Fake defection, often referred to as a "provocation"[1] or "dangle" in intelligence circles, is a defection by an intelligence agent made on false pretenses. Fake defectors (who may be referred to as "plant"s) may spread disinformation or aid in uncovering moles. The risk that a defection may be fake is often a concern by intelligence agencies debriefing defectors.[2][3]

Examples of Soviet defectors that some sources have considered fake include Oleg Penkovsky (considered fake by Peter Wright and James Angleton[4]) and Vitaly Yurchenko. Examples of US fake defection operations include Operation Shocker.

In fiction, examples of fake defection include the James Bond film The Living Daylights (1987), a subplot in the TV Show The Americans, the novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and its film adaptation,[5] and Torn Curtain (1966 film).[6]

References

  1. ^ Roy Pateman (2003), Residual Uncertainty: Trying to Avoid Intelligence and Policy Mistakes in the Modern World, University Press of America, p190
  2. ^ Vladislav Krasnov (1985), Soviet Defectors: The KGB Wanted List, Hoover Press, Chapter 8: "Spy and Fake Defectors"
  3. ^ "...the redefector - and certainly the fake defector who returns - must be considered as a very effective weapon that can paralyze the opponents' services for a certain length of time and possible can cripple their morale." - Federal government's handling of Soviet and communist bloc defectors: hearings before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, first session, October 8, 9, 21, 1987, Volume 4, p550
  4. ^ Roy Pateman (2003), Residual Uncertainty: Trying to Avoid Intelligence and Policy Mistakes in the Modern World, University Press of America, p16
  5. ^ John Orr (2010), Romantics and Modernists in British Cinema, Edinburgh University Press, p63
  6. ^ Carl Boggs (ed. 2003), Masters of War: Militarism and Blowback in the Era of American Empire, Routledge, p325


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