'Ordinary 'citizen' John McCain dispatched a trusted aide across the Atlantic to get dirty dossier

FYI...

The Day John McCain Got Shot Down
Did He Show the Right Stuff?
By Zalin Grant
John McCain received mixed reviews from fellow pilots when he arrived on the USS Oriskany in 1967, a month before he was shot down and captured. Cal Swanson, commander of fighter squadron VF-162, was enthusiastic. Swanson thought McCain proved he had the right stuff by getting himself assigned to the Oriskany, an aircraft carrier sailing off the coast of North Vietnam in the South China Sea. The Oriskany had seen more combat and suffered heavier casualties than any ship in the Vietnam War. McCain’s own aircraft carrier, the USS Forrestal, had been put out of action by a horrific fire two months earlier.
After the Forrestal fire, McCain was assigned to Saigon as a navy PR aide. He was perfect for the job—handsome, charming, witty. He had met R.W. (Johnny) Apple, a well-known reporter for the New York Times, and Apple had smoothed his way in Saigon by introducing him to journalists and to the U.S. military and civilian command............"

> . . . and who footed the bill for this fiction quest?

You know something had to be in it for McCain whether money or political favors or he wouldn't do it. The guy is a despicable slug that gives slugs a bad name.... I hope Trumps dossier on McCain is a lot thicker with much more damaging information about his treachery to the American People and I hope it permabans him from ever running for office again.

> I've never known a spy, just read about them in novels. But this dirty little episode makes me think of the sociopathic antihero of "The Perfect Spy" by John Le Carre (aka David Cornwell). The more amoral and sleazy, the better.

I've had the benefit of meeting several former spies over the years. I can say none were are nothing like those found in Ian Fleming novels and their methods of intell collection usually didn't employ Q type technology with the exception of wire taps or planted bugs (note: though I'm pretty sure they work in tandem with HQ these days using enhanced tech to augment their results). Often the spy used simple techniques like HUMINT used by Wolfgang Lottz back in the day which used simple psychological manipulation techniques. Many spoke several languages and were rather "plain" in appearance so as not to attract attention. I know that some of the spy services even instruct their agents not to wear sunglasses as most people expect them to wear them. So I guess that means check the guy who's following you for heavy crow's feet and wrinkle's if you're making a drop...: )

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