In what ways did spies during the cold war try to gain information? What did they do with this information and was it beneficial to our country?

The Cold War: Tension after World War 2 between the Western world and the Communist world.

The largest tension was between the US and the Soviet Union.

After the debatable “success” of the atomic bomb there was talk of using it again Every country now wanted to know who had one, where it was kept, and when/if they would be using it

Causes: Differences between the US and the Soviet Union were intensified by suspicions after the war.

Power was largely shared between the Soviet Union and the United States. As one wanted to dominate the other

conflicts were inevitable.

Hot & Cold: Open warfare is referred to as “hot” war however, when no fighting takes place it is know as “cold” war.

After World War 2, the existence of nuclear weapons on either side meant that fighting would be mean M.A.D. (Mutually

Assured Destruction)

Fighting: Propaganda Economic War Diplomatic Haggling Spying Occasional Military clashes

Spies: Spies were used to gain information on things such as Military intentions

& Technology

Oral History:

What field of study were you in before joining the CIA?

How did you become a spy?

How did this make you feel at the time?

Was you’re job referred to as spying?

What training was required to become a spy?

Were you informed of what you would be doing or trying to

find out?

Were you part of a team or on your own?

Where did you stay while on the job?

What was daily life like there?

What techniques and tools did you use to gain information?

Shirley Perry Continued:Were you warned about the risks of being found?Was there ever a time that you feared for your life?Could your family/friends know what you were doing?How did this affect your relationships with people?What did you do with the information you gained?Do you feel that the information that you and others in your position gained was beneficial to our country?What effects do you think the cold war had on our country and other countries involved?What sacrifices did you make when choosing to become a spy?Looking back, how do you feel about the time you spent with the CIA?

Read Her Book: If you’re interested in this

Kind of stuff read her book;

*I recommend it*

Becoming a Spy: Recruits

Asked to join by other spies. Applying

Fill out an application and just wait.

*The CIA receives hundreds of applications a day, thousands a month*

Physical Training: Pass an army physical fitness test Defensive driving Manning boats Hand to hand combat Flying Jump Lessons (from airplanes) Paramilitary

Mental Training: Assessing Personalities Manipulating Weaknesses Learning to be “cold”

You have to know that you’re job is to use people, don’t get attached

Working as long as possible just so they can see how much you can take

Fake Situations to test your reactions

*Everything’s a Test in training*

The Farm: Training facility near Williamsburg Virginia

It used to be top secret, the outside world had no idea of it’s existence Since the big secret was let out, it’s become a point of interest in the entertainment business. Movies and shows have had a field day drawing up how they think the farm would have looked or worked.

In the real world it’s a place of grueling training for months at a time.

The Job: If you made it through the training, work began.

Office=CIA Agent=someone an officer has recruited to provide information

It’s nothing like the movies, they don’t get all the high tech gadgets, not very action packed Most of the time the tools you have are a car, your memory, and the notes you take

Much like working for a big corporation

Life Change: Living abroad Most times living a new life (cover story)

Must learn to miss big events in life, the job (you’re country) comes before anything else

What did they want to know: Extent of their resources, defenses, and listening devices.

Their military plans Government plans Where any atomic weapons were located or if they actually had them

How People Spied: Cover Stories Surveillance Detection Recruiting foreigners with access to the information you want.

Tapping phone calls and emails Monitoring conversations (listening in)

Information Gained: When spies gain information they have to write it up in a report and give it to their controllers

It has to be hidden so no one suspects anything

If someone finds out, it could blow the spies cover or lead them to supply false information

The information was then sent back and analyzed and would be acted upon if necessary

Blown Covers: A spy should be able to do their job without a cover story It’s only in place as a type of security blanket

Many times when a spy is caught now, they have diplomatic immunity and are sent back to their own country

During the cold war however, spies were normally tortured for information or just killed instantly

Spying Yesterday & Today: New intentions Surprisingly the use of “gadgets” has decreased in a sense

Training time

Lessoning of Tension: It’s debated when the cold war actually ended, some say maybe it hasn’t really, but many agree somewhere around the early 1990’s

Both sides at odds possessed the same destructive weapons it would cause mass destruction had they really decided to use them on each other

Effects on the World: The cold war was a huge test for the CIA

It tested it’s resources, it participants loyalty, and the all around usefulness as a department

Many people decided they did not want to remain loyal to their country for whatever reason and provided secret information to spies from the other side Many people from either side became traitors

What ways did spies during the Cold War try to gain information? What did they do with this information and was it beneficial to our country?

Spies during the cold war gained information by watching, listening, and recruiting. Once they had the information it was sent back to headquarters to be analyzed and for a plan to be made for it’s use. At the time it was beneficial to our country because we weren’t really sure what was going to come out of the tensions. Because there was no war, the information that was gained was never really used. However, had there been a war we would have known the extent of their defenses and military plans.

Special Thanks To:

Shirley Perry&

William Walton (Pap)

For taking the time to tell me about their lives!