Glossary of Terms

Agent/Asset - Person who is recruited by a case officer to obtain intelligence

Blown/Burnt - Spy who has been exposed

Brush Pass - Momentary person-to-person contact to pass intelligence

Bug - Covert listening or recording device

Case Officer - Staff officer of an intelligence agency, handles agents

COS - Chief of a CIA station posted to an embassy

DST - Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire, the French National Police who conduct counterespionage and counterintelligence. Equivalent to FBI.

Dry Clean - To evade surveillance by hostile intelligence service

Extraordinary Rendition - Kidnapping of spies or terrorists for interrogation

Legat - Legal Attaché, FBI agent attached to a US embassy

Legend - Life story created for a covert officer or agent

Mossad - Israel’s spy agency

MI5 - British Secret Intelligence Service (Internal)

MI6 - British Secret Intelligence Service (External)

NOC - Non-official cover. CIA equivalent of Russian deep cover spy. They have no diplomatic immunity.

Parole - Password used to confirm identity between agents

Safehouse - Place where spies can hide from hostile security services

Sleeper - Deep cover officer/agent

Target - Person, place, or thing of intelligence interest

Tradecraft - Mechanics of/proficiency in espionage