Chases, shootouts, secret appearances and passwords... All this sounds tempting to those who dream. What is needed for this?

How does this happen

It must be said that secret people, as a rule, are recruited. If a person has an irresistible desire to become a special agent, he can contact the nearest branch or the FSB and express his intentions. It's hard to say what will happen next. If they are interested in a person based on any criteria, they can accept him into the agent staff. Recruitment, which is carried out by the intelligence services of all countries, is structured the same everywhere. A number of activities are being developed that help identify a motive that can influence the person of interest.

Here are the basic ideas for recruiting agents:

Ideological and political. This connection between the agent and the intelligence service is the strongest. The person who took this step may be motivated by disappointment in the current policy, infringement of rights, and more. Such agents are always ready to sacrifice themselves for the sake of an idea.

Compromising. Everything is clear here too. Incriminating evidence is sought on a person of interest to the intelligence services, which in the future will serve as a guarantee of a long and fruitful service.

Material. Money is the best incentive. The more interesting an agent is to the intelligence services, the more he is paid. Wanting to curtail cooperation, the agent stops paying altogether.

Moral and psychological, based on feelings of greed, vanity, revenge and others. However, this is not a very good foundation for creating a strong agency. The ideal option is when such an idea is supported by one or more of the above ideas.

Qualities that special agents possess

Many people are eager to become an intelligence agent, but in reality they don’t know how to do anything and don’t want to. But this requires superpowers. For example, you need to speak several world languages ​​very well. And not just speak, but speak in such a way that native speakers perceive the agent as one of their own. Sociability, the art of winning over your interlocutor and the ability to have a good command of body language, that is, not only with your voice, but also with facial expressions, posture and gestures, are highly valued.

A person must have a good understanding of technology, be able to work with listening devices, have an “A+” knowledge of electrical engineering, be able to “walk through walls” and crack the most complex passwords. A good special agent is a lone wolf without family, children or friends. This is a person accustomed to “walking on the razor’s edge”, for whom a simple quiet life is tantamount to death. A cold mind, subtle calculation, superhuman strength and good health - these are the qualities of an ideal special agent, ready at any moment to “look into the eyes of death.”

Useful tips

Our daily life is sometimes quite boring and monotonous. Let's be honest - hardly any of us, as a child, dreamed of spending every day from morning to evening in the office at the computer, or do some other monotonous work.

However, a person gets used to everything. Only a few years, or even months, pass after graduating from school, a secondary or higher educational institution, and we don’t even notice how successfully we have joined the common gray mass, whose life is measured and predictable.

Of course, there are many other activities that seem much more interesting than regular office work. And the importance of such work should not be underestimated either. But what could be more interesting than the work of a secret agent? And how realistic is it to become a secret agent?

James Bond, Jason Bourne, Ethan Hunt, Kingsman agents, after all... The whole world knows these movie spies. Of course, they are just fictional characters whose on-screen adventures bear little resemblance to the lives of real spies and special agents.

However, real spies must have a lot of skills that would put Bond and Bourne to shame. What skills do you need to master to become a secret agent? What do you need to study and know in order to confidently apply for the position of Secret Service agent?

How to become an intelligence agent

Learn some really hard language

Even among secret agents, there are those who stand out from the crowd due to some special skills. Want to be in a special position when interviewing for an intelligence job? Then learn some very difficult language.

If you didn't know Russian, you might be advised to study it, since Russian is considered a rather difficult language, for example, for English-speaking people. But, since you are reading this article, it means that everything is fine with your Russian language.

In this case, we can recommend learning Arabic, Chinese or Korean. These languages ​​are among the most complex in the world, and therefore, if you master one of them, you can rest assured that you will always be in demand among intelligence agencies!

If you don't have any special talent for languages, it will take you several years to learn a complex language. In fact, this obstacle is not so insurmountable.

After all, if you can't handle learning a new alphabet and then memorizing a few thousand words, who's to say you can be relied upon to infiltrate a small group of villains whose goal is to spread evil throughout the world?

Speaking absolutely seriously, an excellent knowledge of one of the languages ​​listed above can not only help you attract the attention of those who deal attracting personnel to special services. It will help you skip some selection stages.

