> ...the more thoughtful writings of John le Carré, which have been
> regularly praised by intelligence insiders for their acute understanding
> of what makes spies tick. In le Carré POV, spies are psychologically
> damaged people whose mental illnesses are made much, much worse by their
> immersion in the mind-twisting world of intelligence.
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I'm not sure Le Carre would accept this as an accurate reading of the
universe portrayed in his and other novels and in historical accounts of
intelligence services. My impression is they all seem to attract the same
mix of idealists, adventurers, and misfits, supported by large numbers of
fairly representative administrative and professional employees of the kind
andie n. was introduced to as a teenager. I'm not familiar with any evidence
supporting the view that there is a disproportionate incidence of mental
illness within this workforce compared to others which are regularly exposed
to stress and hazards.
There is, on the other hand, a unique occupational ethos. Even while killing each other, the front-line operatives on both sides seem to perceive themselves as sharing similar qualities and belonging, like feudal knights, to an heroic fraternity. At least, this is the essence of "spycraft" as presented to us in Le Carre's novels. Members of the Soviet intelligence agencies could be just as ruthless in the service of socialism and the international working class as CIA agents who also believe they are nobly dirtying their hands - in this case, in defence of Democracy and the American Dream.
For most of us, distinguishing the good guys from the bad guys has rarely been a question of who they are or the means they employ or what they consciously believe to be true, but of how we have viewed the larger purposes they serve.