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Espionage refers to the act of gathering information, generally using subversive means. A person who engages in espionage is called a spy. It is carried on by Intelligence bureaus operated by the military or the government, such as the CIA, KGB and Mossad.

The word Espionage comes from the French word espionage, meaning literally "to spy". However, it was the Americans and Soviets who made the most historical use of espionage, during the Cold War. Almost all countries have used espionage, notably Israel[1], Germany during World War II, and Britain. Espionage is much less talked about today, except for industrial espionage, which is what happens when one company spies on another one, or a government spy agency tries to discover corporate secrets in another country.

Counterintelligence is the business of detecting and neutralizing spies.

Famous spies include Mata Hari, Whittaker Chambers, Julius Rosenberg and Alger Hiss.

See also

Further reading

  • John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr. Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America (2000) excerpt and text search
  • K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security (2003)
  • Norman Polmar and Thomas B. Allen. Encyclopedia of Espionage (1997)


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