Mole (espionage)
In espionage jargon, a mole is also called a penetration agent or deep cover agent. This type of spy is recruited before having access to secret intelligence. They subsequently manage to get into the target organization. However, popular usage often means any long-term clandestine spy within an organization. In police work, a mole refers to an undercover law-enforcement agent who joins an organization. Their goal is to collect incriminating evidence about its operations. Eventually they charge its members with crimes.
The term was introduced to the public by British spy novelist John le Carré in 1974. His novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy brought the word into general usage. Le Carré said that the term mole was actually used by the Soviet intelligence agency known as the KGB. He claimed Western services used the corresponding term sleeper agent instead. While the term had been applied to spies in Sir Francis Bacon's book Historie of the Reign of King Henry VII written in 1626, Le Carré denied getting it from that source. Its origin remains unclear regarding how much intelligence services used it before popularity.
Perhaps the most famous examples were the Cambridge Five. These five upper-class British men were recruited by the KGB as communist students at Cambridge University in the 1930s. They later rose to high levels in various parts of the British government. By contrast, most espionage agents like CIA counterintelligence officer Aldrich Ames and FBI agent Robert Hanssen spied after being in place. They were either recruited or offered their services as spies while already members of the target organization. The Cambridge Five strategy involved long-term infiltration starting decades before access was gained.
Because recruitment occurred in the remote past, moles are difficult for security services to detect. The possibility that a top politician could be a mole working for a foreign government is the worst nightmare of counterintelligence services. James Angleton served as director of counterintelligence for the CIA between 1954 and 1975. He was reportedly obsessed with suspicions that Western governments were riddled with long-term communist agents. He accused numerous politicians including former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Former Canadian Prime Ministers Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau also faced his accusations. Former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and many members of Congress were named before he was removed in 1975.
The most common procedure finds the location within a foreign government where information exists. Intelligence services identify which people have access to it. They then attempt to recruit one of them as a spy to obtain the information. People with access to top secret government information are carefully monitored by the security apparatus. It is difficult for a representative of a foreign intelligence service to meet with them clandestinely. Private organizations like large corporations or terrorist groups have similar security monitors. Some services reverse this process by first recruiting potential agents. These agents conceal their allegiance while pursuing careers in the target agency. This hope allows them to reach positions of access to desired information later.
Because the spy career of a mole occupies most of a lifetime, those who become moles must be highly motivated. One common motivation is ideology through political convictions. During the Cold War, a major source of moles in Western countries was so-called fellow travellers. These were Westerners who became disaffected with their own governments during their youth between the 1920s and 1940s. They grew sympathetic to world communism without actually joining a communist party. The security clearance process weeds out employees who are openly disgruntled or ideologically disaffected. Such people are likely to reject recruitment as spies. Fellow travelers provided a pool of candidates willing to serve long-term causes.
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Common questions
What is a mole in espionage jargon?
A mole is also called a penetration agent or deep cover agent. This type of spy is recruited before having access to secret intelligence and subsequently manages to get into the target organization.
When was the term mole introduced to the public by John le Carré?
The term was introduced to the public by British spy novelist John le Carré in 1974. His novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy brought the word into general usage after he claimed Western services used the corresponding term sleeper agent instead.
Who were the Cambridge Five and when were they recruited by the KGB?
The Cambridge Five were five upper-class British men recruited by the KGB as communist students at Cambridge University in the 1930s. They later rose to high levels in various parts of the British government through long-term infiltration starting decades before access was gained.
How did James Angleton serve as director of counterintelligence for the CIA between 1954 and 1975?
James Angleton served as director of counterintelligence for the CIA between 1954 and 1975 while reportedly being obsessed with suspicions that Western governments were riddled with long-term communist agents. He accused numerous politicians including former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Canadian Prime Ministers Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, and former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson before he was removed in 1975.
Why do moles require high motivation during their lifetime career?
Because the spy career of a mole occupies most of a lifetime, those who become moles must be highly motivated. One common motivation is ideology through political convictions, such as fellow travellers who became disaffected with their own governments during their youth between the 1920s and 1940s.