Did you know, for example, that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), USA, receives more than 10 thousand applications every month from people who want to join them? And if a person speaks Arabic or Chinese, this provides potentially different treatment, significantly increasing the chances of being accepted into the team.

Learn some easy language

As you already understand, you will have to spend many years of your life and suffer a lot to learn Arabic, Chinese or Korean. There are many others that are almost comparable in complexity to the above languages.

However, the good news is that there are many other languages ​​on our planet that are considered critical by intelligence agencies for solving various critical tasks in many countries.

Alas, if you know one of the European languages ​​very well, this is unlikely to help you. Then you will become a much more promising employee for intelligence services, when you learn, for example, Indonesian. Don't be alarmed - this language is considered one of the easiest among those languages ​​that might be of interest to intelligence agencies.

Moreover, the importance of this language will only increase over time, since Indonesia is one of the most densely populated Muslim countries in the world, which is of considerable interest to the foreign intelligence services of many countries.

So, if for some reason you have chosen the Indonesian language to study, then consider yourself very lucky: in this language you don’t even need to think about it. how is the plural formed. To do this, you just need to duplicate the noun in the singular.

Just start learning it - you will feel how much easier Indonesian will be for you than any other language. Moreover, the writing of this language is based on the Latin script.

However, don’t get hung up on the Latin script. You are encouraged to master another simple language, whose writing is based on the Persian alphabet. Actually, it is a Persian language that has Indo-European roots, being considered the simplest in its group.

For example, the word “brother” in Persian sounds something like this – “barodar”. Interestingly, this is also consonant with the English “brother”. By learning Persian, you get the bonus of knowing the Dari language. It is a Persian-Afghan language spoken in Afghanistan.

Dari differs from Persian in much the same way as the English spoken in Great Britain differs from American English. Nevertheless, it is believed that these are two different languages, so you will clearly have an advantage when applying for a job as an intelligence officer in the form of knowledge of two languages.

Become a National Security Agent

Master military science

Let's assume that languages ​​are not your thing. They are not given to you - and that’s all. Maybe you didn’t study very well at school, especially in a foreign language. What should you do now - give up your golden dream of getting a job in the intelligence service, or are there still chances?

In fact, the chances are the same if you were involved in military service. In this case you will also have advantage when applying for a special agent position. It is no secret that in many countries intelligence schools often staff their ranks with members of the armed forces.

The fact is that those who have served in the army already have a number of skills that various intelligence departments usually instill in their employees. For that matter, the guys trained in the army already have a minimum set of skills that we can observe in the vaunted James Bond.

However, there is one obstacle. The fact that you served in the army does not immediately make you a cool special agent. May be, you spent most of your service swinging a shovel, digging trenches “from the fence to lunch,” or eating in the canteen as an instructor-cook.

Priority is given to those who have completed military schools or military colleges. Also, intelligence services pay special attention to those who have real military experience, that is, served in hot spots. It would be nice to have special skills - for example, have extensive experience in skydiving and so on.

Gain international experience

Military training and bearing are a good thing. However, in many cases it is not only unnecessary, but even harmful, since the military develops a certain manner of demeanor. This means that such a person can very easily be identified by the enemy’s trained eye.

In other words, instead of having the habits of a martinet, you would do well to have certain skills that are more suited to the old school of spying. In this case, you would need a sharp mind, a good sense of humor, charisma, charm and serious experience of staying (preferably for a long time) abroad.

Of course, if you spent a couple of months studying abroad, this is very good; however, in case if you are firmly planning to get the role of a secret employee in the intelligence department, you will benefit from long-term experience of serious work abroad.

After all, who would put less effort into learning the habits of the people of another country and their culture if not you, who has already lived in this country for a certain amount of time, interacting daily with the citizens of this state?

And even if your international experience is not related to many years of stay in China or Tehran. It's a pity of course, but you can still be useful. But only if, regardless of the country you are visiting, you have not only thoroughly studied its culture, but can also easily pass for one of your own in this country.

