REGIONAL TRAINING CONFERENCE

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "REGIONAL TRAINING CONFERENCE"

Marsha Sullivan
5 years ago
Views:

1 REGIONAL TRAINING CONFERENCE XXVII The Spy Among Us: The Illegal s Program Directed by Taylore Presta

2 INTRODUCTION Welcome to Spy Among Us: The Illegals Program at RTC. I will be your Crisis Director for this committee. I am a graduate student getting my Masters in International Affairs and am getting my certification in US Intelligence. My focus is in European politics with specifics in Eastern Europe. It was this reason I decided to have a committee that both blends US intelligence and Eastern Europe. Today, we are seeing an unprecedented push by the Russian government in influencing other countries affairs, either through economic, political, or clandestine means. This did come as a shock to a few that another country would be so willing to great lengths to get what they want, but when it comes to Russia it has been this way since World War I. History has seen time and time again of Russian spy rings being implemented in democratic countries, with infamous incidents like the Cambridge Spy Ring and Silvermaster spy ring, the latter in which successfully infiltrated the US Treasury. It long been unofficial policy that Russia would insert their own members into a community to either collect information or sabotage US efforts, so when story broke in 2016 that Russian agents were trying to influence the Presidential Election in order for a candidate that would be sympathetic to Russia, there was no real surprise in the intelligence community. The Russian government has continually tried new avenues when it comes to espionage, one of the greatest examples of this and the basis for this committee happened in The FBI arrested 10 people and charged them as unlawful foreign agents and money laundering. These people had come to the US years before and were considered sleeper agents, in which they posed as ordinary Americans while building contacts in critical industries. Some had received college education here and many of the agents acted as couples, even having children and grooming them to become spies. The aftermath was not as harsh as it would have been if this program was discovered during the height of the Cold War, with President Obama choosing to not expel any Russian diplomats in order to help relations between the two countries. This program would then go on to be the inspiration for the critically acclaimed show The Americans which has entered its sixth and final season and which this committee draws heavily from. It is with that, I welcome you to the crisis committee in which your main goal as an individual and as a group is to hunt down, identify, arrest and prosecute Soviet sleeper agents. Keeping the United States secrets safe and secure depends on your success. - Taylore Presta

3 HOW COMMITTWW WILL BE RUN Crisis This committee will use crisis notes, Communiques, and messages between delegates and will do so by it being handwritten. The use of laptops will not be allowed in this committee. If delegates have a Joint private directive the delegates involved in it must send it to crisis at the same time to make sure crisis knows that they are voting together. Any directive or decree must also be handwritten and presented to the Chair. These committee will be run using Parliamentary procedure. At the beginning of each session the Chair will establish Quorum, Simple Majority, and Supermajority. It is up to the delegates to motion to introduce, debate, or move into voting procedure on directives and the Resolution. If a working paper is created a motion to introduce it will be allowed but a motion to go into voting procedure to vote on it will NOT be entertained. It is up to the Chairs discretion when dividing the question. Committee Actions 1. Directives- immediate, direct actions taken that affect the committee, or the world as a whole. It is passed by simple majority vote. 2. Press Releases- expresses the sentiments of several or all of the delegates in the committee, without having to take any action, and is released to the whole world. They can be used to express certain things, like publicly condemning someone for their actions or informing the public on what they should do in certain crisis. Private Actions 1. Crisis Notes 2. Joint Private Directives- A crisis note involving two or more delegates. This note details each role a delegate has which needs to be signed by all the delegates involved and then sent to Crisis. 3. Communique- Unlike a crisis note, which completes an action done by the delegates portfolio power, a communique is the creation of dialogue between a delegate and another person in the world that is not in the committee. 4. Inter-delegate message- delegates may instantaneously and discretely message each other to coordinate on committee actions or joint private directives.

4 Crisis Updates Since this is an FBI task force, crisis updates maybe acted out or come in the form of a department memo. In which case it will be up to the committee to address the crisis either in their notes or by committee actions. Research This will be a crisis committee based off a blend of real world and fictional resources. The Illegals Program was a Russian government sanctioned plan that was dismantled in 2010 thanks to the FBI. From this, the critically acclaimed show The Americans was created. For research in trying to prepare yourself for this committee, I would suggest that you look at the Program and have a general knowledge of Soviet/U.S. history, especially in espionage. You will not need to watch the Americans to do well in this committee, but certain aspects of the TV show will be included.

