Field Notes: The Bump at Formula One
Intelligence work does not always happen in alleys or safe houses. Sometimes it happens trackside at a Formula One race in Florida. With a dossier in hand and a little luck, I had the chance to “bump” into a former Russian executive who might have more to share than just sailing stories.
Field Notes: The Human Side of Intel
In training, the Bureau dropped me in a non-descript compound in Virginia and taught me how to run human sources like it was the real thing. What stuck was not the tradecraft, but the people.
Field Notes: When the Threat Isn’t Physical
Protective intelligence is not just about preventing someone from being followed in the street. While preparing a tech founder for a high-profile trip to Egypt, I uncovered signs of a potential espionage play, proof that sometimes the real threat is not physical at all.
Field Notes: The Art of Waiting
Surveillance is not glamorous. It is long hours of waiting, watching, and doing nothing, until suddenly you need to act. In one of my first counterintelligence cases in New York, patience and a cardboard mailing tube taught me the real art of surveillance.
Field Notes: When You’re the One Being Watched
Working with a source on a Russian arms procurement case, I suddenly found myself dealing with an unexpected twist: my source believed they were being followed. We set up counter-surveillance and discovered it was not who we thought at all.