2014: The World Within

History

The History of Espionage

From the Trojan Horse to the modern drone, from ninjas to the KGB: join us in exploring the history of spies, information gathering, and covert operations.

  1. Questions to Discuss

    • When, if ever, is it right to pretend to be someone you're not?
    • To what extent have spies and covert operations shaped the course of history?
    • Are state-sponsored assassinations ever justified?
    • To what extent should our daily activities, on the Internet and in real life, be tracked and cataloged—by whom, and to what end?
    • Does fiction mislead us about spies in the real world?
    • Do we live in a surveillance society? Should we?
    • Have changes in technology made it easier or harder to be a spy?
    • Is industrial espionage a legitimate business strategy?
    • What might motivate a spy?

  1. Introduction to Espionage

    • Historical Origins and Evolution
    • Key Vocabulary (the Covert Code)
    • Distinguishing espionage, intelligence, and covert operations
    • The private sector: industrial espionage, whistleblowing, and confidential informants

  1. A Secret History

    • Organizations and Operations
    • Spies of the Emerging Modern World
    • Espionage in the Cold War
    • Intelligence gathering today

  1. The Technology of Espionage

    • Classic Tools of the Trade
    • Evolution of Encryption
    • Drones and Remote Sensing
    • Surveillance in the Information Age

  1. Espionage in the Popular Imagination

    • Moments of Panic and Paranoia
    • Fictional Portrayals of Spies
    • Fact vs. Fiction

  1. People to Investigate (Examples)

    • Aldrich Ames | Alfred Dreyfus | Allan Pinkerton
    • Edward Snowden | Gustav Weber | Giacomo Casanova
    • J. Edgar Hoover | Julius and Ethel Rosenberg | Mary Bowser
    • Mata Hari | Nathan Hale | Richard Sorge | Sydney Reilly
    • Robert Baden-Powell | Cambridge Spies | Valerie Plame
    • Violette Szabo | Anna Chapman

  1. Terms to Learn (Examples)

    • Agent | Asset | Black Operations | Bona Fides | Brush Contact
    • Burned | Carnivore | Cipher | Colossus | COMINT
    • Counterintelligence | Cover | Covert Operations | Dangle
    • Dead drop | Double Agent | ElInt | Espionage | Exfiltration
    • Eyes Only | Handler | HUMINT | L-Pill | Little Birds
    • Provocateur | Sabotage | Sheep Dipping | SIGINT | Sleeper
    • Tradecraft | U-2 | Wet job | Window Dressing

  1. Organizations to Research (Examples)

    • Assassins | Cheka | CIA | KGB
    • MI6 | Mossad | MSS | NSA
    • Okhrana | Oprichniki | Shinobi | Stasi