You need to keep yourself in good shape

There is no doubt that being in good physical shape is extremely important for this type of work. Without it, you can’t successfully fall out of a car, or jump onto the roof of a train, or take a suitcase with stolen uranium from the enemy.

Speaking seriously, such active pastime awaits all kinds of national security agents only in the movies. But this does not mean that the intelligence service will be happy with a fat lump who, as they say, can be killed with snot.

In other words, even the personnel who work in the office must be properly trained, that is, be in good physical shape. Of course, each potential employee undergoes a medical examination.

Good health is necessary at least for simple foreign business trips - if you were sent on some kind of mission abroad, the intelligence service should have guarantees that you will effectively perform your functions there, and not lie on sick leave for whole days.

After all, good health and good shape are necessary even for 100% office rats. Any self-respecting intelligence service creates all conditions for its people, so they can keep fit. It is known, for example, that CIA headquarters have gyms, swimming pools, gyms, etc.

The various Russian intelligence services, which deal with all types of intelligence for our country, pay no less attention to the training of their employees. At the same time, full-time employees always have the opportunity to check their level of training, constantly improving it.

Study math and computer science

So, we briefly went over some basic quality characteristics that any applicant for the position of a secret agent should have. However there are a number of additional characteristics, the possession of which will make you simply invaluable to any intelligence specialist.

Today, the intelligence services of any country in the world will be glad to be replenished in the form of people who have remarkable knowledge in the field of mathematics, and are also able to use a computer at a level much higher than even the level of an advanced user.

However, we are talking here not only about the ability to hack the computer servers of potential terrorists in order to penetrate their encrypted databases. Frankly speaking, now any advanced user can do this school age, able to collect information and analyze it.

Rather, the most valuable skill of a future spy is a special mathematical mind that allows you to detect encrypted messages, intercept them and decrypt them. The ability to encode information in complex ways is also highly valuable.

To do this, a person must have extremely extensive mathematical knowledge - from spherical geometry, differential equations and probability theory to a simple intuitive understanding of when the encoding ends and a simple set of incoherent data begins.

These skills are much more important for the work of a secret intelligence agent in any country in the world. Truly talented math and computer scientists can actually do all of the above and more.

They have knowledge in areas that allow them to penetrate the most coded databases in order to search and decipher hidden information. Such people are much more dangerous than even the most trained agents who can shoot from all types of weapons.

If you do not have even a fifth of the knowledge and skills mentioned above, do not be discouraged. Such people are the exception rather than the norm. Their preparation requires a lot of money and time. But those who feel such strength behind them will definitely receive the highest priority when hiring for a job in the intelligence service.

Become an undercover agent

Gain Analytical Experience

Excellent knowledge of languages, as well as an academic degree in some mathematical field, will not make you a super agent. Rather, they can make you super boring. This is just a powerful base that will be useless in this type of activity without another very important skill.

We are talking about having rich analytical experience, as well as the delicate ability to use this valuable life acquisition. However, the role of a secret agent with a powerful analytical mind is not created only for techies. Humanists with a lively and flexible mindset have no less, if not more, chances.

Speaking objectively, any person will attract the attention of the secret services possessing the ability to perform comprehensive analysis in any field of knowledge. In addition, intelligence needs people to fill different roles.

Here you can safely fantasize. For example, a person with scientific experience would be useful, whose analytical mind would be able to, say, analyze the situation with biological weapons in some state that claims that it is not engaged in this type of development.

The ability to analyze incoming data, reading between the lines, will allow you to calculate terrorist groups in different parts of the world and save many lives. Perhaps many millions of lives.

Many of us associate the work of a secret agent with glamor and exciting adventures; this image was largely influenced by films and books. However, this job requires special training, special education, and you must meet the requirements set by the agency that hires you.

1. Keep quiet.
Secret agents are famous for being unknown. If you like to brag about your achievements or regularly update statuses on Facebook, then this is definitely not the job for you. When you take a job in some government jobs, you must keep it a secret from your family and friends. If you do get hired, the only person you can tell about it is your wife or husband.

2. Learn spy jargon.
Spies have their own special language. Do you know the difference between signals intelligence and human intelligence? Who is "Whistle"? Can you guess whether the “pudding” is edible and whether you can wash with “soap”? There are a lot of terms in spy jargon that every self-respecting spy should know.