BACKGROUND The First Red Scare To understand why the relationship between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR, and the United States, has been so contentious, one will need to look to the

5 BACKGROUND The First Red Scare To understand why the relationship between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR, and the United States, has been so contentious, one will need to look to the very creation and infancy of the Soviet state. With the Bolsheviks having taken over and Lenin in charge in 1917, a secret police known as the Cheka was established. This police force would eventually be the precursor to the infamous Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti, commonly known as the KGB. It was with Cheka that the cult like personality within the Soviet intelligence community was formed. This cult thinking would be seen later in the KGB and is the source of the fierce loyalty that Soviet spies hold towards the motherland and the willingness they have to do whatever means necessary to protect it. With the fall of the Romanovs though, Lenin and his Bolsheviks instantly made enemies of Western countries who were already weary of leftist politics. Having watched a Monarchy fall to radicals, countries like the US and the UK entered into a time of paranoia with neighbors turning on neighbors. This would be later known as the First Red Scare and it would last from 1917 to During that time rumors of workers and trade unions being fronts for communist spies to spread their message would run rampant. With many WWI veterans returning home and demanding a livable wage, companies began viewing workers with suspicions and once massive steel strikes hit in 1919 they used this as evidence of communist influence. In the political atmosphere, anarchists had the most negative image held by Progressives and Conservatives. President Woodrow Wilson, spurred by protests and bombings started by anarchists and doubled with the fear of a communist uprising and an overthrow of the government, signed in the Seditions Act of Tied in with the Espionage Act of 1917, this specifically targeted any political proponents that were seen as troublemakers like anarchists, socialists, and anti-war activists. These groups were generally against decisions that the more

6 conservative government made and if they spoke out against it they could be found guilty of sedition under the law. Though meant to arrest and prosecute anyone who disagreed with the government, this did not stop the mastermind behind the legislation, Attorney General Alexander Palmer, from almost having his home blown up by an anarchist plot. It was this 1919 anarchist bombing plot, which targeted multiple high members of the US government, that lead to the Palmer raids. Almost 500 people would be deported and set the tone of how immigrants were viewed in the US with multiple laws being passed in the 1920 s constricting the flow of South and Eastern Europeans into the US. What is most important about these raids is that they were headed by J. Edgar Hoover and laid the groundwork for the formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigations as we know today. The Beginning of Spy Rings By the time the 1930 s rolled by, the fear of a communist uprising was replaced with a general fear of economic turmoil. The US and Europe was experiencing the worst economic crisis ever with massive unemployment and a booming poverty rate. Trying to root out communist sympathizers, though still a goal of the government, was not its top priority which is probably why in 1933 the beginnings of a Communist spy ring was formed. The Ware Group is important to know because of the integral structure and the recruitment process it had to convert people to its Marxist message. The Group worked in cells and had a specific agenda in gaining access to government secrets that would strengthen the Marxist image if the US government were ever to fall. It never was able to do this, but it will be important to know how appeasing the Marxist ideology can be if taught by the right people. The Ware Group may have been short lived, but it was followed by a more nefarious spy group: The Silvermaster Ring. This group would eventually infiltrate the very top of the US government, with the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury being implemented. Other people that have been found in connection of this group include the Chief of the War Production Board, an administrative assistant to President Roosevelt, and even the assistant to acting director of the OSS which would eventually become the CIA. Though maybe not as famous as the Cambridge Five (another Soviet spy ring in which five individuals all in high positions of the British government funneled massive amounts of information during WWII to the Soviet Union) the Silvermaster Ring and

7 its eventual exposure showed the vulnerability the US had in espionage and counterintelligence. This spy network had been established in the 1930 s and it was not until 1945, with the help of a Soviet defector, that the FBI was alerted to this. It was not to say that the US government was not doing anything when it came to the game of espionage. After the discovery of a Nazi German spy ring in 1941, the US government started to adapt a stronger policy on spying and counterespionage.*** From this came the Venona Project. By the time the war was over and the diplomatic relationship between the US and USSR was becoming frigid, US was aware of Soviet spies in America. One way that these spies were able to communicate with the KGB in USSR was by diplomatic ties: i.e. the Soviet Embassy. By tapping into these lines of communication and with help from Soviet defectors, the US was able to figure out and confirm more than 80 Soviet spies that were active in the US. Perhaps the most famous of these was Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who betrayed their country by giving the USSR information on the Manhattan Project and other nuclear programs. It is this revelation that an all-american family was deeply embroiled with Communists that was the fuel to the proverbial fire that would be McCarthyism. The Heat Up and Cool Down The 1950 s were mixed with paranoia and fear of Communist subversion as seen during the First Red Scare. This decade could best be remembered with school children being taught to hide under desks in case of a nuclear attack and the blacklisting of Hollywood elites by the House Unamerican Activities Committee. Anyone who ever expressed socialist ideals or sympathy towards similar ideals could be labelled as a communist or an associate. No one could be trusted at this time and for good reason. By the 1960 s, the Cold War was at its peak with tension heightened between two regional hegemons. The US s plan of placing nuclear weapons in Turkey, a NATO member, provoked the Soviet Union to try and place their own nukes in Cuba, which is only 90 miles from the continental US. The Cuban Missile Crisis would be one of the most defining events of

