At the same time, HUMINT presented clear disadvantages: in its early …show more content…
Colonel Pyotr Popov gave a unique and insightful support to the work of the US intelligence towards the Warsaw Pact, through the transmission of classified documents concerning the internal organization of the Communist Party, the military capabilities of the Soviet army and the plans for the satellite countries, especially East Germany. When the Berlin crisis rose in 1958, the espionage from Col. Oleg Penkosvkiy was crucial to anticipate the plans of Khrushchev over Berlin, thus preventing a military escalation between NATO and the conventional forces of the Warsaw Pact. However, when the USSR authorities found out their activities, they were both allegedly imprisoned and executed for treason.
As we have seen, HUMINT has been a salient hallmark in the activity of the US Intelligence throughout the cold war. The successful experiences, but also the risks encountered, must raise the attention on the following lessons learned: human intelligence gives a unique insight into the intentions of the adversary, but it’s a risky business and it takes time to be fully