Some Elements of Intelligence Work – 73 Rules of Espionage (Allen Dulles, 1960s)

Welcome, readers! This is Pavluu & Vergil bringing you a fresh adaptation of another insightful piece. In the Fall 2009 issue of AFIO’s magazine The Intelligencer, James Srodes published an article about the (declassified) notes of American diplomat and lawyer Allen Dulles (1893–1969), the 5th Director of Central Intelligence and, for a time, head of the CIA. Incidentally, Dulles is often (controversially) credited with devising the secret “Dulles Plan” for the moral decay of the USSR. The notes are titled “Some Elements of Intelligence Work,” and Srodes’ article is called “Allen Dulles’ 73 Rules of Espionage.”

According to Srodes, Dulles’ writing “is not polished and has an almost conversational style, as if Dulles simply jotted them down as the basis for one of the informal lectures he continued to give to young officers in training.” The book’s elements “range from minor tradecraft tasks to broader philosophies of security, agent recruitment, and personal discipline,” and “[Dulles’ instructions] hardly seem outdated even now.”

You don’t have to be a spy or intelligence officer to find something useful here for your own safety. At the very least, you’ll understand the methods that might be used to recruit or manipulate you. While some advice may seem amusing or old-fashioned, the text is published here with minimal editing.

The greatest weapon a man or woman can bring to the work we do is their “hard” common sense. The following notes are simply common sense, crystallized by experience into a set of rules and suggestions.

There are many virtues to strive for in our work. The most important is security. Everything else must be subordinate to this.

Security is not just about avoiding big risks. It’s about painstakingly remembering the small details that security requires in everyday tasks. Small things are often more important than big ones. They are what most often give the game away. Consistent attention to details forms the habit and character of secure thinking.

Anyone who neglects the daily routine of security, even if it seems boring or pointless, will lack the right instinctive reaction when it comes to bigger things. No matter how talented or well-intentioned a person is, if they lack the “security instinct,” they will ultimately be more of a liability than an asset.

Even if you feel that a curious outsider suspects you’re not who you claim to be, never admit it. Keep playing your role. It’s amazing how often people can be made to think they were mistaken—or at least that you’re involved in something else, but only in a mild way. Let people think what they like, but never confirm or hint at the truth.

Security does not mean stagnation or fear of moving forward. It means pursuing your goal while minimizing all risks through hard work.

Key Rules and Advice from Allen Dulles

• Don’t overload your cover at the expense of your work, or vice versa.
• Never leave things unattended or put them where they can be forgotten. Learn to write lightly: a clean sheet under your writing can pick up an imprint and be easily read. Beware of blotting paper. If you must destroy a document, do it thoroughly. Carry as few writing materials as possible, and for as little time as possible.
• Never carry names and addresses openly. If you can’t memorize them, write them in a personal code only you understand.
• Small papers, envelopes, postcards, and photos should be attached to larger items to avoid loss. But when conducting interviews or arranging meetings, record everything and store it securely—memory can fail.
• The greatest vice in this game is carelessness. Mistakes are usually impossible to correct. The next greatest vice is vanity, which has many dangerous offshoots. A conceited person never learns, and there is always more to learn.
• Alcohol is dangerous, as is undisciplined attraction to the opposite sex. Both loosen tongues and cloud judgment. Both are excellent weapons for the enemy. Sex and business do not mix.
• This work has no hours—you never really leave it. You “live” it. Never lose vigilance. Every place is good for laying a false trail or making useful contacts.
• Rest and vacations are essential for good work. Genuine goodwill and enthusiasm for the job will ensure that work and rest balance out, except in emergencies.
• The telephone is the profession’s greatest material curse. It tempts carelessness. Even if you’re careful, your contact may not be—warn them. Assume every call is monitored and could give the enemy a lead. Disconnect during confidential conversations, or better yet, have no phone in the room.
• Open mail should only be used as a communication channel for exceptional reasons. Otherwise, avoid it entirely. Use “mail drops”—people who receive and forward mail for you, chosen for personal trust, and keep their role limited and innocent.
• It’s better to spend a day traveling than risk a call or letter. Never dial a number without planning your conversation. Don’t improvise, even for a cover story. But don’t be too rehearsed—be natural.
• When choosing a safe house, make sure it’s secure. Avoid places with windows facing other buildings. The main entrance should be shared with other homes. Watch out for suspicious staff and tenants. Choose people for personal trust, and keep their role limited.
• Always be yourself. Be natural in the environment you’ve created. This is especially important when meeting people for the first time, traveling, or in public places. Calm, quiet people attract little attention. Don’t seek to impress—treat your work as normal and natural.
• When working, avoid looking at others and don’t linger. The more you stand out, the more attention you attract. Don’t dress to stand out. Don’t stand apart. Be punctual, and ensure others are too, especially for public meetings—waiting attracts attention.
• Before a meeting, make sure you’re not being followed. Tell your contact to do the same, but don’t overdo it. Don’t take a taxi directly to a work-related address; if unavoidable, make sure you’re not observed, or give a nearby address instead.
• Avoid going to places where you’ll be noticed. If you must, do so rarely and blend in as much as possible. Schedule complex meetings at night or very early in the morning when people are less alert.
• Avoid restaurants, cafes, and bars for meetings, especially first contacts—do it on the street. Give detailed descriptions and distinguishing features of people you’re meeting.
• If an interview can’t be held at a safe house, go for a walk outside the city—cemeteries, museums, and churches are useful.
• Use your judgment about talking to strangers or tablemates—it can be useful or risky. Before engaging, consider whether expanding your circle is wise. Always carry a book to read—it saves you from boredom and can help you avoid or end awkward conversations.
• Be polite, but not overly so, with hotel and restaurant staff, taxi drivers, train workers, etc.—they may be useful someday. Be generous with tips, but not excessively so. Don’t give them any reason to remember you—be brief and casual.
• Ease and confidence must be cultivated—they help you and those you deal with. Never make sudden, dramatic moves with someone until you’ve calmly gained their trust.
• When recruiting, lead the person to where you want them, plant the idea, and let them suggest options. If needed, express mild disbelief in the possibilities you’re aiming for, and always leave yourself an exit.
• Never fully trust anyone. Don’t convince yourself someone is above suspicion. Remember, we live by deceiving others, and others deceive us. If others can be fooled, so can we—so be suspicious.
• Don’t deceive yourself. Don’t decide someone is healthy or trustworthy just because you want it to be so.
• When establishing contact, unless you’re absolutely sure of your person—and maybe even then—pretend to be a middleman. Have powerful “They” in the background for whom you act and to whom you’re accountable. If “They” are harsh or break off relations, it’s never your fault, and you can even feign personal resentment. “They” are always eager for results and stingy with money until results are delivered. When results come, “They” send congratulations and encouragement.
• Find agents who work for conviction, not money. But remember, people need more than ideals—help them financially if needed. Avoid idealists who live in the clouds.
• Be a true friend to your agents. Care about their personal lives and families, but never let friendship outweigh duty. Sentimentality clouds judgment and can endanger others.
• Win your agents’ trust, but don’t give them more than necessary. If you must part ways, the less they know, the better. If an agent risks capture, it’s unfair to give them more knowledge than needed.
• If your agent can take breaks from work, that’s good—let them show themselves in other areas during rest.
• Teach your agent at least the basics of tradecraft. Don’t leave everything to their discretion. Insist, at least for a long time, that they strictly follow your instructions. Their initiative will be tested in unforeseen situations. Criticize mistakes, praise successes.