8 the Cold War, with the globe never having come as close to a nuclear fallout before. With the tragic shooting of the President Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson taking over, a new shift was seen in American Foreign policy. Instead of focusing on the Red Menace, a war in Southeastern Asia took precedent. This continued well into Nixon s administration as relations with Communist China began to improve. Though, there was of course the Watergate scandal and by then dealing with Soviets took backseat to other agendas presidents had during the 70 s. It wasn t until the dawn of a new decade that the frostiness between the Soviets and the Americans were felt again. From the 1980 Olympic Miracle on Ice in which the underdog US team beat the muchfavored Soviets to the Soviets invasion of Afghanistan, the two countries were back onto bad terms. Many saw the US as mishandling situations that dealt with the communist threat and brought that attitude to the voting polls. This lead to Ronald Reagan being elected the new President of the United States on November 4th, A former actor and the governor of California, Reagan positioned himself to be tough in the foreign affairs arena especially to the East.

CURRENT DAY The date is March 23rd, 1981. President Reagan had taken office two months prior and has effectively ended the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

9 CURRENT DAY The date is March 23rd, President Reagan had taken office two months prior and has effectively ended the Iranian Hostage Crisis. He has now turned his focus onto dealing with the biggest foreign threat to American freedom, Communist Russia. As the President sets his sight on the Red Menace, a general in the Soviet military has defected to the United States codenamed Zodiac. As an influential figure in the Soviet Union, Zodiac was critical in the intelligence arena as he was the key creator of what he calls The Illegals Program. From what he has been willing to tell the FBI, it is a top-secret program that only people at the very top of the Soviet government know about. Within the program, KGB agents have been trained for years to mimic everyday Americans and then are smuggled and implanted into society. They have spent years gathering information on specific targets and executing Moscow s plans, in all the while continuing their American facade. They are called Directorate S Agents and are the very best from the KGB. They can speak multiple languages and have the ability to kill with little to no planning or remorse. With this revelation shocking the American Intelligence Community, President Reagan as directed Attorney General William French Smith and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation William H. Webster to use whatever means necessary to bring these sleeper agents into the light and to justice. It is with this desire that the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI, with specific regards to Russian activity on US soil, has been called forth. The primary focus of the unit will be to hunt these people down and with Top Secret Executive Order 3579 being issued by President Reagan, any force can be used. To start, there will be a meeting to with Zodiac to discuss more details of the Program and who may be a part of it. Each of you will have different responsibilities though when it comes to bringing these

10 people to justice. But be forewarned, the FBI will not allow for rogue officers who think they can bring down the program themselves. The FBI is its best when it works together and has no room for competition between its members and any betrayal will have that person charged with treason. Without further ado, I welcome you to the FBI Counterintelligence Unit on The Illegals Program. -Taylore Presta, Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division, FBI

11 POSITIONS Each agent can assume that they will have at least 10 agents working underneath them. Agents that are heads of sections should be aware that they will have specialists working underneath them and will be the expert in committee of the area they are in charge of. As the Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Unit I am warning each and every agent that contact with Soviet associates is strictly prohibited unless I am personally given warning in advance of it. As with the Top Secret Executive Order given by President Reagan in which the FBI and this unit especially, deadly force can be used against Soviet spies. It is with this information that I am announcing that any betrayals or double agents discovered in this Unit will be met with a swift and just end Special Agent, Liaison to the Office of Foreign Missions Founded under the State Department, the OFM is the office that oversees the diplomatic privileges of the US abroad while also overseeing foreign diplomatic missions within the US border. As the liaison to the office, this position allows constant communication with the State Department and its policies and focus. Special Agent, Liaison to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Intelligence As the title suggest, the job of this agent is to work with and inform the Chairmen of the progress the Unit is making in capturing the Soviet spies. This agent will also have access to any possible information the Committee may receive on it that was not given to the FBI on the matter. Though this agent will also have the responsibility of making sure others in the Senate or the Committee that does not have clearance is not made aware of the investigation. Special Agent attaché of West Germany, International Operations Division The IOD was set up by the FBI to foster cooperation with other nations which would ensure safety of Americans back home. As head agent of the

