Posted: January 20th, 2016

Penkovsky and Western Spy Craft

An analysis of the operation – essentially picking apart the requirement, the planning, the utilisation of resources, the implementation, the inter-agency/international cooperation – or any other relevant factors.

Questions to answer:
– Management of Penkovsky as a spy. Entire framework (compare what was done with what exist now as we identify lapses)
– Who was his Case Officer?
– Analysis of the chain of command that existed for supply of information/intelligence?
– Level of security clearance he was given and possessed at both sides of the divide
– System of maintaining contact – dead drops, how convenient were they? How easy were they to access? Frequency of contact
– How did CIA and MI6 jointly handle him?
– What were the risks (tied to arguments against his genuineness)?
– How did the agencies deal with the risks?
– How was information from Penkovsky processed? What was the cycle? System of verification
– What operational level was Penkovsky placed? Strategic? Operational? Tactical? – – – And how was information dealt with at each level?
– How effective was the handling of Penkovsky? – Identify lapses and make key judgments
What lessons can be learned?