Case 3 - Friendship can get you through the door Case 4 - Get off the plane, you fool!

Case Three: Friendship can get you through the door!

“In the early 1980’s a foreign nuclear engineer who was in the US for advance studies was pitched by one of the CIA’s domestic Stations. Indignant, the engineer turned down the pitch and went directly to his embassy to report it. When the engineer returned to his country, his security service used him to give security lectures to other students in his country going abroad so they would know the CIA modus operandi. He was a loyal person whom we were unable to recruit.

“But circumstances gave us another opportunity. As a NOC officer I was introduced to this nuclear engineer by his brother-in-law with whom I had developed a close personal friendship through my cover company duties. Of course, the brother-in-law did not know I was a CIA NOC officer. Shortly, the engineer and I became quite friendly and he told me the intimate details of the CIA’s attempt to recruit him. I exhibited my own disgust that my country would try to get him to become a spy against his country. It was not long before the engineer was giving me English copies of some of his research papers to correct his English. His organization required that all research reports be written in both his native language and English.

“After gaining his trust with the English corrections, he managed to get me a “security clearance” from his organization where I was invited many times to meet his constituents and see his research lab. I was the first and to my knowledge still the only CIA officer to have ever been so privileged. This continued for three years and turned into a most lucrative platform to meet and assess other officers in his organization and also resulted in the CIA planting sensing devices there to test for possible secret technology that was forbidden by international agreement. This is one example of how a failure can turn into an opportunity. So, when you fail in some operation and you surely will, please do not give up”.

Case Four: Get off the plane, you fool!

“In June 1987 I was standing in line to board a Japan Air Lines flight to Calcutta, India, along with two foreign national cover contacts who knew me in my true identify as the Asian representative of my US cover company. Of course, I was traveling in true name on legitimate cover company business. We were talking about our pending business in India when suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder with a voice calling me in one of my several operational alias identifies. I turned and almost fainted from a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realized that I had just been approached by a developmental asset whom I knew in the commercial alias. He was on his way to India, too! On the same flight!

“Trying to hold back a flood of panic, my mind raced with ideas of what I should now do as I gently separated myself and the asset from the boarding line leaving my cover contacts there. I initially thought I might feign serious illness and cancel my trip to extract myself from this potentially compromising situation. As I talked further with the asset I learned that he was traveling coach in the rear of the aircraft while I was in first class. He would be boarding at the aircraft’s center door while my line would shortly split off to enter the forward door. I now left more comfortable.

“I eased back in line with the asset leaving my traveling companions around 10 people ahead in line. We continued to chat. He was staying in Calcutta while my companions and I were scheduled to catch a second flight to Saudi Arabia. The tightness in my stomach was now barely a loose knot! At the forward compartment we said our good-byes.

My next thought turned to my companions. Had they heard my asset address me in alias? I could explain that away if they mentioned it, which knowing the politeness of Asians I was certain they would not do. As a preventive measure, after the flight was well on its way, I strolled back to coach to chat with the asset just in case he might get the idea to come forward to see me. After several minutes of conversation I excused myself saying I had much work to do to prepare for my coming trip business and went back forward. End of incident”.