12 Eastern Europe, this position will have extensive working relationships with law enforcement, intelligence, and security services of the country in question. West Germany is the principal country to gather intelligence out of the USSR and will have strategic importance in hunting down Soviet sleeper agents. Special Agent, attaché to New York Field Office This position will be tasked in gathering information collected by the FBI New York Office and presenting it to the unit. This position is included in the unit because of its location in regard to the United Nations building. Since the USSR is a permanent member the country has upwards of 300 people working for them through this office. This position can utilize resources that the Washington office may not have to gather intel. Special Agent, attaché to Los Angeles Field Office Like the New York Office, this position will be in charge of the LA Office and whatever information it may gather. They will also not only be overseeing the City of LA but the entire State of California and its surrounding states. LA is a hub for celebrities and businessmen alike, and rumor has it that outside New York, LA could also be a point that the Soviets may try to exploit. Special Agent, attaché to Miami Field Office The final city to be looked at, Miami is one of the largest ports in the US and has strategic importance to Communist Cuba. As the closest country allied to the Soviets, Cuba resources majority of their aid from them and that relationship should not be ignored especially given the Cuban population in the city. What makes this position unique though is that given the current drug crisis in Miami (and the presence of the Colombian Cartel), the FBI has a strong relationship with the Drug Enforcement Agency and is willing to lend a hand to the FBI in the matter of hunting down Soviet Spies.

13 Special Agent, Senior Investigator of Economic Espionage This position is charged with locating any suspicious activity that could affect the economic health of the US. This includes attacking trade, like Wall Street, or industries like agriculture or energy. To assist with this will agents that work in investigating White Collar crime, along with assistance from the Department of Commerce. Special Agent, Head of Interrogation Like the title suggest, the top priority of this job is the interrogation of persons in FBI or police custody. Whatever is collected during an interrogation can then be reported to the unit or can be used to investigate further. This position will have access to any US prisoners (or non-us detainees) in the US or on military bases that may be connected to the Soviet Union. Special Agent, Head of Cybersecurity New technology and the invention of the internet has allowed the FBI a new source to use in combatting Soviet aggression. Under this position software can be used to either track phone calls, internet use, or bank transfer. Since this is a new field within the FBI, it is up to the Agent in charge to help further development from its infant stages. Special Agent, Head of Collection & Surveillance This Agent will be tasked with two things, the collection of human information via informants and the surveillance of possible spies or accessories to them. Cases are built off of catching criminals in the act and evidence found so it is important that the person in charge of this is efficient in the matter. As such this position will allow access to the numerous informants the FBI has on Soviet activity in the US. Special Agent, Head of Partner Engagement One of the many programs the FBI has that allows for the vast collection of information is the close relationship it has with local law enforcement. Since local police are usually the first group to hear of

14 any issues, it is important that the FBI fosters a steady relationship with local principalities across the country. This position will have the responsibility of establishing the Counterintelligence Unit s agenda with local partners. Special Agent, Head of Cryptography One of the things that makes a spy good is the ability to create and pass coded information. Since codes are one of the core ways spies are able to get secrets across, it is important the FBI has a way to break these codes. Any information intercepted by spies will be given to this agent and their team to break. This agent will also be the leading expert in the unit when trying to look at tradecraft. Special Agent, Head of Analysis Once codes are broken or information is collected, it will be given to the analysis team to be looked at and summarized. Being able to connect the dots and figure out the Soviet s plans for its spies in America is integral so the FBI can combat this. One of the things that will be of importance to this team though is the ability to analyze and report quickly on the information collected.

Cold War. What is it? Why does it develop? What does it take to win? How is it fought? What are the consequences?

Cold War. What is it? Why does it develop? What does it take to win? How is it fought? What are the consequences? The Cold War Cold War What is it? Why does it develop? What does it take to win? How is it fought? What are the consequences? Cold War What is it? Conflict, tension U.S. & allies mostly in western Europe