Espionage; The practice of spying or using spies, typically by governments to gain political or military information. This tactic was applied during a very tense time in the world, the Cold War era between the powers of the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Due to technology, the time between 1947-1991, the pressure of the situation was very clear. The threat of nuclear war was always right around the corner. The phrase “cold war” is defined by dictionary.com as an “intense economic, political, military, and ideological rivalry between nations, short of military conflict.” During World War II the United States and Soviet Union fought as allies, though they had very different political views. America was well aware of the USSR’s communist beliefs and Joseph Stalin’s blood thirsty and tyrannical rule of his own country. With the United States skepticism and refusal to treat the Soviet Union as a legitimate part of the
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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