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'''Espionage''' refers to the act of gathering information, generally using subversive means. A person who engages in espionage is called a [[spy]]. It is carried on by Intelligence bureaus operated by the military or the government, such as the [[CIA]], [[KGB]] and [[Mossad]].
The word ''Espionage'' comes from the [[French]] word ''espionage'', meaning literally "to spy". However, it was the Americans and Soviets who made the most historical use of espionage, during the [[Cold War]]. Almost all countries have used espionage, notably [[Israel]]<ref>http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/spyring.html</ref>, Germany during World War II, and Britain. Espionage is much less talked about today, except for ''industrial espionage'', which is what happens when one company spies on another one, or a government spy agency tries to discover corporate secrets in another country.
'''Counterintelligence''' is the business of detecting and neutralizing spies.
Famous spies include [[Mata Hari]], [[Whittaker Chambers]], [[Julius Rosenberg]] and [[Alger Hiss]].
==See also==
* [[CIA]], US main spy agency
* [[Glossary of espionage terms]]
* [[KGB]], Soviet spies
* [[Mossad]], Israel
* [[Soviet spies in America (1921-1948)]]
* [[Stasi]], East German spies
* [[Venona files]], decoding Soviet spies
==Further reading==
* John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr. ''Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America'' (2000) [http://www.amazon.com/Venona-Decoding-Soviet-Espionage-America/dp/0300084625/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254148086&sr=1-9 excerpt and text search]
* K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. ''Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence and Security'' (2003)
* Norman Polmar and Thomas B. Allen. ''Encyclopedia of Espionage'' (1997)
* Trahair, Richard C. S. ''Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations'' (2004) [http://www.questia.com/SM.qst?act=adv&contributors=Richard%20C.%20S.%20Trahair&dcontributors=Richard%20C.%20S.%20Trahair online edition]
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Espionage]]