![]() He described communicating without a messenger using fire and signs inanimate media like bullets and arrows men, animals, birds, sounds, or angels to communicate with someone in a dungeon or besieged city or hundreds of miles away. In the 17th century, John Wilkins, author of “Mercury or, the Secret and Swift Messenger,” commented on the “strange shifts the ancients were put unto, for want of skill” and outlined the superior methods of communicating of his own time. It is not only the modern reader who will balk at the amount of time it took the message to reach its recipient. Upon arrival, the messenger’s head was shaved again to read the message. ![]() He then sent the messenger on the long journey from Persia to Greece to urge revolt. In ancient Greece, Histiaeus, the ruler of Miletus, shaved a slave’s head, tattooed it with a message, and waited for the hair to grow back. Spies, or scouts, have had to communicate secretly since time immemorial. Kristie Macrakis was Professor of History in the School of History and Sociology at Georgia Tech and the author of many books, including “ Seduced by Secrets” (Cambridge University Press), “ Prisoners, Lovers, and Spies” (Yale University Press), and “ Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach” (Georgetown University Press). ![]() The focus here is on ancient trends and methods, such as employing invisible ink and concealing messages in animal carcasses, some of which are still used today. The text that follows is excerpted from a chapter in Kristie Macrakis’s book “ Espionage: A Concise History,” in which Macrakis outlines the major components of secret communication methods used by agents - from concealment and dead drops to photography and microdots. Despite the dangers, secret communication is at the heart of espionage operations and essential for spy work: Not only does it keep the agent and case officer connected but it allows information to be passed on from agent to headquarters. For centuries, secrecy was the backbone of espionage and of communications between case officers and agents.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |