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| In the covert world of espionage, it's the ordinary items- emergency cash, fake IDs, and quiet observation that keep CIA operatives one step ahead. |
Forget the Hollywood glamor—the slick spy
in a tux, a Walther PPK tucked in a custom shoulder holster, and a martini
never far from reach. That’s a myth, a mirage spun by the movies. The real life
of a CIA operative? It’s all grit, practicality, and the art of disappearing
into the background. It’s about blending in so well that even the sharpest eyes
don’t give you a second look.
Andrew Bustamante, who spent 15 years in
the shadows as a CIA intelligence officer and has the medals to prove it, knows
this truth like the back of his hand. He’s quick to wave off the idea of
high-tech gizmos and hidden weapons. Forget the laser watches and exploding
pens—what matters most in the field is subtlety.
Spies don’t lug around Bond-esque
briefcases with secret compartments or holstered pistols that scream government
issue. No, they carry what makes sense, what won’t raise a brow if they’re
pulled aside by a curious cop or a nosy customs agent. Bustamante had his own
go-to items, and they weren’t what you’d expect.
A solid pair of lace-up shoes, for one.
Sound boring? Maybe. But when you’ve got to move fast, lace-ups are the only
choice. Out in the field, where danger has a nasty habit of showing up
uninvited, slip-ons or loafers just don’t cut it. You need shoes that stick
with you, that won’t trip you up when the stakes spike from zero to
life-or-death.
Then there’s cash. Not a wad to flash
around, but a single crisp $100 bill, tucked separately in his wallet, away
from the rest of his money. It wasn’t about showing off; it was survival, pure
and simple. Cash doesn’t leave a trail. No electronic blips, no red flags for
some desk jockey looking to track down a rogue operative. Just cold, hard
currency that can speak volumes when you need it to.
In Europe, Bustamante played it smart.
Alongside that U.S. $100 bill, he kept local cash. Experience had taught him
that a few well-placed bills could be the ticket out of a sticky situation—like
bargaining for a quiet boat ride across a shadowy river or easing past a border
checkpoint where one wrong answer could turn deadly. “Cash can save your life,”
he once said, and when he said it, you could tell he’d lived through moments
when it had.
Corey Pearson, the CIA spymaster from Mission
of Vengeance, understood that well. When he and his elite
team were deep in the Dominican Republic, investigating former KGB agents and
GRU assassins who were planning to undermine America’s presence, staying under
the radar was their lifeline.
Corey always had a few $100 and $50 bills
in his wallet, ready to be left on a restaurant table if the atmosphere changed
and he had to slip out unnoticed, without waiting around for the bill. It
wasn’t just a habit; it was a calculated move. In a world where one misstep
could draw the attention of Russian intelligence, a quick, clean exit was
everything.
But cash isn’t always enough, and
sometimes it runs out faster than you’d think. That’s when you need a backup—a
trusty international credit card. True, it leaves a trace, but only as a quick
ping on an ATM’s log. No one cares about what you bought; they only see the
card showed up, and by then, you’re already a blur in the wind. In the shadow
world, buying time and distance is the difference between making it out and
never coming back. And sometimes, that’s all you need.
Bustamante wasn’t the only CIA operative
who lived by these unwritten rules of practicality. Jason Hanson shared some
pretty practical lessons that anyone could use, starting with situational
awareness. He’d tell people to know their “baseline”—basically, understand what
normal looks like around you so you can spot when something’s off. If you’re at
a café and everyone’s relaxed, but one guy keeps glancing at the door or
fidgeting, that’s a red flag. Spotting those little oddities early can save you
a lot of trouble.
He also preached the importance of a
“go-bag”—a simple pack with essentials like cash, a flashlight, a battery pack,
and some first-aid basics. It’s an operative’s habit, but perfect for anyone
who wants to be ready for life’s curveballs, whether it’s a sudden power outage
or an emergency dash out of town.
