When it is said that reality trumps fiction, it is because on many occasions this happens, and one of these has to do with espionage. This activity results in mysterious stories full of unknowns due to the very reason for their existence, but that doesn’t stop them from being real and practically incredible, as can be seen in the series SPY WARS, presented by Damian Lewis. Discover some of these stories below.

FELIPE II AND THE CNI OF THE 16TH CENTURY

Felipe II was the most powerful monarch of his time. Philip II was the most powerful monarch of his time. Not only for its army, nor for its wealth, but also for its excellent corps of spies. Until recently, this fact was not considered relevant, but over time it was discovered that it was not only important but also truly crucial in many important events.

Felipe II created the most effective spy corps in all of Europe in order to obtain privileged information that allowed him to anticipate the steps of his rivals. That information is power and it was already an irrefutable fact for the Spanish monarchy, and the monarch made it one of his main weapons. The monarch invested economic, human and material resources like no other European monarch. It is said that Philip II invested in this need in six months, the same as England invested in six years. He recruited and turned ordinary people of all kinds into spies and took care of every minute detail. Even to correct the decryption performed by an expert. The spy corps was extremely important to him and, therefore, he tried to transmit this importance to his successor Felipe III.

WAS ORWELL A SPY?

Spies aren’t just dedicated to getting important information. On many occasions spy corps are dedicated to creating this interesting information and presenting it for convenience. While George Orwell (whose real name was Eric Blair) never worked as a spy, his works were put at the service of the CIA. Like? As an opinion maker.

The writer published “Animal Farm” in 1945. This, together with “1984”, is the most recognized work, but the truth is that in the beginning, it passed without penalty or glory through English bookstores. It is a satire on the Russian Revolution and corruption in Soviet socialism.

This argument did not go unnoticed by the CIA in the United States of America, which realized the work’s potential as anti-communist propaganda. They quickly exposed the propaganda machine and financed the film based on the work. And leaving a very comfortable budget for it. First, they promoted the literary work with large campaigns and then invested 300,000 dollars (US) in the production of the film. They had 80 animators to create all the necessary illustrations and they projected the piece in the United States of America.

ESPIONAGE AND SEDUCTION

Classified as Operation Romeo, this was an espionage strategy developed by Herbert Hellenbroich, head of the German BND (Federal Intelligence Service). Male spies were used as a Trojan Horse, through seduction and sex, to contact secretaries of the highest positions in the West. In this way, they had access to restricted, sensitive, and, above all, crucial information. From this operation, there are truly amazing stories. As in the case of Margarethe Lubig, a secretary at the Ministry of Defense who was seduced and captured by a Danish spy posing as a journalist. But, in another twist, it wasn’t really a Danish spy, but an actor from the GDR. The relationship lasted 25 years.

OPERATION ‘ACUSTIC KITTEN’

This story, although it doesn’t have many dramas, is still surprising. It all happened in the United States of America in 1961.

The CIA notices that during a meeting with an important Asian leader and the team, the room is filled with cats that roam freely. The CIA concludes: converting free-roaming cats into spies.

In these facilities, the Acoustic Kitty operation begins, which consists of surgically implanting a microphone in the cat’s ear canal and an antenna in the tail. After that, the cat is trained to obey orders. To solve the problem of distracting the cat that was hungry, they introduced an additional device that nullified it.

The operation was carried out in 1966. The mission consisted of leaving the cat in the vicinity of the Soviet embassy, where two USSR spies were, and bringing him as close as possible to the conversation. Before the cat got close, he was hit by a taxi, wasting 5 years of work and 15 million dollars invested. After what happened, the CIA annulled the operation claiming that: “the environmental and security factors that coincide with the use of this technique in a real situation force us to conclude that, for our purposes, this would not be feasible”.

Source: Canal História