The Human Factor
The Phenomenon of Espionage
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About the Book
This succinct no-nonsense primer on the business of espionage looks at the history of human intelligence gathering, known as HUMINT, from the Revolutionary War to the present. Extremely well-written, it is equally valuable for training case officers and intelligence analysts and for fans of espionage novels and movies who want to know what it’s really like. Case studies profile some of the most important figures in espionage history who have impacted world events, including Arnold Deutsch, the famous spy who recruited the Cambridge network of spies for Soviet intelligence. Topics covered include methods of collecting intelligence, recruiting, “tradecraft” or operational methods, the future of spying, and personality traits and education needed for a successful case officer. A “must” read” for anyone considering a career in intelligence and an invaluable textbook for courses on national security.
About the Author
Colonel W. Patrick Lang is a retired senior officer of U.S. Military Intelligence and U.S. Army Special Forces (the Green Berets). He served in the Department of Defense for many years, both as a serving officer and, later, as a member of the Defense Senior Executive Service. He is a highly decorated veteran of several of America’s overseas conflicts, including the war in Vietnam. He was trained and educated as a specialist in the Middle East by the U.S. Army and has served extensively in that region. He was the first Professor of the Arabic Language at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. In the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), he was the Defense Intelligence Officer for the Middle East, South Asia, and Terrorism, and later he became the first Director of the Defense HUMINT Service. For his service to the DIA, he was awarded the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive, the equivalent of a British knighthood. Among his published works are: “Strike the Tent” Trilogy: The Butcher’s Cleaver, Death Piled Hard, and Down the Sky; and the 2021 work, Tattoo—A Memoir of Becoming.