The United States and Soviet Union spent sizable amounts of money for training, recruiting, outfitting agents and spies, and deploying them around the world. The primary purpose of espionage during the Cold War was to gather information and intelligence about their rival, their actions and intentions, and of course their military and technical capabilities. There was an abundance of ways that this information was gathered. These tactics included using double agents, stealing documents, setting up ‘bugs’ (listening devices), or sometimes as simple as paying an informer. Cold War agents also carried out disruptive missions, such as conducting sabotage operations, and kidnapping or assassinating enemy agents or politicians. These agents were rarely covert overcoated figures, or dazzling James Bond types portrayed in literature and film. Their missions, and quite frankly their lives depended on behaving and looking like ordinary employees and members of
The United States and Soviet Union spent sizable amounts of money for training, recruiting, outfitting agents and spies, and deploying them around the world. The primary purpose of espionage during the Cold War was to gather information and intelligence about their rival, their actions and intentions, and of course their military and technical capabilities. There was an abundance of ways that this information was gathered. These tactics included using double agents, stealing documents, setting up ‘bugs’ (listening devices), or sometimes as simple as paying an informer. Cold War agents also carried out disruptive missions, such as conducting sabotage operations, and kidnapping or assassinating enemy agents or politicians. These agents were rarely covert overcoated figures, or dazzling James Bond types portrayed in literature and film. Their missions, and quite frankly their lives depended on behaving and looking like ordinary employees and members of