3. Learn a foreign language.
If you are going to work for the CIA or the British Foreign Intelligence Service (where James Bond worked), then knowledge of foreign languages ​​is necessary. Forget about literary Spanish, it's time to cram Azerbaijani, Urdu or Dari. High-ranking spies must learn not only the language, but also local dialects and slang.

4. Watch movies.
There have been a lot of films about secret agents for a long time, and the information they contain can tell a lot about the world of spying. Packages that arrive via special delivery are very likely bombs. Secret agents who stay in hotels should be wary of knocks on the door from "room service" - there may very well be a special forces team behind the door...

5. Crack codes.
If you enjoy math, crosswords, or Sudoku, you may have a knack for creating or breaking codes. Gone are the days when spies used one-time codes. Today's spies must be top-notch hackers. A cyber spy can easily crack a code that has 3,402,823,669,209,384,634,633,746,074,300 (x11) possible combinations.

6. Start understanding computers.

Whether you have to hack into an enemy laptop or protect your agency's email from spam, computer knowledge will come in handy. In the spy world, there are many vacancies related to IT technologies. The Stuxnet computer virus, by far the most dangerous virus to date, caused irreparable damage to the Iranian nuclear program in 2010. Despite the fact that stopping Iran's nuclear program is one of the main goals of both the CIA and the Mossad (Israel's spy agency), they deny their connection with the development of this virus.

7. Study steganography.

There are also low-tech ways to transmit sensitive data. The history of steganography, or the art of writing secret messages, dates back to the times of the pharaohs. Since the code can be read by anyone with the key, the meaning of the steganographic message is agreed upon in advance. The message can then be hidden in shopping lists, graffiti, wanted posters, or even hidden by writing in invisible ink.

The ability to quickly hide in a safe place during an explosion is a very commendable ability for a spy, but one should not forget about working with documents. Many of the biggest spy discoveries were made after carefully studying documents, discovering connections and highlighting important details.

9. Master driving.

Secret agents must be able to drive a variety of vehicles, both on the right and on the left. Ideally, you need to be able to drive a car so well that you do not attract unnecessary attention to yourself. But sometimes you can’t do without shooting races. If the agent is moving on foot, and he needs to catch up with someone who is hiding from him in a car, then he must be able to not only hail a taxi, but also develop a command tone for the phrase “Follow that car!”

10. Learn the art of camouflage.

For agents, camouflage is very important. They must be able to blend into a crowd and quickly change their appearance with a reversible coat, hat or scarf. Secret agents can't be too visible - remove the long coat, sunglasses and fake mustache from your arsenal.

11. Learn to get rid of the “tail”.

Unnoticed pursuit gives the spy the opportunity to study the daily routine of his target or his destination. To get rid of the tail, take a lesson from The Godfather and make a sharp and unexpected movement, for example, turning your car 180 degrees at high speed. But just be sure to get rid of surveillance so you don't end up like Sonny Corleone.

12. Learn the art of interrogation.

The Abu Ghraib interrogation option does not suit us. This is a subtle art that requires intuition and the ability to read body language. Excessive blinking usually indicates that the speaker is lying, while dilated pupils, on the contrary, mean relaxation and, accordingly, truthfulness.

13. Play paintball.

This vibrant sport is no longer just a way to celebrate a birthday or host a corporate event. The skills of a capable paintball player are essential for spies, and the combat tactics are very similar: moving silently through abandoned terrain, approaching the enemy unnoticed, changing tactics based on new intelligence and a precise headshot from 100 yards.

14. Learn to identify secret hiding places or “dead drops”.

Before the advent of e-mail, spies transmitted messages through special secret caches, “dead drops,” leaving hidden information in them for another spy to discover later. Since spies are constantly being watched, the best way to leave a message is to turn sharply around the corner of a building, gaining five precious seconds of blind time. For an experienced spy, this is plenty of time to hide a message.

