Anonymous asked : How are operational aliases selected for Case Officers to use?

Operational aliases are selected by the Case Officer him/herself. We generally chose about five or six, sometimes more, aliases we would like to use and submit them to CIA Hqs to cross check just to make sure the same names have not already chosen by others or have been compromised in some way. Then this is narrowed down to some three or four for use when you arrive at a new Station. Hqs then provides some documentation backstopping for these aliases, sometimes credit cards, drivers licenses, passports, a bit of pocket litter and sometimes a backstopped devised facility cover company. At any time a Case Officer may have three or four aliases he/she can draw on. Whenever the alias is used, the Case Officer must document the use in an operations cable with the details. Some of the aliases you use may be used only to handle certain agents, some to develop targets of opportunity or cold contact meets, etc. Sometimes you may use the alias for a few occasions, then discard it. Other times you may use it for years. It is helpful for the NOC to chose names known to him. For example, I sometimes used as an alias the names of Vietnam War buddies I had known, some killed-in-action as a way of honoring their memory. Some aliases were people whom I greatly respected. I probably went through some 25 or so aliases during my years as a NOC. Pat Porter was my favorite not only because it was the most operationally productive but also because the real Pat Porter is still one of my favorite people in the world. Thanks for the question. It was nice to travel down memory lane.