Agencies.

This is coolbert: Here is a title from an article in Strategy Page that instantly caught my eye:

"Who Has the Best Intelligence Agency
by Harold C. Hutchison
September 28, 2005"

This author has obviously informed opinions about the subject. And offers strong evidence as to WHO HAS the best intelligence agency in the world.

"For instance, the CIA has had a few successes despite having a lot of its dirty laundry aired in the press."

[well, we cannot be totally sure about this. The CIA, like most all other intellignce agencies, does NOT celebrate and tell when it has a success. It keeps quiet about successes!!]

One cannot discuss the CIA without discussing the Russians – and this would include the SVR and its forerunner, the KGB. [also known as the FIS [Foreign Intelligence Service]].

The British have had a long public perception of an effective intelligence agency

[This is the Secret Intelligence Service [SIS], also known as MI6.]

The DGSE, France’s intelligence agency, has an even lower profile

Finally, there is the Mossad [Israel].

The author concludes:

Which of these is the best? It is arguably a tie between MI6 and Mossad. Both agencies have had lengthy track records of success. The CIA has not done poorly, but it has been handicapped by a nearly unrestrained press which has often harmed the agency.

And that is that.

Arguably a tie between MI6 and the Mossad??

Well, the author seems to have made a major mistake here.

An intelligence agency has been ommited from consideration from the list of prospects. This is the Soviet, and now Russian GRU [Military Intelligence.]

This is Russian military intelligence. The counter-weight and competition for the former KGB and now the competitor as well for the FIS. A totally separate intelligence agency.

[GRU = Glavnoeye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravleniye. Good luck with that one!!]

The Soviet defector, Suvorov, of course would have some pertinent comments on the subject: [from the Introduction to his book "Inside Soviet Military Intelligence".]

"There is but one opinion as to which country in the world possesses the most powerful secret inelligence sercvice. Without the slightest doubt that country is the Soviet Union, and the name of the monstrous secret organisation without precendent in the history of mankind is the KGB. But on the question as to which country possesses the second most powerful secret organisation, the opinions of the specialists differ. Strange as it may seem, the country to which this organisation belongs is also the Soviet Union, and the organisation istself is called the Chief Intelligence Directorate for the General Staff [GRU]."

[Suvorov pays particular attention to the fact that 2nd most powerful intelligence agency in theworld was ALSO a Soviet agency. And one that is more or less UNKNOWN to even the specialists ["experts"].

A counter-weight and competition. This concept served the Soviets and now the Russians well.

[the concept being that competition of itself is good. NOT a communist ideal, a capitalist ideal, but one nevertheless adopted and used by the Soviets!!]

Competition stimulates production to a greater degree. A counter-weight was found to be necessary in the totalitarian society of the Soviets to prevent any one entity from becoming TOO STRONG and having TOO MUCH influence!!

Also, remember that the former KGB had the responsibility as well for domestic espionage against it's OWN people as well as the responsibility for external espionage against enemies of the Soviet state.

This role of the GRU has been underestimated by MANY experts.

The famous author of books on the subject of intelligence John Barron said of the GRU:

"in the field, the GRU and KGB often work together harmoniously, especially if good personal relations exist between the local GRU and KGB Residents. However, if there is a policy clash, the KGB invariabhly prevails. The KBG in Moscow remains aware of and reaps the benefits of All GRU operations. . . . Thus it seems to this writer [Barron] that for practical purposes, the GRU must be regarded as a subsidiary of the KGB . . ."

I am sure Suvorov would vigorously disagree with that assessment.

For instance:

"Our neighbors, the Friends of the People [KGB], were having a big celebration. Some years previously an officer had defected from a Soviet naval vessel, and many KGB residencies had been hunting him down . . . Well, good luck to them. They had certainly leanred how to kidnap epeople. But why did they not succeed in stealing any American atomic secrets, and why had they never provided Soviet industry with the plans of French anti-tank missiles, or of British torpedoes, or of German tank engines?"

[what Suvorov is saying is that GRU concentrates on and gets their hands on plans, documents, etc., that are of real value, not kidnapping and such!!]

AND.

[when describing the recruitment of a U.S. naval officer]

"Are you really Russian?"

"Yes, I am."

"And are you really a spy?"

"Yes, I am."

"And you are out to recruit me?"

"Yes, It's you I'm after."

"Do you know all about me?"

"Not everything. But something."

"Your service is the KGB?"

"No, The GRU."

"I never heard of it."

"So much the better."

What are we talking about here??

Maintaining a low profile. NOT advertising your self to the whole world. NOT being conspicuous. Working to get military secrets GERMANE to your mission.

And doing so without a whole lot of fanfare. TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.

As IS with the perceptions of Harold C. Hutchison

coolbert.