15. Learn to hide messages in dead animals.

Continuing the story about “dead drops” hiding places, we can add that the best places for hiding places are the corpses of rats or pigeons. A secret agent can place a waterproof bag with a message inside a dead animal and throw it out of a moving car during blind time. People try to stay away from decomposing corpses, and animals that feed on carrion can be deterred with pepper spray.

16. Keep yourself in shape.

Although everyday spy life lacks the unforgettable chases for which James Bond is so famous, a real secret agent must keep himself in shape. To be able to apply for at least some position in the spy agency, you need to be able to run a mile in 9 minutes, do 40 push-ups and do 45 squats.

17. Learn to understand electronic devices and gadgets.

Some spy cases involve some really cool toys. You can easily buy a pen-camera or a watch-camera on the Internet. High frequency radio frequency ID (RFID) transmitters are implanted under the skin of pets to prevent them from getting lost. If these achievements are available to the general public, just imagine what is kept secret!

18. Learn to steal wallets.

Yes, we are still talking about espionage, not the lives of criminals. Spies steal wallets not for money, but for information. If you want to successfully pull out a wallet, then you need to be able to not only work subtly, but also divert attention in time. For example, a woman tells a man a funny story and touches his arm with her left hand to distract him from her right hand carefully removing a note or something similar from his jacket pocket.

19. Learn to bug.

The same sleight of hand will come in handy if you need to install a bug. You will need to be careful if you need to attach a “bug” to the collar of a jacket during a tight hug or to the back of a chair during a conversation. They say that the former head of the CIA, William J. Cassie, managed to attach a “bug” to the office of the head of a foreign state.

20. Practice manual dexterity.

In difficult times for the CIA, it did not hesitate to use such methods as LSD or other psychotropic substances to force informants to talk. Because agents needed to remain above suspicion, the Agency commissioned magician John Mulholland to write a guide on how to sneak a powder or slip a pill into someone's drink using sleight of hand. Since then, Mulholland's manual, Some Practical Tips on the Art of Illusion, has been declassified, and it became proof that spies will go to any lengths to get information.

21. Master the art of seduction.
Although this skill is not the main one for a spy, sometimes a possible source of information may not mind spending the night together and then obtaining information will be as easy as pie.

Spying is a fun and interesting activity, but it's not that simple! It's hard to find a good child spy. To become the next secret agent, you need to complete training, build a team, learn mission protocol, hide evidence, and improve your spy techniques through various spy activities!

Steps

Part 1

1. Organize your team. When there are two or more of you, spying is safer and more fun. Your teammates can support you and help you complete the mission faster (if the group is right, of course!). If you decide to do everything alone, that's okay too. It's much easier to keep secrets when you're alone.

   • If you decide to form a team, you should have a teammate in your team who knows a lot about technology, such as computer tricks and gadgets. This person can also create maps, plans, diagrams and notes about secret missions.
   • Intelligence won't hurt. If you have a friend who thinks outside the box and has the ability to quickly find answers, add him to your team.
   • Sometimes it's good to have a strong team member for heavy work or difficult tasks that involve strength. However, do not accept just anyone into the group: remember that you need qualified spies.
   • If you have a younger brother or sister, these will come in handy too. Kids are able to charm and confuse any opponent. In addition, it is easier for them to penetrate the enemy's hideout due to their small stature, as well as their age, at which they are not taken seriously.

2. Establish a hierarchy within your team. Make sure that all team members have their own tasks. If they have a specific role, they will feel important to the team. Here are the main positions you must fill:

   • The captain who is in charge of the team
   • Vice-captain (assistant captain), who helps the captain make decisions and replaces him if he is sick.
   • A technician responsible for computers, surveillance equipment, maps, and the like.
   • Several main spies who will carry out most of the tasks on the ground.
   • Make sure you have other spies at your base ready to support you during your mission. In addition, we need another computer spy who will record and receive information.

3. Provide your team members with spy gadgets. Remember that being a spy team means helping each other no matter what. If you have several gadgets to your name, distribute them equally. The more successful your team is, the more successful you and your mission will be.

   • Everyone should have feedback from the base. You can use a mobile phone, a walkie-talkie, or even a simple whistle - if someone gets into trouble, others can come running to help. You also need all the devices that will help solve the case, such as a camera.

