Nicholas Eftimiades - Chinese Intelligence Operations: Espionage Damage Assessment Branch, US Defence Intelligence Agency

Confucius, the moralist and teacher of unsurpassed influence in China for millennia, said, Confronting a foreign invasion, one should resort to deception, which may suffice in repelling the enemy. Yet when his Western counterpart Socrates advocates wile and guile in the name of national security, we are not sure how to respond. This professed emphasis on covert operationsunfettered, to Western eyes, by any ethical constraintsis distinctly Chinese, with deep historical roots. In Chinese statecraft the use of spies is not incompatible with higher principles. Indeed, in his Art of War Sun Tzu gives top priority to the employment of espionage for humanitarian reasons, among others: in war, lack of the foreknowledge supplied by secret agents would entail heavy loss on the people. In light of Chinas past one begins to understand the relentless endeavors of the PRC government in pursuing its intelligence objectives, aided by a vast network of chameleonic agents abroad and penetrative bureaucracies at home. Chinese government and society construe the notion of intelligence in the broadest possible sense.

Nicholas Eftimiadess remarkable sensitivity to Chinas strategic tradition sets his book apart from its competitors in this rapidly expanding field. Adroitly avoiding the pitfall of mirror-imaging, he provides a nuanced, systematic, and in-depth examination of the extensive modern-day Chinese intelligence machine and discusses a wide range of policy-related issues of rising importance. The tone of the book reflects not only insight into the past but also a keen awareness of the present and the future. Eftimiades has actively explored valuable sources newly made available by the increasing permeability of Chinese society, enabling him to assess the strengths and weaknesses of Chinas intelligence services beyond the confines of conventional wisdom. In addition, a delightful writing style unexpectedly accompanies the thoroughness of a rigorous analyst and the serious nature of the topic. Combining his academic background as a sinologist and his professional training as an intelligence officer, Eftimiades makes a unique contribution to the study of intelligence services and of the current state of the Peoples Republic of China.

Chong-Pin Lin
resident scholar, A MERICAN E NTERPRISE I NSTITUTE

This book is the product of three years of interviews, documentary research, and analysis. Many people assisted me during those years, and in this short space I cannot possibly acknowledge them all. Please indulge me as I present my most profound thanks to all those who answered my routine pleas for help.

Special thanks to Mike Deckert, who raised my computer from the dead and kept in runningfriends dont come any better than Mike. In reviewing this work Lee Livingston, Monty Slocomb, Susan Lawrence, and Hayden Peake proved that that which does not kill us makes us stronger. Lee, Charles Luker, and Col. Pat Niemann, USA (ret.), defended my academic integrity and exemplified the meaning of loyalty when jealous bureaucrats failed to understand how an intelligence analyst could think, read, and write outside the work environment.

Thanks to all the scholars who encouraged me to write this work and who supported me in the process. Portions of this book first appeared in Occasional Papers and Reprints in Contemporary Asian Studies, no. 2 (1992), published by the University of Maryland School of Law. Interviews conducted by Michael Swaine, Ph.D., and the International Campaign for Tibet were invaluable sources of information. Also, my most sincere appreciation goes to those Chinese intelligence officers, diplomats, dissidents, and other sources who spent time with me and provided information literally at their own risk.

Acknowledgments would be incomplete without recognizing Richard W. Marsh, Jr., who spent hundreds of hours wading through documents and who conducted a number of interviews in support of this work. His research talents and fortitude are truly exceptional. Also, I must thank my loving wife, Deborah, for designing the illustrations on short notice. Deborah and our children, Stephanie, Sophia, and Theodore, had a profound effect on this book. Without their love, affection, constant attention, and Theos inability to distinguish day from night, I would have been done a year ago.