![]() He succeeded in intercepting letters that indicated a conspiracy to displace Elizabeth I with Mary. Mary was misled into thinking these secret letters were secure, while in reality they were deciphered and read by Walsingham’s agents. In a successful attempt to expose her, Walsingham arranged a single exception: a covert means for Mary’s letters to be smuggled in and out of Chartley in a beer keg. In 1585, Mary, Queen of Scots was placed in the custody of Sir Amias Paulet, who was instructed to open and read all of Mary’s clandestine correspondence. The Catholic exiles fought back when the Welsh exile Hugh Owen created an intelligence service that tried to neutralize that of Walsingham. His staff included the cryptographer Thomas Phelippes, who was an expert in deciphering letters and forgery, and Arthur Gregory, who was skilled at breaking and repairing seals without detection. Many modern espionage methods were established by Francis Walsingham in Elizabethan England. Early Modern Europeįrancis Walsingham / National Portrait Gallery (London), Wikimedia Commons Along with the pochteca, before a battle or war, secret agents, quimitchin, were sent to spy amongst enemies usually wearing the local costume and speaking the local language, techniques similar to modern secret agents. Īztecs used Pochtecas, people in charge of commerce, as spies and diplomats, and had diplomatic immunity. Called mstovaris, these organized spies performed crucial tasks, like uncovering feudal conspiracies, conducting counter-intelligence against enemy spies, and infiltrating key locations, e.g. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mongols relied heavily on espionage in their conquests in Asia and Europe. Feudal Japan often used shinobi to gather intelligence.Ī significant milestone was the establishment of an effective intelligence service under King David IV of Georgia at the beginning of 12th century or possibly even earlier. Spies were also prevalent in the Greek and Roman empires. Thanks to the Bible (Joshua 2:1–24) we have in this story of the spies sent by Hebrews to Jericho before attacking the city one of the earliest detailed report of a very sophisticated intelligence operation The Hebrews used spies as well, as in the story of Rahab. Īncient Egypt had a thoroughly developed system for the acquisition of intelligence. It was a ‘Textbook of Statecraft and Political Economy’ that provides a detailed account of intelligence collection, processing, consumption, and covert operations, as indispensable means for maintaining and expanding the security and power of the state. Ĭhanakya (also called Kautilya) wrote his Arthashastra in India in the 4th century BC. Sun Tzu continued to influence Chinese espionage theory in the 21st century with its emphasis on using information to design active subversion. ![]() He considered the need for systematic organization, and noted the roles of counterintelligence, double agents (recruited from the ranks of enemy spies) and psychological warfare. In modern terms they included the secret informant or agent in place, (who provides copies of enemy secrets), the penetration agent who has access to the enemy’s commanders, and the disinformation agent who feeds a mix of true and false details to point the enemy in the wrong direction, to confuse the enemy). Photo by vlasta2, Wikimedia CommonsĮfforts to use espionage for military advantage are well documented throughout history. Sun Tzu, a theorist in ancient China who influenced Asian military thinking, still has an audience in the 21st century for the Art of War. He advised, “One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements.” He stressed the need to understand yourself and your enemy for military intelligence. A bamboo version of The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu in ancient China explores espionage tactics.
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