A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer who specialised in persuading Russians to become spies for the US government has revealed the various tactics he used to persuade people to commit treason against their country.
Jim Olson is a CIA veteran, having worked tirelessly for the United States during the height of the Cold War in Moscow and spent more than 30 years with the agency.
As a CIA officer, Jim learned how to persuade major Russian forces to switch sides and send back to the U.S. a wave of information about what was happening on the other side of the world.
After spending most of his time with the organization overseas, Jim learned the best ways to recruit Russians and was even taught how to “drink like a spy” at the “farm,” which is the CIA’s training center.
While speaking to Eamon Javers, who is the host of the podcast The crimes of PutinTraders ofHe revealed how he used promises of healthcare, money and even education to turn Russians against each other and what can be done to get anyone on our side.
A former CIA officer who specialised in convincing Russians to become spies for the US government has revealed the various tactics he used (file image)
“Our main task is recruiting. We need new blood all the time. We need human resources,” Jim told the CNBC correspondent.
Jim Olson is a veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency.
“There is nothing better than a human source, someone in that foreign government, who can provide you with the materials you need.”
He also revealed that they were taught how to handle liquor and avoid drinking excessively while talking to Russians.
Jim explained that a big part of his job was finding people who were willing to sell their secrets for a price, adding that he had to calculate the cost of changing their ways.
Before revealing the deep secrets that led him to incorporate Russians into his team, the CIA official said that these techniques were “universal” and added that Chinese and Russian authorities also used them.
“I call it the recruiting cycle. It’s very systematic. We study how to recruit human resources,” he explained.
“The bottom line is that every human being has needs. It sounds cynical, but it’s true. Our job is to find those strangers who have secrets that we need and want and who are willing to give them to us in exchange for something that we offer them.”
He explained that as officers, they had to figure out what would compel them to betray their country.
After spending most of his time with the organization overseas, Jim learned the best ways to recruit Russians and was even taught how to “drink like a spy” on the “farm.”
“They will risk their lives if we meet their needs,” he added.
Jim pointed out that by finding out what motivates someone, you can get them to do anything.
He admitted that “most of the time” they asked him for money.
“You can buy people from all over the world and if it’s just a matter of money, it’s the easiest recruitment we’ll ever do,” he added.
However, while their job would be much easier if they just wanted money, Jim explained that there were many more complicated reasons that motivated people.
The former CIA officer revealed that they often saw someone who did not like their totalitarian regime and how their people were being oppressed.
Others will commit treason because they want medical attention because they have sick children or a sick wife.
He revealed that medical or even educational needs were often requested.
“We don’t advertise it, but there are CIA scholarships. We often receive foreign students here. If you help us, we help you. We are manipulating people,” he added.
And while they are always happy to give whatever they want to those who seek to betray their country, he admitted that CIA officers do draw the line at certain times.
“Our doctrine is that we do not coerce people into spying, we do not use sexual traps. Someone may be a closet homosexual and in that country that could be grounds for extradition or worse,” he admitted.
While speaking to Eamon Javers (seen), who is the host of The Crimes of Putin’s Traders podcast, he revealed how he used promises of healthcare and money to get them on his side.
‘Our doctrine is that we do not coerce or use sexual tricks.’
Jim said that was because when they used those tactics, they got bad spies.
“We want committed and loyal people,” he added.
And as Jim works to recruit people, he does everything he can to avoid getting caught, adding that he feels “very deeply” when his recruits get caught.
To get the most out of his spies, Jim said they did something known as “commercial work.”
“Tradecraft is an elaborate system that we developed to make sure that we can trade with that person and keep them safe,” he said before noting that he “takes no risks” and makes sure that all of his recruitments are safe.
At the end of the podcast, he revealed that they always chose someone who could give them access to information or codes that they themselves couldn’t get.
Jim worked at the CIA for 30 years and was previously Chief of Counterintelligence.
During his time as an officer, he was awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit.
He now spends his days as a professor of counterintelligence at Texas A&M University.
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