HUMINT

HUMINT, short for human intelligence, is an intelligence gathering discipline collecting information either by interviewing or tracking a subject of investigation, or by using a combination of 'black' techniques to gain confessions or involuntary disclosure of information. The organization primarily responsible for the collection of HUMINT for the US is the CIA.

Related Topics:
Intelligence gathering discipline - CIA

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The KGB considered the following as standard practice, and even defined the MICE acronym to help Soviet agents remember the "tricks of the trade":

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:Money - Buy the agent

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:Ideology - Turn dislike of his own country's system to your advantage

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:Compromise - Trick the target into a compromising situation

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:Ego - Appeal to the target who feels they deserve better treatment than they are getting, and/or make them feel more important in their own eyes

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Many who work in the intelligence community refer to the HUMINT task using phrases such as "Having feet on the ground" or "Having a source on the ground". This refers to the need for "hard" data to backup or supplant other forms of intelligence.

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HUMINT Intelligence Agencies

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• CIA - US
• MI6- UK
• DHU - UK
• ASIS - Australia
• Mossad - Israel
• CSIS - Canada
• SIDE - Argentina
 
HUMINT: See also ►