Lastly, Hanson stressed trusting your
gut. If something feels wrong, it probably is. He’d say, “Your instinct is your
first line of defense.” Operatives rely on that sense every day, and it’s just
as valuable for civilians in staying a step ahead of trouble.
Valerie Plame, whose name became infamous
when her CIA cover was blown, knew firsthand that life as an operative wasn’t
about fancy gadgets and bulletproof gear. She spent years slipping in and out
of high-stakes situations without so much as a trace. In Plame’s world, the
smallest details could change everything, and she understood the value of being
prepared for the worst.
One of those crucial details was something
as simple as a laminated card—a trick Andrew Bustamante swore by. This wasn’t
just any card; it was a small, waterproof piece of paper with the most
important phone numbers an operative might need. If an agent found themselves
in a tight spot, injured, or without access to their phone, that card could be
a lifeline.
It might not look like much, but in the
field, when everything went sideways, that little piece of paper could be the
difference between getting out or staying stuck. It’s easy to picture Plame
tucking one away, knowing that in their line of work, sometimes the simplest
things held the most power.
Then there was Amaryllis Fox, who became a
master at turning herself into whoever she needed to be. In counterterrorism,
she learned that blending in was more than just a skill; it was an art. The way
she moved, the way she spoke, the things she carried—they all had to fit her
cover like a glove.
Like Bustamante, Fox knew that in this
line of work, it wasn’t the flashy tools that kept you alive, but the simple,
unassuming ones. That waterproof card with its scrawled phone numbers? It
wasn’t just a safety net; it was a lifeline that could mean the difference
between walking away clean or waiting for a call that might never come.
Bustamante’s reliance on that piece of
laminated paper wasn’t unique; it was a staple in a world where operatives like
Hanson, Plame, and Fox knew that the smallest details often made the biggest
difference.
Do they carry weapons? Not really.
Bustamante didn’t strut around with a Glock on his hip or a knife stashed up
his sleeve. Those kinds of things could blow your cover faster than a
double-crossing informant. A CIA operative’s number one job is to keep their
cover airtight. Picture this: an EMT pulls you out of a wreck and spots a
gun—that’s it, game over.
Corey Pearson, the seasoned spymaster in Mission
of Vengeance, knew this all too well. On regular days, he’d
have a concealed Glock 30 tucked in his belt, hidden under a loose-fitting
shirt—a precaution, a piece of insurance. But when meeting with Russian spies
or slipping into a high-stakes situation where the risk of being searched was
real, Corey went unarmed. He understood that if a weapon was found on him, his
cover, and the entire operation, would be shattered in an instant. For
operatives like Corey, the line between safety and exposure was razor-thin, and
making those tough choices came with the territory.
So,
instead, they relied on subtle tools. A simple baton could disarm a threat
without drawing suspicion, and an audio alarm could create a distraction when
you needed an out. These weren’t flashy or loud; they were just enough to keep
you safe and unnoticed. The trick was to blend in, stay invisible, and keep
everything low-key. That’s how CIA operatives move through the world without
anyone guessing who they really are.
But that doesn’t mean the CIA didn’t play
around with tech. They had gadgets that’d make your jaw drop, little tricks
that let you slip into places you shouldn’t even dream of going. Bustamante
once talked about a nifty device that could open any hotel room door with a
flick of the wrist. He grinned when he mentioned it—it was the kind of tech
operatives loved to have up their sleeves. But those gadgets? They were just
the icing on the cake. The real game was in the ordinary stuff, the day-to-day
tools and habits that kept you invisible.
Life in the field was all about those little decisions that made the difference between getting caught and making it home. The ordinary became extraordinary, and even the most innocent-looking items could mean the difference between life and death. You wouldn’t spot them in a tux, sipping a shaken martini. You’d see them blending into a crowd, just another face with a laminated card, a bit of cash, laced-up shoes, and a secret nobody would ever suspect.
Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and the author of the "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster" spy thriller series. Check out his latest spy thriller, Misson of Vengeance
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