4. Take the right tools and equipment. For a successful mission you need equipment. The larger your team, the more communication devices you will need. Consider bringing the following equipment on your next mission:

   • Intercoms
   • Cell phones
   • Video equipment
   • iPod and other communication devices
   • Walkie-Talkie
   • Whistles
   • Cameras

   Part 2

   Train your spy skills

   1. Practice using your gadgets. Do some tests in places that are not related to the real mission to test and get used to the gadgets and clothes. This way, you will learn quick ways to use the features and the limits of your equipment. It will also help you predict what problems are likely to arise.

      • Make sure everyone knows how to use the devices and is comfortable with them. For example, if someone doesn't like using a computer, send them to work in the field. Let everyone do what they like.

   2. Dress appropriately. Consider two options: either you want to look like a 100% spy, or you want to remain completely incognito. It's more fun to dress like a spy, but sometimes it makes sense to blend in with the crowd. Which option is best for your next mission?

      • To complete tasks, you may need special clothing such as gloves and boots. Wear dark colors and don't forget about hats.
      • If you don't want to be suspected of doing something wrong, dress as usual. This way you will look like ordinary children busy with their games.

   3. Learn to encrypt data. Encrypt written messages with a simple code. It can be simple, where the letters are replaced by each other, or digital, or you can come up with completely new symbols and use them as an alphabet. A more advanced method is to write words backwards And replace letters (this makes them more difficult to decipher). You can even write an encrypted message using invisible ink.

      • Why is this useful? You don't want anyone to find out your secret information, do you? If someone (like your annoying brother) "accidentally" pokes his nose into your things, he shouldn't suspect anything. And if he still will suspect something was wrong, let him not have the slightest idea of ​​what he saw.

   4. Practice escapes from places. Locked room? No problem. Tree? Easily. Crowded room? Don't even worry about it. You and your spy team will be able to escape from almost anywhere, even in difficult situations.

      • Never use elevators, you will get trapped. Stairs have more exits.
      • It will be easier to leave (or enter) places if you learn how to pick locks.
      • Also learn to come up with explanations, excuses and “conspiracy” your opponent. Practice on your parents or someone in authority (teachers, security) and use the nicest words to get out of the situation.

   5. Get used to talking in different voices . This can also help you with camouflage, especially if you are on a mission in public among people you know and need to talk to your team. If you can change your voice, no one will suspect that it is you.

      • This will be useful mainly if you use mobile phones or walkie-talkies. Codenames are also required!

   Part 3

   Complete the mission

   1. Choose your mission. For example, you could find out where adults hide something interesting, find out the password to get into your friend's club, or track down which of the neighbor's dogs is ruining the lawn that your father is so proud of. There are no minor missions!

      • Don't know what mission to come up with? Keep your eyes and ears open. You will hear someone complaining or talking about a problem they need to solve. This is where your team can hit the ground running.

   2. Gather information in advance . Explore the area where you will perform the mission, looking for shelters and escape routes. Create a map and take notes indicating each participant's location and task. Just like the Boy Scouts, you must always be prepared.

      • Make one or two backup plans. If Plans A and B fail disastrously, your team will come to the rescue with Plan B. No matter what happens, everyone must stay safe!

   3. Place agents at posts. Each participant should have a communication device, preferably with headphones, to keep noise to a minimum. When everyone is ready, start the mission. The team of child spies takes their starting positions and begins the mission.

      • Make sure everyone knows the rules. When can you go to the toilet? When will one agent take over from another? What time does everyone meet and where?

   4. Make sure you are neither seen nor heard. Find good cover for each team member, such as a large tree, bushes, or boulders. In addition, one of you may be casually walking nearby, say, with a book in hand. However, he should not attract attention to himself, so as not to attract suspicion.

      • If you're undercover and dressed like a regular kid, act usually. What does a child usually do in the park? He makes noise, laughs and plays. You may arouse suspicion if you are too quiet.

   5. Notice the tracks. Make sure you and your teammates don't leave anything behind. Destroy any footprints left on the ground or dirt. If you notice your fingerprints, wipe them off. All documents must be destroyed and, of course, no clothing or other personal items should be left at the site that could be discovered.

