Post by Moses on Nov 28, 2005 9:26:57 GMT -5
US to hire more spies as embassy attaches
New York, Nov 28 (PTI) The United States is planning to strengthen its 'intelligence gathering' activities in other countries by increasing the number of spies posing as attaches in embassies, a media report has claimed.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plans to hire more spies posing as cultural or economic attaches in embassy-based CIA stations and reopen stations that closed when the cold war ended, Times Magazine said quoting unidentified sources.
In what is seen as a "back to basics," the report said CIA began focusing on this critical task after President George W Bush told the agency Director Porter J Goss a year ago to hire 50 per cent more spies "as soon as possible." Camp Peary, CIA's secret training centre in eastern Virginia, runs a roughly six month course to mint new spies for such postings. Classes at the Farm, as it's called, are packed, Time said quoting officials.
Government sources said the agency also plans to plant more spies around the world under nonofficial cover (NOC), one of the most dangerous yet potentially productive assignments.
NOCs-posing perhaps as students or executives do not enjoy diplomatic immunity. That means the US would deny any link to the spies and offer them no protection from prosecution or even execution if caught -- especially in a country with no diplomatic relations with the US.
In June, Goss had said he is giving his spies more autonomy in the field and promising to back them up - whenever possible - if something goes wrong.
"We have tried to reduce the number of 'May I, Mother?' requests and let you make the decisions out there," he said. PTI
New York, Nov 28 (PTI) The United States is planning to strengthen its 'intelligence gathering' activities in other countries by increasing the number of spies posing as attaches in embassies, a media report has claimed.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plans to hire more spies posing as cultural or economic attaches in embassy-based CIA stations and reopen stations that closed when the cold war ended, Times Magazine said quoting unidentified sources.
In what is seen as a "back to basics," the report said CIA began focusing on this critical task after President George W Bush told the agency Director Porter J Goss a year ago to hire 50 per cent more spies "as soon as possible." Camp Peary, CIA's secret training centre in eastern Virginia, runs a roughly six month course to mint new spies for such postings. Classes at the Farm, as it's called, are packed, Time said quoting officials.
Government sources said the agency also plans to plant more spies around the world under nonofficial cover (NOC), one of the most dangerous yet potentially productive assignments.
NOCs-posing perhaps as students or executives do not enjoy diplomatic immunity. That means the US would deny any link to the spies and offer them no protection from prosecution or even execution if caught -- especially in a country with no diplomatic relations with the US.
In June, Goss had said he is giving his spies more autonomy in the field and promising to back them up - whenever possible - if something goes wrong.
"We have tried to reduce the number of 'May I, Mother?' requests and let you make the decisions out there," he said. PTI
