfter Communism collapsed in the 1990s espionage between east and west became less important. It was very important to know what the enemy was thinking and what actions other countries were prepared to take. During this period espionage was at its climax. Thus, they were aware of what was happening in most of Europe.ĭuring the Cold War, the CIA’s counterpart was the Soviet KGB. Britain's notorious MI5 was a reliable organization that fed the Allies with information about Nazi Germany. The organization, which was founded after the attacks on Pearl Harbour, later came to be known as the CIA, the most powerful intelligence agency in the world. Both Unionists and Confederates used spies during the American Civil War.ĭuring World War II the American Office of Strategic Services gathered information for the Allies. In the Middle Ages, Queen Elizabeth I of England organized a spy network to gather information about Spain, her long-time enemy.ĭuring the American Revolution George Washington set up a complicated network of spies to gather information about the British army. ![]() Ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as the Roman Empire employed spies to find out the secrets of their enemies. Spies were common in all ancient cultures and civilizations. The information that is collected can be a country’s military secrets, facts about a person’s private life or even a firm’s production secrets.Įspionage is almost as old as mankind itself. Spies are specially trained people who do this. Espionage happens when people gather secret information on a country, an organization or individuals. ![]()
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