I wonder if there are any spies with Asperger's Syndrome

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pawelk1986
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15 Mar 2014, 1:21 pm

I know how some are certainly not telling all the people that are spies :-)
In Poland we have two government agency ABW Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Weenętrznego - "Internal security agencies" like the British Scotland Yard, or the American FBI, and AW Agencja Wywiadu "intelligence agency" specializing in foreign intelligence.

Unfortunately, my experience with the military ended before it began for good.

Just as I stood before a military medical commission when I was 18 years old, because every Polish citizen must be examined by a military commission medical fitness for military service. Unfortunately, the commission considered it unfit for military service. And I dreamed of adventures as an intelligence agent, and to serve in Poland in an interview or even the police need to be able to serve the status of military deployment.

Regrets that the military medical commission in Poland are morons. If I was in the army I could visit Afrganistan and Iraq, for absolutely free.

The doctor found that knee arthroscopy which went two years earlier, disqualifies me,
he also did not like my obesity and high blood pressure.

It was almost 10 years ago but I still feel that I was treated unfair :(



ThorAlex
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15 Mar 2014, 3:01 pm

I doubt an aspire would make a good spy, social skills are rather important i think. That said, i know a person (who is not diagnosed but is almost certainly on the spectrum) with, let's say "related", exeperince. I'd say it is possible to work in the field, but i would not recommend aiming for a job as a "spy" in the traditional sense due to the need for social skills and such. Analyst or something along those line could work...



babybird
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15 Mar 2014, 3:09 pm

I reckon that I would make a pretty good spy.


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ThorAlex
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15 Mar 2014, 3:16 pm

May I ask why? I find the topic very interesting, and in some types of "spy" work i can see an aspie doing very well, but in others absolutely not.



Woodpecker
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15 Mar 2014, 5:51 pm

Well I heard that a person who openly wants to be a spy is unlikely to be recruited, also a person who wants to work for the CIA / MI5 is normally advised to keep their mouth shut to others about their application to join.

I suspect that life as a spy is likely to be horrible, a lot of it I imagine is boring as anything, there will be moments or terror (maybe you might think that it wild excitement, I would say excitement of the wrong kind) and then also the chance of a untimely and disagreeable death.


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cathylynn
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15 Mar 2014, 6:07 pm

you could visit Iraq and Afghanistan at the price of risking your life.



PerfectlyDarkTails
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15 Mar 2014, 7:42 pm

ThorAlex wrote:
I doubt an aspire would make a good spy, social skills are rather important i think. That said, i know a person (who is not diagnosed but is almost certainly on the spectrum) with, let's say "related", exeperince. I'd say it is possible to work in the field, but i would not recommend aiming for a job as a "spy" in the traditional sense due to the need for social skills and such. Analyst or something along those line could work...
Yeah, I watched a documentary about internal spies before and after the events of 9/11 I recognised that the analysts, internal investigators, project handlers and mathematicians had perhaps very different characteristics, Autistic qualities maybe that differed vastly to spies out on the field who where tasked with becoming moles in a number of Muslim communities.

Interesting thing is... Those analysts, investigators, project handlers and mathematicians dealing with all field information, where almost exclusively female...

I can't remember the name of that documentary though, other than being a Nat Geo program "celebrating" the 10 year anniversary.


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zer0netgain
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16 Mar 2014, 7:18 am

From what I've seen, most spies are recruited.

You can apply to join the CIA in any number of positions, but "field work" is something they pick you for. Off-the-street recruits are a matter of happenstance. You're in a position to be useful (e.g., Julia Child, the host of "The Gong Show") or one of their agents see you in life and see potential in you. Making someone a spy from within the agency is again a matter of them seeing your potential. Most spies are military operatives (military intelligence, special forces, etc.) who are recruited because of the numerous top secret ops they already have under their belt, and being a "spy" is more of a civilian job compared to continuing to serve in the military.