In the world where I’m about to take you, everything might appear completely ordinary . . . at first.
At a fine French restaurant in a big city, two academic types are sharing an elaborate meal and an expensive bottle of wine. They’re both wearing nice suits and appear polished and sophisticated. They might be chatting about their research or celebrating a promotion.
On a sweltering hot day in a city in southern Asia, an American tourist casually poses in front of a fountain while his taxi driver snaps a couple of quick pictures. The tourist gets back into the taxi and waits patiently in the heat for the traffic to thin out just like everyone else.
There’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary about the two scenarios I’ve just outlined—a couple of professors sharing a meal, and a tourist posing for a picture. Chances are, if you were passing by you wouldn’t have noticed anything strange about either of these situations. But in the real world of spies, things aren’t always what they seem. If you were trained in the art of espionage tradecraft you might have picked up on a few curious details. For example, it’s a bit odd that the tourist got out of the taxi to pose for a picture in the middle of a traffic jam—especially since there was nothing at all remarkable about that fountain. What’s actually more interesting is the building behind the fountain. If you looked more closely, you would see that it is under the protection of heavily armed guards.
There’s something different about those two academics too. If you had been sitting in the park just a few blocks from the restaurant, you may have noticed one of them strolling through on his way to dinner. If you were paying attention, you might have seen him slow down just slightly as he passed by a particular bench. It’s unlikely you would have caught it because he’s been well trained, but he quickly scanned the side of the bench looking for a small tack. It wasn’t there, so that meant the meeting with his case officer was still on and he proceeded to the restaurant.
In my previous book, Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life, I showed how the simple tactics I learned as a CIA officer could help regular Americans lead safer and more secure lives.
This time I’m going to take you much deeper into the world of espionage. I’m blessed to have an excellent team of former CIA officers (there is nobody else I’d want by my side during an operation), and these incredibly brave men and women have worked dangerous missions all over the world and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. The stories you are about to hear are as thrilling as anything you’d read in a spy novel, but that’s not all. You’re also going to see how CIA operatives use their skills and finely honed instincts to survive everything from clandestine operations in hostile foreign countries to bombings in brutal war zones. These highly trained individuals have put everything on the line to ensure America’s safety. They have recruited spies, extracted secrets from our enemies, and evaded capture from foreign police. And now you’re going to learn how these same tactics that have been used in the field by real intelligence officers can help keep you and your family safe. You’re going to learn some exciting and potentially life-saving skills, including:
As I mentioned, I’m incredibly grateful for the men and women of the CIA and I assured everyone that I would protect their privacy. As you might imagine, privacy is of the utmost importance to those working in the intelligence field. For this reason, all names and identifying details have been changed, and the stories have been edited for clarity and to ensure they would be understandable to people who do not work in the intelligence field. In some instances, dates and/or geographical regions have been changed. Again, this was critical to do to ensure the privacy of everyone who joined me in this book.
My mission with everything I do is to keep finding new ways to help you live a safer, happier, and more successful life. This is why I wrote this book and why I started the Spy Escape & Evasion training company that has saved numerous lives and shared spy secrets with tens of thousands of people (www.SpyEscape.com).
It is my hope that what you’re about to read will entertain you, but also help you to feel empowered and more prepared. Whether you live in rural America, the suburbs, or near a major metropolitan area, it is my hope that you will continue to enjoy your life, and can move forward with your work, leisure activities, and travel plans, even as the world grows more complicated and feels more dangerous than ever before. I’m honored to help you expand your arsenal of skills, and I’m committed to helping you feel more confident in your ability to keep you and your family safe in any situation.