Fake defection explained
Fake defection, often referred to as a "provocation"[1] or "dangle" in intelligence circles, is a defection by an intelligence agent made on false pretenses. Fake defectors (who may be referred to as "plant"s) may spread disinformation or aid in uncovering moles. The risk that a defection may be fake is often a concern by intelligence agencies debriefing defectors.[2] [3]
Examples of Soviet defectors that some sources have considered fake include Oleg Penkovsky (considered fake by Peter Wright and James Angleton[4]) and Vitaly Yurchenko. Examples of US fake defection operations include Operation Shocker.
In fiction, examples of fake defection include the James Bond film The Living Daylights (1987), a subplot in the TV Show The Americans, the novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and its film adaptation,[5] and Torn Curtain (1966 film).[6]
Notes and References
- Roy Pateman (2003), Residual Uncertainty: Trying to Avoid Intelligence and Policy Mistakes in the Modern World, University Press of America, p190
- [Vladislav Krasnov]
- "...the redefector - and certainly the fake defector who returns - must be considered as a very effective weapon that can paralyze the opponents' services for a certain length of time and possible can cripple their morale." - Federal government's handling of Soviet and communist bloc defectors: hearings before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, first session, October 8, 9, 21, 1987, Volume 4, p550
- Roy Pateman (2003), Residual Uncertainty: Trying to Avoid Intelligence and Policy Mistakes in the Modern World, University Press of America, p16
- John Orr (2010), Romantics and Modernists in British Cinema, Edinburgh University Press, p63
- [Carl Boggs]