Abstract

While scholarly literature has paid attention to human intelligence professionalism from the perspective of the agent handler, we know relatively little about the precarious positions in which (double) agents often find themselves and what their ensuing needs from their handlers consist of. This article suggests that (double) agents desire a reciprocal, affect-based relationship with their handlers, involving trust and gratitude, more than just a negotiated relationship based on (financial) agreements. This article explains the importance of such a relationship. The main source of this research consists of original, in-depth oral history interviews with former double agent “M.” He operated from the 1960s through the 1990s for the Dutch Security Service and the Central Intelligence Agency against the East German Ministerium für Staatssicherheit. The article analyzes the varying degrees of appreciation that these services showed for his work, and it investigates their consequences on the psychological well-being of the double agent.

摘要

虽然学术文献从代理处理者的角度关注人类智能的专业性，但我们对（双重）代理人经常发现自己的不稳定位置以及他们对处理者的后续需求的构成知之甚少。这篇文章表明，（双重）代理人希望与他们的处理者建立互惠的、基于情感的关系，包括信任和感激，而不仅仅是基于（财务）协议的协商关系。本文解释了这种关系的重要性。这项研究的主要来源包括对前双重间谍“M”的原始、深入的口述历史采访。从 1960 年代到 1990 年代，他为荷兰安全局和中央情报局开展行动，反对东德国家安全部。