![]() Russia and the Soviet Union have had a long tradition of espionage ranging from the Czar's Okhrana to the Committee for State Security (the KGB), which also acted as a secret police force. Since World War II, espionage activity has enlarged considerably, much of it growing out of the cold war between the United States and the former USSR. However, the British system was the keystone of Allied intelligence. In 1942 the Office of Strategic Services was founded by Gen. Germany and Japan established elaborate espionage nets in the years preceding World War II. Mata Hari, who obtained information for Germany by seducing French officials, was the most noted espionage agent of World War I. Congress passed the Espionage Statute of 1917. To protect the country against foreign agents, the U.S. Civil War.īy World War I, all the great powers except the United States had elaborate civilian espionage systems and all national military establishments had intelligence units. During the American Revolution, Nathan Hale and Benedict Arnold achieved fame as spies, and there was considerable use of spies on both sides during the U.S. Joseph Fouché is credited with developing the first modern political espionage system, and Frederick II of Prussia is regarded as the founder of modern military espionage. With the growth of the modern national state, systematized espionage became a fundamental part of government in most countries. Joan of Arc was betrayed by Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvais, a spy in the pay of the English, and Sir Francis Walsingham developed an efficient political spy system for Elizabeth I. In the Middle Ages, political espionage became important. The ancient Chinese treatise (c.500 BC) on the art of war (see Sun Tzu) devotes much attention to deception and intelligence gathering, arguing that all war is based on deception. The Egyptians had a well-developed secret service, and spying and subversion are mentioned in the Iliad and in the Bible. The importance of espionage in military affairs has been recognized since the beginning of recorded history.
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