Undercover: The True Story of Britain's Secret Police by Lewis Paul & Evans Rob

Author:Lewis, Paul & Evans, Rob [Lewis, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780571302185
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2013-06-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

Invisible Men

If there was one tactic that was the signature of the Special Demonstration Squad, it was the use of long-term relationships with women activists who could help give undercover operatives the credibility they needed. In fiction, the likes of Ian Fleming base entire storylines around spies sleeping with the enemy. But in the real world, the use of intimate relationships is considered dangerous and even poor tradecraft. Irrespective of the morality of agents of the state having sex with citizens, how can operatives remain detached or provide objective intelligence if they are romantically involved with their targets? The SDS had a few rules to prevent their officers from becoming too emotionally tied to the opposite sex. For a long time, the squad only recruited men who were married or had stable relationships, assuming they would be less inclined to develop strong connections with the women they slept with. There was informal advice that they should use contraception. And they were told to avoid falling in love.

Intimate relationships with political activists undoubtedly gave covert officers superb cover. But it was also their Achilles heel. To put it harshly, there was always the tricky question of what to do with their girlfriends when their time in the field came to an end.

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