Spy Tips on Cover ID, Freon, Hostage Situations, and more
Choosing a cover ID on the fly is always a challenge. When there’s no time to think, it’s best to go with something simple that keeps your options open.
Freon is available at most computer stores. Buy a can of screen duster, turn it upside down, and you’ve got it in liquid form. It’s cold enough to crystallize the metal in many commercial locks. A hammer can take care of the rest.
One advantage of working with the same team, is that secure communication is simpler. You don’t have to work out a secret code. If you have enough history, the code is in every picture, every memento, every autographed leg cast.
Surveillance is a two-way street. If you know someone’s looking for you, you’ve got an advantage. They follow your lead, go where they think you are.
In a hostage situation, you have to be cruel to be kind. The more you care, the more leverage they have. Like buying a car. You have to make them think you can walk away.
There are some fights you just can’t win. A force can be so overwhelming, that no tactical approach in a fight is going to lead to a victory worth having. When you can’t win in a fight, sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses. It works for nuclear weapons, it works for me.
The sticky bomb was originally developed in World War II for mining tanks. For the homemade variety, tile adhesive works best. Sticky, waterproof, and it comes in an easily portable plastic bucket.
A lot of people think the word “commando” means superhero, or at least something close to it. In the popular mind, they’re thought of as the ultimate elite soldier – the solution to every problem. The fact is, a commando is just someone trained to fight under a specific set of circumstances. He’s the guy you send in when there are more bad guys than good guys, when surprise is the only advantage you can get in an operation. When it works, commandos seem unstoppable. Those are the operations that make the papers. When it doesn’t work, commandos get killed just as dead as anyone else.