The "Moscow Rules" and other Intelligence (spycraft) "proverbs"

in intelligence •  7 years ago 

I had assumed that Allen Dulles had thrown out the line...

there is no such thing as coincidence.

Dulles, at one point, was in charge of American counterintelligence.

While trying to source the quote (I still haven't cataloged The Craft of Intelligence in my reference DB, so it's floating around my computer somewhere), I ran across this Wiki article, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moscow_rules], and I thought I'd share it, and a few other "maxims" of intelligence work with you.

The Moscow Rules

  • Assume nothing.
  • Never go against your gut.
  • Everyone is potentially under opposition control.
  • Do not look back; you are never completely alone.
  • Go with the flow, blend in.
  • Vary your pattern and stay within your cover.
  • Lull them into a sense of complacency.
  • Do not harass the opposition.
  • Pick the time and place for action.
  • Keep your options open.

Other selected "maxims" from the Wiki article:

  • Murphy is right. (i.e., "What can go wrong, will go wrong, and at the worst possible moment.")
  • Any operation can be aborted. If it feels wrong, it is wrong.
  • Maintain a natural pace.
  • Build in opportunity, but use it sparingly.
  • There is no limit to a human being's ability to rationalize the truth.
  • Technology will always let you down.
  • Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is an enemy action. (Taken from Ian Fleming's novel Goldfinger)
  • Do not attract attention, even by being overly careful.

Allen Dulles Quotes

It seems I was wrong in my attribution of the opening quote to Dulles. Here are some applicable quotes from his end, though. (Source)

  • The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.
  • Once - many, many years ago - I thought I made a wrong decision. Of course, it turned out that I had been right all along. But I was wrong to have thought that I was wrong.
  • The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is the necessary art. If you try to run away from it, if you are scared to go to the brink, you are lost.
  • Of all tasks of government the most basic is to protect its citizens against violence.

Other "Proverbs"

OK, I had to end with a pic from one of the dumbest movies in history, Spies Like Us

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Another quality post with great content. I love the stuff you come up with. Always a good read, including the posts you resteem.

glad to hear it! although I been selfish today about resteeming ;>

Very interesting quotes!The world of espionnage and intelligence is fascinating.You quoted John LeCarré i assume you are a fan of spy novels.If you have a second, check out the Quiller novels series from Adam Hall,it will blow your mind

this is kind of funny; although i have studied intelligence for a long time, I've never really like spy novels! The only one that I really ever liked was Ludlum's Road to Gandalfo, which was a spoof ;>

I read a couple Ludlum's he is really good!

Curated for #informationwar (by @openparadigm)
Relevance:Infiltration is always something to keep in mind for your own movement as well your opponents, like project veritas.

i love the moscow rules, especially hepart about not going against your instinct

really hard to do in normal life; i would guess even harder to do under cover

Initiate Radical Vertical Impact Simulator

I guess some people like the movie ;>

Really informative post. Good and well written, Thanks for sharing @stevescoins