With the recent release of the latest James Bond flick, it gets people thinking about how exciting a life like that could be. James Bond has intricate devices, fast cars, killer stunts and seems to be coveted and lusted after by every female. Who wouldn’t want to lead a fast paced life full of intrigue and mystery?
Advanced Private Investigator and Security of Miami FL would like to relate just a handful of real life spies that greatly influenced history.
Oleg Penkovsky – Soviet Military Intelligence Gathering & Exchanging
1. Oleg Penkovsky stopped a nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most anxious incidents (to put it mildly) the Cold War was related to. The U.S. discovered the Russian weapon silos off the coast of the nearby Communist state and assumed the worst. Luckily, the nuclear stand-off was impeded and the entire world wasn’t left in ruin. But if the American government hadn’t received intelligence about the enemies to the East and their weapon holding, the results could have been catastrophic. Oleg Penkovsky informed JFK’s men about the missiles. A doomed hero, he was a colonel with Soviet military intelligence who leaked information to both the British and Americans. Penkovsky related information for over a decade, risking his life to bring balance to the Cold War. The CIA believed Penkovsky was being consistently observed, making exchanging of information hard, but he helped with a lot of anti-Soviet spy work in the era and was the hero who drew attention to those Cuban missiles. Ultimately Penkovsky died for his principles. Soviet authorities captured, questioned, shot and then cremated him.
Violette Szabo – Special Operations Executive Agent
2. Violette Szabo killed her share of Nazis. Being hailed as one of the best spies the SOE (British- Special Operations Executive) ever had, Szabo was a great tool in World War 2. After her husband died in a French-Hungarian battler, Szabo decided to quit her duties at the switchboard and contribute to the war full time. She was recruited by the SOE’s F-section due to her technical skills and ability to speak French fluently. Posing as a nurse, she smuggled information in and out of Nazi-occupied France. Unfortunately, Szabo would be captured at the start of her third mission, transported to Germany, detained at Ravensbruck concentration camp, tortured, and then executed. Upon her capture, she did not go quietly. She put up a blazing fight and took down several Nazi officers before finally being taken down.
Tony Mendez – CIA Technical Operations Officer. Clandestine & Covert Operation & Master of Disguise
3. Tony Mendez rescued hostages out of Iran. Another spy immortalized on the big screen, Mendez is one of the few spies who lived through his exploits and has since retired. Mendez, a CIA technical operations officer, was known for being a master of disguise. Being a man behind the lines to ensure operations and missions were executed efficiently, he fashioned documents, crafted disguises, and developed personas for spies. Mendez’s abilities were so incredible that he got an Asian man and a black CIA agent to look like two average, white businessmen to avoid the attention of Laos counter-intelligence. His most successful mission, however, is the story told in Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning historical drama Argo. Tony Mendez, was the man responsible for the “fake movie production” plot to help get a bunch of American and Canadian ambassadorial hostages out of Iran in the 70’s. The mission involved quite a few of fake, but authentic looking documentation, disguises for him and fellow professionals. Mendez successfully secured the safe flight out of the country for all the hostages. The mission was 100% successful with no casualties and everyone safe.
Advanced Private Investigator and Security of Miami FL hopes that was a fun look into real life spy games. For all your investigative and security needs, call professionals with proper training and experience at Advanced Private Investigator and Security of Miami FL.