      • Get rid of your digital footprints. Delete any text messages, emails, or phone calls that mentioned your mission. Although most likely no one will see them, it's better to be safe than sorry.

   6. Gather together as a team after the mission. You should have a meeting place after the mission where all team members can report the information they have learned. The team should then brainstorm whether another task is necessary or if the matter can be considered closed.

      • If any of the participants do not show up, return to your posts and try to find out where they are. If necessary, exit Spy Mode and search for the missing agent directly. Leave one or two people at the base in case he returns there on his own.

   Part 4

   Keep your spying activities secret
5. If you discover information that the person needs to know (for example, that it is their dog who is digging in your garden), share it calmly and casually. You didn’t have any secret mission - you were just walking and accidentally saw Mr. Barbos doing his dirty deed.

6. Prepare an alibi. If the enemy finds out what you are doing or sees you spying, you must have a convincing explanation prepared. If after completing a mission you are asked where you were and what you did, think through the details in advance. You don't want to get caught spying!

   • Try to be as close to the truth as possible. Say something like: "I was walking with my friends (your team) in the park. We were playing a game like hide and seek, but more complex. It's too hard to explain - there are a lot of rules. You still won't like it."
   • Use reflections to see what's behind you without drawing attention. A mirror on a long stick will help you look around a corner or under a door. However, be careful not to let any light shine on the mirror, otherwise someone will see the glare and notice you.
   • Real spies are ready for anything. Always carry a water bottle with you. A small snack is also a good idea if you get hungry while observing.
   • A good spy is always on the lookout. Be brave and courageous, learn to remain calm, cool and collected.
   • Get gloves.
   • Find a secret meeting place.
   • Talk to other spies and buy a book about spying.
   • If you have a large group and receive a call from someone important in the spy world, record the conversation or put it on speakerphone to share with your group.
   • If you don't fully trust someone in your group, don't give them all the information.
   • Always be ready to face a new mystery.

   Warnings

   • Be careful! Always keep your name secret. Do not trust suspicious members of your team - they may turn out to be double agents.
   • A good legend wouldn't hurt: "We were just playing hide and seek."
   • Consider an escape route in case of failure.
   • Always remember that you can get caught, so be careful.

Attention! Reading this article will change you forever. You will become more silent, secretive and cautious in communicating with relatives and friends, even your cat will begin to cause attacks of paranoia in you - and this is not surprising, because any of them could be a spy.

But seriously speaking, our computer and smartphone have long “leaked” all the important information about us to marketers and intelligence agencies. Therefore, you can sleep peacefully, everyone is under cover.

And now that we understand that it is impossible to avoid spy surveillance, let's find out more about the people who are making a case for us.

Facts about spies

The photo of a grinning Schwarzenegger is posted here for a reason. This is a still from the movie True Lies, the plot of which emphasizes an important truth - no one should know about your spy adventures, not even family members.

Following this rule, one former CIA agent spent 8 years telling his parents and girlfriend the legend that he was a humble sales agent, while he himself was hanging out in Afghanistan.

But this is all nothing compared to the drama that unfolded in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2010, two brothers, 20-year-old Tim and 16-year-old Alex, found FBI agents searching their home. It turned out that their parents, Donald Hatfield and Tracy Foley, were Russian spies whose real names were Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova.

According to the Foley brothers, they did not even suspect that their parents were far from real estate consultants. They knew the parents were born outside the US, but thought they were from Canada. No one could even think about spying for the Russian government.

2. Sex helps with espionage

There are enough examples to confirm a simple truth: sex is an excellent way to obtain secret information from the enemy. Therefore, many spies shamelessly use their feminine (or masculine) charms to hook a high-ranking official. Using sexual relations as blackmail, they cleverly obtain secret information.

The most famous master of seduction was Margarete Gertrude Zelle, an exotic dancer better known by her stage name Mata Hari. Being a Dutch subject, during the First World War Margaret managed to work for a long time as a double agent, either transferring French secrets to the Germans, or “leaking” important German intelligence information to the French. And this became possible thanks to numerous lovers from among high-ranking military men and politicians.

