Connoisseurs are amazed: the life of an agent is so exciting

There are numerous myths surrounding life as a secret agent. Some people have probably already developed a sympathy for this mysterious world and secretly wished that one day they would be recruited by a service. “Secret services do not just consist of people walking around with weapons and doing a lot of funny things,” says scientist and secret service expert Dieter Bacher in an interview with krone.at, dispelling common prejudices. Rather, they form a vast network that builds on knowledge from a wide range of areas. Particularly explosive: for some jobs you can simply apply – according to the researcher, this is how the American foreign secret service CIA or British services work.

The historian Dieter Bacher was fascinated by this subject in the true sense of the word. For almost twenty years he has been diligently researching the activities of secret services and intelligence services in Austria during the Cold War. At conferences where scientists sometimes meet representatives of secret services, he repeatedly notices that his past knowledge is still relevant in many areas. He now provides insights for crown.at.

What can you learn from history?
“In the field of human intelligence, which is about gathering information about people, people in business say the technology they can use has changed since the Cold War,” Bacher notes. Smartphones, computers and the internet offer completely different communication options. “But the actual course of events, the actual method of working, the actual dealings with an informant or an agent, if you will, has not really changed.”

So can you openly say that you work for a secret service?
Most people who work for a service wouldn’t make a big deal about it. However, it’s not uncommon for people at Secret Service conferences to reveal their background — “how it works and what findings are interesting to them,” Bacher says. Names and activities would not be mentioned; that would be a breach of confidentiality. However, an exchange is possible via the methods and accesses.

Are they automatically spies?
“But not everyone who works for a secret service is a spy,” Bacher wants to reject the misconception. The term ‘spy’ has been heavily influenced by popular culture. “You immediately have ideas à la James Bond,” says the historian. In reality, a spy is someone who is deployed in the area of ​​operations, that is, who does field work. This consists of conversations with informants who may be able to produce one or two stolen documents. However, this is not the entire work of a secret service, but only a small part of it.

How do I get a secret service? How are you recruited?
According to Bacher, there are several roads that lead to a secret service. The simplest thing: you can apply there just like any other authority.

When the department itself is looking for staff in the field of analysis, it likes to visit universities and look at fields where there is a certain degree of know-how. What is especially relevant are scientific methods and knowledge of languages ​​and cultures that are important to the secret service. It is not unusual for people to be recruited directly from university. “They simply speak to students and say that there are opportunities in the service in this area,” the historian told krone.at. These are jobs for real ‘nerds’ who sit in front of piles of files all day and have to try to classify the documented information.

Another part is the search for people who can provide valuable information. This is much more difficult and involves more risks. The so-called MICE model of the Americans would be used as a basic model for the motivation to be available as an informant for the secret service. However, it has nothing in common with the small rodents. Rather, it describes the four main factors that “attract” people, so to speak: money, ideology, compulsion, and ego.

The well-known MICE model
The money factor is considered the easiest option, but it has certain pitfalls. “It is a very poor motivator because it is unreliable,” Bacher summarizes. As soon as someone can offer more “coal”, loyalty is at risk. This also applies if someone comes to the conclusion that he/she is not being paid enough for his work.

Recruiting through ideology works much better: “If people are convinced of something, you can very reliably bind them to a cause.” The downside to this is that you have to find people who are really passionate about the subject.

If you choose blackmail, you are not dependent on it. For this purpose, a “classic trap” would be set and then pressure applied. According to Bacher, we know this very well from the diplomatic service. For example, if someone is having an affair. The agency could then collect compromising material and persuade the data subject to disclose relevant information. The procedure is relatively complex because the arousing person must be observed for a certain period of time. The time invested does not always pay off. “Once the person sees an exit strategy, it’s over,” the expert explains. Some people simply laid their cards face up on the table – this happened once in history to a married diplomat. After a steamy night of love with another woman, he was blackmailed by the feared Russian secret service KGB with very revealing photos showing the lovebirds in the act. “Yes, what should you do,” was his numb response. As a result, he openly described the situation to his employer. That was, so to speak, a “game over” for the KGB, the scientist said.

However, if the Secret Service is successful with these tools, things can become troublesome for the informant. “There are plenty of naive people who believe that they can get out of there if they provide material,” the historian emphasizes. But blackmail doesn’t end so easily. As soon as you work for them, the service has something in its hands again; After all, from that moment on you are a spy.

The ego method works well with dissatisfied people who achieve nothing in their work and feel that they are constantly ignored. The most important thing here are belly brushes with statements like: “You are someone. We need you and appreciate you.” According to Bacher, this can work surprisingly well – as long as the person truly believes “he will be the great Zampano”.

What do you do as a “classic spy”?
In short, working in an intelligence agency is about collecting and evaluating information. Reliability is not as important in the job as you might think. Accordingly, the person should simply be able to provide what is needed. “In history they were often small-time crooks, real strizzis,” Bacher explains.

There were basically two types of spies. On the one hand, there are people who work on a diplomatic mission and, in addition to day-to-day operations, also perform tasks for the secret service. “Their own diplomatic mission is aware of the activities in the field and the people enjoy diplomatic protection,” Bacher explains. If the host country becomes aware of the espionage, it can only declare the agent persona non grata and deport him. Naturally, no disadvantages can be expected from one’s own state. “We saw this during the war in Ukraine, where numerous employees of Russian embassies were expelled from the country for espionage,” says the expert. The affected employees would be deployed to another station after a certain break. That’s not particularly dramatic: “The people in diplomacy are aware that that’s how it works,” Bacher said.

However, the second option is significantly riskier. Here the spy has a ‘normal’ job: as an entrepreneur, as a member of a club or a friendship association. He also collects information for the intelligence service, but does not enjoy diplomatic immunity. If the espionage is discovered, very serious consequences may be feared. This then leads to legal proceedings and sometimes high fines.

Important: Know when enough is enough
Overall, the exciting job of being a spy is a tough one that, even if you aren’t exposed, has an expiration date. Few people can withstand this burden, the pressure of constant delivery and the stress for more than six years. After a certain time, people can no longer cope with the double life, the facade and the eternal secrecy. Not to mention the feared consequences, which are grueling: after all, without diplomatic protection you can spend years in the “Hafen”. Therefore, it is better to pull the rip cord at some point. “Otherwise, disastrous, stupid mistakes will happen,” Bacher warns in conclusion.