• Don’t be afraid to be strict or even harsh if it’s your duty. Be just as strict with yourself. When necessary, neither your feelings nor others’ matter—only the work and the safety of those entrusted to you.
• Never ask others to do what you wouldn’t do yourself. But don’t show reckless bravery that could jeopardize the whole operation. Sometimes it takes more courage to ask someone else to do a dangerous job than to do it yourself. But if that’s the right way, follow it.
• If you have an agent who is truly vital to your organization, try not to let them know it. Hint, without belittling them, that there are other, more important groups in the shadows, and that while they and their group do great work, they’re just part of the mosaic.
• Never let your agent “bite the bullet” and run from you. If you can’t handle it yourself, there are always the dreaded “They.”
• If your agent knows the ground better than you, always be ready to listen and consult. The person on the spot can make the right judgments.
• If you receive unreasonable directives from headquarters, don’t be afraid to object, especially if there’s a serious security risk without real benefit. Fight for this with all your might.
• If you have several groups, keep them separate until it’s time for joint action. Keep groups apart, and within reason and safety, try to multiply them. Each division and multiplication minimizes the risk of total loss and allows groups to rest.
• Never plan real actions, big or small, without seeing them in detail. Don’t count on luck—only on bad luck. Prepare for the worst.
• When using couriers, even if trustworthy (again, personal trust is key), it’s best they don’t know what they’re carrying. Commercial smuggling is often a good cover, giving a reason for secrecy and payment, and involving the courier in something they want to hide.
• For such cover, if you only need to send a document or letter, put it in a sealed dummy package with an unsealed outer wrapper.
• Any new scheme should include: careful study of the “field,” finding key people, safe meeting places and houses, mail drops, couriers, natural covers and pretexts for travel, division of labor, cell structure, avoiding personal friendships between elements (very important), and avoiding repetition.
• The main goal, unless it’s a special operation, is not quick results that could blow the operation, but a series of results that grow and, with proper protection, lead to discovery.
• Thorough preparation is more important than quick action. The organization includes not just active agents, but also potential ones placed where needed for future use.
• When starting in a new place, forget everything except building your cover. Once people label you, half the job is done. People rarely change their minds—work to ensure they don’t suspect you. If suspicions arise, don’t give up—rebuild your cover. At first, you’ll puzzle them, then convince them.
• Your cover depends on your work and the social life you need. Sometimes you need a full social life, sometimes it’s better to stay in the background. Don’t convince yourself that what you want to do is what you should do.
• Your cover and social behavior should match your biography and character. Neither should be too stressful. Use them wisely and make them stick in people’s minds. When your name comes up, people should have something specific to say about you, unrelated to your real work.
• Choosing where to live is often tricky. Hotels are rarely satisfactory. It’s best to have your own apartment, ideally shared with a discreet friend unconnected to the business. At home, you can relax and return to normal life, and your friend provides cover. Choose staff carefully—better a reliable servant than none. In your absence, people can’t search or fix phones, etc. Servants can also help you avoid unwanted calls.
• If a man is married, his wife can be an asset or a liability, depending on the work and their characters. Should a husband tell his wife about his work? If he trusts her, he can share, without revealing confidential details. It’s unfair to keep her in the dark without good reason. Naturally, she must be trained in behavior like an agent.
• Away from work, never show you know too much. It’s hard to restrain your vanity, especially when you hear false statements or distortions. Not knowing too much doesn’t mean knowing nothing. Don’t appear stupid or lacking in judgment unless necessary—it undermines trust.
• Show your intelligence, but stay silent about your field. Let others talk. Sometimes it’s useful to show personal interest, like a “good patriot” hoping to pass useful information through official channels.
• If someone has useful knowledge or could be valuable, remember that praise works for most men. When honest praise is hard, flattery can suffice.
• Within your principles, be all things to all people—but never betray your principles. Your greatest strength is yourself: your sense of right, your self-respect, and your respect for others. Your job is to bend circumstances to your will, not let them bend or corrupt you.
• Always be at peace with your conscience. Regularly put yourself on the stand for cross-examination. Never do more than you can; just do your best. Remember, only the work matters, not you personally—except for the satisfaction of a job well done.
• This is one of the best jobs, no matter how minor your role seems. Countless people would give anything to be in it. Remember and value this privilege. Whatever others do, play your part well.
• Never get stuck in a rut. Don’t rest on your laurels. There are always new lines, changes, and variations around the corner. Unchanging habits lead to carelessness and mistakes.
• When in doubt, overestimate the situation. Never underestimate it. But don’t let this make you nervous or insecure. Stay calm and know that with hard work and composure, avoiding irreversible compromises, you can always overcome difficulties.
• And finally, most importantly—REMEMBER SECURITY.

PS: The above points are not meant for a quick or casual read. Each requires serious attention and at least periodic review. It’s likely that among them, you’ll find statements with immediate relevance to your own situation. They are, of course, meant for immediate application.

Authors: Vergil & Pavluu