Re: hypnotic eye movements during the second debate…

H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace, The Official C.I.A. Manual of Trickery and Deception (New York: William Morrow, 2009), 248 pp., endnotes, bibliography, photos, no index.

In his foreword to this volume, former Deputy Director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin, an amateur magician himself, writes that “magic and espionage are really kindred arts.” (xi) The CIA had recognized this fact in the 1950s when, as part of the MKULTRA project, they hired magician John Mulholland to help teach young officers tricks of deception for use in the field. As part of his contract, Mulholland prepared two training manuals, Some Operational Applications of the Art of Deception and Recognition Signals. In 1973 when then-DCI Richard Helms ordered the destruction of all documents associated with the MKULTRA program, the manuals were thought to be gone forever. Then, in 2007, as he was going through some unrelated documents, Robert Wallace, a former director of the CIA’s Office of Technical Services, discovered references to the manuals and tracked down poor-quality copies of each that had somehow escaped the weeding. Since portions of the manuals had been referred to in a published work, Wallace thought publication of the complete versions was warranted. With his coauthor, intelligence historian and collector Keith Melton, Wallace wrote an introduction to the manuals and commissioned illustrations. The Official C.I.A. Manual of Trickery and Deception was the result.

The introduction reviews the MKULTRA program and the clandestine operational concepts and devices that resulted. They include illustrations of stage deception — for example, Houdini’s walk through a wall — and details on Mulholland’s use of real coins “to create espionage magic.” (57) They also provide biographical information on Mulholland and other key personnel.

The first manual discusses deception and the handling of liquids and tablets, surreptitious removal of objects, deception for women, teamwork, and the importance of rehearsals. The second manual considers cleaver recognition signals — lacing shoes in a special way, placing pens in pockets, using special wrapping for packages, and the like. While some techniques, flowers in the buttonholes, for example, might not be practical today, the principles are clear.

In addition to satisfying inherent interest in the topic, The Official C.I.A. Manual of Trickery and Deception fills a historical gap. It is an unexpected and valuable contribution.

The Intelligence Officer’s Bookshelf — Central Intelligence Agency