Evolution Of Espionage: From The Revolutionary War To The Cold War

The Evolution of Espionage in the United States:

Analyzing the Differences From the Revolutionary War to the Cold War

By: Belinda Sardinas

Florida International University

Professor: Gebelein

Spring 2015

Introduction

Throughout the history of the United States espionage has played a critical role. The practice of spying has been used as a strategic tactic by the government domestically and abroad. The motives for espionage, the agency used for it, the type of people chosen for the job, and the tradecraft used has been evolving over the years in the United States as threats and national interest change. Espionage is certainly not a new tactic; many historians believe it is the second oldest profession

2). According to former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) counterintelligence chief Paul Redmond the United States suffered from a “national capacity for naivete” (Sulick, 2012, p. 2). The term coined by Mr. Redmond explains American naivety and the leadership’s reliance on geographic isolation and the trust they put on citizens with positions of power. Throughout the years, espionage in the United States was constructed by the economic, social, and political dynamics of the country (Sulick, 2012, p. 7). In turn, these dynamics changed the motives, techniques, and intelligence services used throughout the history of the United States. The evolution of espionage began in the United States during the Revolutionary War, but was drastically altered as the enemy and national interest

15). Two centuries before the Revolutionary War, Great Britain created a sophisticated intelligence service developed by Francis Walsinghim called Queen Elizabeth I’s spymaster (Sulick, 2012, p. 15). The British agency was used to counter rivals and to gain power within Europe, completely neglecting the American colonies. Since the relationship between Great British and the American colonies was mutually beneficial the British failed to pay attention to a budding revolution, which became an advantage for the colonies. The colonies already faced a much stronger, better armed, and more experienced enemy, which lead to the birth of clandestine operations in the United States. According to Sulick, the Revolutionary War would not have been successful for the American colonies without clandestine operations (2012, p. 17). In order to defeat Great Britain, the American colonies needed to gain an advantage by creating a spy network, infiltrating their enemy, and recruiting