A triple agent is a spy who pretends to be a double agent for one agency while actually being loyal to another. They provide disinformation to the agency they pretend to work for while providing real information to their true agency through a separate channel. This form of espionage is complex and requires careful measures to protect the agent’s safety and identity. Multi-transformed agents are rare, and counterintelligence agencies are concerned about triple agent loyalties.
A triple agent is a type of spy who uses his intelligence connections to support the goals of a particular intelligence agency while embedded in another agency. Being a triple agent is extremely dangerous, as the discovery of the agent’s true connections could potentially be life-threatening or at least disastrous. Before someone works as this type of agent, their background is usually carefully researched and a complex system of communications and managers established.
Before explaining precisely how a triple agent works, it may help to understand what a double agent is. A double agent is someone who pretends to spy on Agency X for Agency Y while actually being loyal to Agency X. The double agent is used to feed agency Y incorrect information, ensuring that the agency has incomplete information or inaccurate about the opposing agency. Many double agents pretend to be defectors, approaching Agency Y with requests for useful information about their handlers’ orders at Agency X.
A triple agent is someone who pretends to be a double agent, telling Agency X that his loyalty lies with that agency when in fact he is loyal to Agency Y. Through communication channels established and monitored by Agency X, the double agent will feed disinformation to Agency Y to make its double agent position appear legitimate, providing real information through a totally separate and isolated channel. The triple agent will also report bits of information about Agency Y to keep Agency X satisfied that the agent is still loyal.
This form of espionage can become extremely complex, requiring you to successfully embed an agent in an enemy agency or successfully recruit someone from an opposing agency. Very careful measures must be taken to protect the safety and identity of the agent, and at times, the agent’s information may not be usable because it could lead to exposure. However, it can still be very valuable, providing a comprehensive picture of the opposing agency’s practices and plans.
While it’s theoretically possible to find what are known as “multi-transformed agents,” i.e. agents who have even more intricate networks of loyalties, these agents are quite rare. Many counterintelligence agencies are understandably concerned about triple agent loyalties, as shifts between loyalties can suggest that the agent may in fact be multiple-turned. For this reason, triple agents are often pressured by the agencies they claim to work for, in an effort to make sure they are, in fact, loyal.
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