To this day, spies of all stripes (as long as they show up) use their charm to obtain secret information.

3. Recruitment of children

Of course, a child spy is much less useful than an adult. If only for the simple reason that the child will not be able to get a job in a government agency, where they can “profit” from truly worthwhile information.

However, according to international law, a child between the ages of 15 and 18 can become a spy if he expresses a personal desire to be part of the intelligence machine. So be careful with your classmates, you never know...

4. Suicide is part of the job.

The worst thing that can happen in the life of a spy is his exposure and arrest. And since the likelihood of being tortured is too high, according to the instructions, the spy is obliged to commit a noble act - to kill himself so as not to reveal the names of other operatives under torture.

On Sunday, November 29, 1987, a Boeing 707 airliner exploded in the skies over the Andaman Sea. There were 115 people on board, mostly South Koreans. During the investigation, intelligence agencies caught two agents, a man and a woman, who carried out this terrorist attack at the direction of the North Korean government.

During the detention of the subversive agents, the man managed to commit suicide, but 25-year-old Kim Hyun Hee was revived and solemnly sentenced to death.

5. Celebrity spies

At first glance, a successful career, crowned with fame and popularity, does not suit a true spy, who should not attract unnecessary attention to his person. However, there are exceptions to every rule and some spies were very famous people.

For example, in 2009, information appeared that Ernest Hemingway was a KGB spy. Considering the fact that the FBI actively followed Hemingway for five years, this is easy to believe. By the way, it was surveillance that caused the writer’s depression, paranoia and suicide. This is what happens when you recruit people who are psychologically unprepared for this craft to become spies.

6. “Recruitment” of animals

In some cases, the spy who is entrusted with a secret mission is not a person at all. Animal spies have been serving for the benefit of intelligence for decades. For example:

• During World War I, pigeons were used to send messages between units; They also took part in aerial photography using automatic cameras.
• The US Navy for some time used specially trained dolphins to detect and report underwater mines.
• A miniature listening device was attached to trained cats.

Therefore, if your cat follows you around and jumps on your lap as soon as you sit in a chair, do not be seduced by the thought that your pet loves you. Most likely, the cat is “equipped” with a microphone. 🙂

7. Aggressive Recruitment

“One fine day, a black sedan drove up to my school. The people in it belonged to the central party. After telling me that I had been chosen, they took me away with them.”

However, do not rush to be indignant at the arbitrariness of the North Korean government; interesting stories are also happening in democratic countries. For example, in 2002, the Russian security service accused the United States of using narcotic drugs in an attempt to recruit a Russian citizen into the ranks of its spies.

8. Identity theft

Before starting work, a spy must come up with a new identity for himself. Before death certificates began to be digitized, the real name and details of a person who had already died were often used as the basis for a legend. In other words, it was enough to steal a death certificate from the archive and use data about a person to start living his life.

It is known that in the UK, between 1968 and 1994, the death certificates of 80 children were used to create fake identities. And Donald Hatfield, whom we talked about in the first paragraph, stole the identity of a deceased Canadian baby.

9. Rescue of a drowning man...

Support and mutual assistance are not professional qualities of spies. Of course, spies working for the same government will help each other, but for the time being.

When things go wrong, one agent's life can become more valuable to the mission than another. In this case, the guy who was left to his own devices can only rely on himself.

According to Kevin Fulton, a former undercover agent, at one time he had to hide from his comrade, also a British spy, who received orders to kill him in the interests of the mission.

10. Dangerous old age

And again an example from cinema. The action-comedy "Red" tells the story of three CIA special agents who have retired. They enjoy the benefits of a quiet and peaceful life until their former boss decides to remove them.

The situation is the same with spies; few of them live to a ripe old age and die a natural death.

For example, in 2002, 17 years after escaping to Russia, former CIA agent Edward Lee Howard was found dead in Moscow. It is believed that he broke his neck in his own home when he fell down the stairs. And if Edward’s death can be considered an accident, then Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvenenko was definitely killed. In 2006, he was poisoned with radioactive polonium.

One thing is clear: for many spies, retirement is no respite. This is another chapter in their life full of dangers.