The Silliest Things We Believe About Spies Thanks To Movies

The Movie Version: Secrecy is everything when you're a spy. As a result, no one - literally NO ONE - can know where they work or what they do. This includes even the closest family members and results in a perpetual dual existence.

The Reality: Keeping a lot of aspects of being a spy secret is necessary, but spies can tell people quite a bit about their jobs. Many CIA agents don't hide where they work from the people who are close to them, although they do keep the details of their activities secret. When sent on missions, CIA agents provide general information about where they're going, even bringing back mementos for loved ones.  

Spies with families often struggle with what to tell their children about nights out or extended absences. While former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson didn't have to explain anything to her own children, she saw her colleagues struggle with what to do. She found that "most of the children sort of already know. And it comes as a relief to them because it’s like, 'Oh, dad is not having an affair. There's a reason he's out more nights than not.'"

Undercover work and embedded missions may result in a practical amount of lying, perhaps resulting in a secret life. This was true at the height of the Cold War, with Russian spies in the US feeding information to the KGB. Jack Barsky, for example, was a KGB agent turned insurance professional who had two families - one in Pennsylvania and one in Russia. This wasn't necessarily the expectation in spy agencies. According to Barsky, his dual existence actually became burdensome, especially after his cover was blown and he refused to return to the Soviet Union.

Notable Offenders: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Mission: Impossible III

The Movie Version: Spies are sent into dangerous situations without limitations on what they can do to accomplish a mission. They can dispatch anyone and everyone who gets in their way.

The Reality: The myth of a "license to kill" is largely placed in the hands of author Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. Typically, spies don't take out anyone, much less with reckless abandon. According to a former member of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), a "license to kill" is a "complete myth." He continued:

The job of the service is to obtain intelligence to inform British government policy and help prevent, for example, terrorist attacks and in doing that we work under UK law... The work of the service is overseen both politically and legally so there's absolutely no room in that for killing people.

In the United States, the same holds true. Spies are not typically violent and, in some instances, they're acutely aware that taking a life would only escalate tensions between potentially hostile countries. One-time CIA agent Emily Brandwin called killing "a big no-no at the Agency."

There are some instances when death among spies occurs. In the UK, the Intelligence Services Act of 1994 gives some leeway to British intelligence officers as long as they act with proper authorization - a potential loophole to the preferred aversion to taking lives. The British Foreign Secretary has the ability to grant "Class Seven authorization," which allows for "lethal force" when necessary. Sir Richard Billing Dearlove, one-time head of MI6, indicated that, during his nearly 40 years with the agency, he'd never seen said authorization used.

Notable Offenders: The James Bond franchise (notably License to Kill), True Lies, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

The Movie Version: Spies are lonely. When spies do make friends or have families, they never spend any time with them because they're always out on a mission. Sometimes they just can't make emotional connections with friends or family at all.

The Reality: Being a spy isn't a 9-to-5 job, but it does allow for a semblance of "normal life." Spies are often based in office and laboratory settings, researching and analyzing data or conducting surveillance. According to agents within the CIA, "The Agency does its best to ensure its officers find a work/life balance," and, "Outside of work, the job looks like just another job - you'll still see your friends and certainly family."

There are times when spies have obligations that keep them away from personal matters and responsibilities. This is especially true when a national or international crisis emerges. Challenges exist when it comes to keeping aspects of the job secret, however. Douglas Laux, who worked for the CIA for eight years, described his social life as "robust," but admits it was difficult because "every new person I met was one more person I had to keep my secret from and weave another lie with."

Notable Offenders: The Bourne franchise, the Mission: Impossible franchise, the Bond franchise, True Lies, The Good Shepherd

The Movie Version: As spies get close to their targets - or try to get away after completing a mission - they can be the cat or the mouse in a high-speed chase. This takes place through the crowded streets of a large city and, ultimately, leads to an exchange of gunfire.

The Reality: CIA agents carry firearms in some circumstances. According to one-time CIA officer Emily Brandwin, "Most CIA officers don’t carry weapons, unless they’re in a hostile area... [in] a very cosmopolitan area, and they [agents] would never carry a gun there." According to former agency case officer Robert Baer, he rarely used his gun. He "was issued a weapon in a lot of posts, and the protocol was: You've got 14 rounds, [and if you're under fire] what you do is you lay down lead and run like hell. Rarely did I ever see anybody aggressively get into a gun fight."

Baer attributes this to the conflation of "assaulters - like SEALS... with espionage," as does Brandwin. Brandwin says popular culture mixes up the law enforcement aspect of a group like the FBI with the intelligence-gathering carried out by the CIA.

Notable Offenders: The Spy Who Dumped Me, the Mission: Impossible franchise, the Bourne Franchise, I Spy, Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games

The Movie Version: With stealth and grace, a spy is handed an ominous envelope, full of pictures and names of sources, and/or details of a clandestine operation. A more tech-savvy exchange may involve a USB drive (or, depending on what time period we're in, a disk) full of classified data.

The Reality: Securing the safety of sources and the information they provide remains fundamental to successful spycraft. As a result, using items one might find at a local office supply store proves insufficient. Former CIA agent Emily Brandwin explained that using a USB "would be frowned on... because it's about sources and methods of keeping your sources incredibly safe." She didn't elaborate as to specific methods for protecting sources or to the devices and gadgets CIA agents have at their disposal. The technologies available to spies may or may not meet the level of invention found in Hollywood, but layers of encryption are essential for all communication and information gathering.

USB technology does have a place in surveillance and monitoring, but it's traditionally used more as a hacking device. USB drives are used to install covert programs on computers. Whistleblowers, not trained as spies, may also smuggle documents or information out to the public via disks or USB drives, as well. Edward Snowden used a simple USB device when he took documents from the National Security Administration in 2013, as did Daniel Hale in 2013 and 2014. 

Notable Offenders: Eraser, The Spy Who Dumped Me, Jason Bourne, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

The Movie Version: Spies use fake documents, dress themselves up in elaborate costumes, and generally hide in crowds as they stealthily gather information. 

The Reality: Exactly how spies operate is much more complicated than what's seen on TV and in movies. Physical disguises are necessary at times, but spies generally have to be more effective than a simple dye job. Disguises generally fall into one of two categories - either complete transformation, or simple and understated to blend right in with one's surroundings. Either way, the spy owns it and lives it.

Part of a disguise also includes administrative elements like a new name or fake passport. According to former CIA agent Emily Brandwin:

You travel on an alias... You will have different documents that help you to do that, whatever those documents are. The idea that you would have to assume an alias, or another identity is very truthful. A lot of the time you're having to conceal your true person, because you might be overseas and it wouldn’t make sense for you to work the Agency. Part of the gig is maintaining an alias. It’s kind of like method acting, but the stakes are really high.

Official documents take a lot of time and effort to create and, contrary to popular culture presentations, there aren't several passports sitting in a box to throw around.

Even the creation of a false identity is, according to former CIA case officer Robert Baer, increasingly difficult and unlikely to due metadata. Baer explained that the lack of metadata is a huge vulnerability for a spy: "If you go into Switzerland, for example, they'll run a credit check on you, and if you're using an alias passport, they'll immediately call the Swiss federal police and you're done."

With or without an alias, much of the surveillance carried out by spies is done at a distance. Satellite technology, computer tracking software, and various listening devices require long hours of monitoring with little to no personal contact.

Notable Offenders: The Mission: Impossible franchise, the Bourne franchise