Spy-Tech Periscope

A spy often needs to see over obstacles and around corners. He needs to see without being seen. To do so, he needs the Spy-Tech Periscope.

How the Spy-Tech Periscope Works

The Spy-Tech Periscope folds to a convenient size for storage and carrying. It has a clip on the back that holds it on your belt of Spy-Tech Vest. Keep it folded when you're no using it to protect the mirrors from dirt and damage.

Use of the Periscope

The Spy-Tech Periscope allows you to view something from a different angle than you normally would be able to. You can look over a wall or the heads of a crowd. You can see around the edge of a doorway or the corner of a building. It allows you to observe your target without exposing your identity.

Periscopes are used in the military to enable personnel to observe the enemy from a position of safety. Submarines scan the surface of the seas through periscopes while remaining safely submerged. The driver of an armored tank can't very well have a windshield in front of him, so he uses a periscope to see where he's going. Soldiers in trenches use the periscope to watch enemy lines without exposing themselves to snipers.

Your Spy-Tech Periscope contains two mirrors. They are angled so that the view of the top opening reflects to the lower mirror, where it is reflected into your eyes.

The Periscope in the Embassy

One of the cleverest uses of the periscope for spying was described in the James Bond adventure From Russia With Love. A British agent in Istanbul, Turkey, discovered a forgotten drainage tunnel beneath the Soviet embassy. While the building was cleared for inspection, he secretly installed a tall submarine periscope in the tunnel. The top of the periscope looked into the main office of the embassy through a mouse-hole in the wall! The James Bond adventures are fictional, but the man who wrote them, Ian Fleming, really was a British secret agent in World War II. Many of the incidents he describes in his stories are based in fact - perhaps even this one.

Principles of Camouflage

Use your Spy-Tech Periscope when you're doing surveillance from a fixed position - it will allow you to order you to keep your head down.

In order to do any surveillance from a fixed position you will need to remain hidden from your target. Your target's attention will be drawn to you if you stand out from your background in some way. Camouflage is the technique of eliminating or disguising the ways in which you stand out from your background. There are five factors involved in camouflage.

Color: the color of your skin or clothing will give you away if they contrast with your background. You should try to wear clothing that matches as closely as possible the colors of the area you are hiding in. The next best thing is dull, neutral colors, such as grey, tans, greens and browns. Light, bright colors should not be worn.

Shine: Sunlight flashing off a shiny object is visible for a great distance. Be careful to shade or cover shiny surfaces such as watches or eyeglasses. Rough textured clothing reflects less light than smooth fabrics. The reflection of light off your face can also give you away, but with the Spy-Tech Periscope you can keep your face hidden. Since your periscope mirror is set at an angle it should not reflect toward your subject.

Shape: The outline of a person is easily recognizable. There are several ways to break up your outline. Blend in with your surroundings by hiding behind a bush or a rock. Keep low - your outline is less noticeable if you are crouching or prone (lying on your stomach). Keep off the tops of hills, where you will stand out clearly against the sky. Use your Spy-Tech Periscope to look from behind cover.

Shadows: Even if you blend well with your background, the distinctive shape of your shadow may give you away. Your shadow may be visible even if you are standing behind cover. This is especially true if your target can look down on your position from a high vantage point. If possible you should try to have the sun in front of you so that your shadow can't be seen. Use shadows for cover - the darkness will hide you as well as cover your own shadow.

Movement: Once you are in position you must avoid all unnecessary movement. Any movement against a stationary background causes you to stand out very clearly. When you have to move, try to keep cover between you and your target. Move in a crouch, keeping low. Move slowly and steadily - avoid sudden, jerky movements. If you think you may have been noticed, freeze in your tracks. This is often enough to keep you from being detected, even in an exposed position.

More Tips On Camouflage

• Look from underneath or around your cover if you cannot look through it. Don't look over the top.
• In the woods, you can pile dry, dead leaves over yourself as cover. On a beach you can partially cover yourself with sand.
• Once you are in hiding, don't make unnecessary noise. Don't unwrap candy bars or rustle papers. Try not to cough of sneeze. If you can't help it, muffle the sound in your hands or sleeves.
• The easiest person to locate is one who is moving and making noise. Movement alone can be missed and sounds can be hard to trace, but movement connected with sound is immediately pinpointed.
• Black is not the best camouflage color at night. Since it does not commonly occur in nature, black will stand out from its surroundings. Medium tones, such as grey, are more effective.
• You can carry a branch or clump of brush with you and use it for concealment. Be sure it matches the vegetation in the area you are observing from, or it will draw attention to your position.

Once you know the principles of camouflage, it should be harder for someone to hide from you. You'll look for hiding places that you would choose!

Training Exercise

You will get better at using camouflage if you practice. Play a different kind of hide-and-seek with other members of your spy-ring. Pick an area that everyone will hide in. Unlike the normal game of hide-and-seek, in this one everyone who's hiding has to keep the seeker in sight with their periscope. The seeker will stand at one spot and try to spot the hiders without moving.

Spy-Tech Language

Burn: To expose an agent, to reveal his identity. As in "He's been burned."

Classified: Information that must be kept secret. The levels of secrecy are: "Restricted", "Confidential", "Secret", "Top Secret".

Cover: Something you can hide behind. The term has two meanings: natural objects that provide concealment, such as bushes or rocks, or a false identity and occupation that an agent takes on when he goes undercover.

Leak: The deliberate or accidental disclosure of secret information.

Need-to-know: The basis for deciding how much information should be provided to an agent or a contact, based on what is necessary for him to know.

Noise Discipline: Keeping noise to a minimum while on a mission.

Target: The subject of a surveillance.