HUMAN INTELLIGENCE

Human Intelligence: Case study about Harold Nicholson



Case Study

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to discuss a case study in relation to Harold James Nicolson. He was a CIA agent found guilty for spying to the security agency of Russia. Particularly, the study will examine the agent recruitment cycle that links the events of the relationship with the Russians, including the requirements of parties, spotting the potential recruit, assessing their potential, developing them and recruitment including training, handling and recruit-turnover/termination issues. The connection of psychological behavior and intelligence cycle amply explain by the activities of Nicolson since social proving, and his inspiration is revolving around the most of issues in the case.

Nicolson life Story in Brief

In 1980, Nicholson recruited by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and assigned to work in a residency of foreign intelligence in Manila, he subsequently worked in Bangkok and Tokyo, and in 1990, and he became a resident of the CIA in Bucharest. Thus, career exploration of Nicholson took a defined shape very well, but he began to conflict with his wife, and then in 1992, he was recalled from Romania. At the end of 1992, Nicholson went to Kuala Lumpur. In August 1994, he formalized the divorce from his wife and parted from his children. The costs of divorce proceedings nearly destroyed the scout, and his transfer to Malaysia, he may have considered as undeserved drop. These two factors, his social life and subordinate CIA agent's involvements with Russians may push Nicholson to contact with the Russian intelligence service. November 16, 1996, on charges of spying for Russia, was arrested CIA officer Harold Nicholson. 46-year-old Nicholson found accused of transferring classified CIA documents to agents SVR. On his bank account, there were 120 thousand dollars, whose origin he could not explain. Nicholson was arrested primarily because he was too strongly interested in what makes the CIA in Chechnya.

Recruitment Cycle and Involvement of Psychological Principles in Each Stage

The recruitment cycle of Nicolson's case is discussed as follows:

Spotting and Recruitment

After the arrest of Aldrich Ames, the Russian Intelligence was searching for a resource that can fulfill the gap that was created as a result of the arrest of Ames. Russian Intelligence agents did not have to wait for so long. Just after the arrest of Ames they spot Nicolson as the potential informer due to Nicolson's volunteerism and enthusiasm to serve the SVR.

Few years before Nicolson's contact with Russian officials, Nicolson was photographed in a picture in the rural area of the Thailand lying on beech side with women and wearing t-shirt saying K.G.B is for me. Russians must have taken all this information into notice. This must have helped them to recognize a potential recruit for them. It was the period of 1994, when Nicolson was serving in Malaysia as the Deputy Chief of Station/operation. During his tenure of working in Malaysia few meetings were authorized by CIA with Russian Intelligence officers in the Russian Embassy of Russia in Kuala Lumpur and ...