K9 and other agents: license to
spy
by Sally Carpenter
Some of the best spies are not
human.
The use of dogs by the police
and search-and-rescue teams is well known. But the American military uses
canines as well to sniff out hidden explosives in the Middle East combat
zones.
Critters have been used in
espionage work since ancient times, when the Greeks and Romans used homing pigeons
to carry messages back and forth over enemy lines.
In the third century, some
armies were using elephants to transport troops. Elephants do not like the
sound of squealing pigs. Cities that were under attack would torture pigs
outside the city walls to make them squeal, and the noise frightened off the
elephants.
During World War 1, allied
soldiers used glowworms to light their trenches at night.
The troops sent trained pigeons to
fly ahead of the units. The birds signaled the presence of the enemy ahead by
landing. However, the birds just kept going if the coast was clear.
World War 2 saw the return of
homing pigeons to carry messages to avoid the interception of radio transmittions.
The allies parachuted 16,000 pigeons into Europe during the war.
The Germans employed homing pigeons
to carry communications into England. When the British discovered this tactic,
they brought in hawks to kill the incoming winged messengers.
American forces worked with the
idea of putting pigeons inside the nose cones of missiles. The bird could steer
the missile by pecking a specially rigged steering device. But did the
scientists plan a way for the pigeons to escape the missile before it exploded?
Fortunately for bird lovers everywhere, the project was abandoned.
But the CIA continued to use
birds. They trained ravens to leave a piece of slate that contained a radio transmitter
on enemy windowsills in Eastern Europe. The devices could pick up conversations
inside the room. The bird’s handler pointed a laser beam on the window where
the raven was to land, and the bird followed the light. The ravens could also
enter a room through an open window, open a drawer, and use its beak carry out
small items such as manila file folders.
In the 1950s the Pentagon began
using bottle-nosed dolphins in the Marine Mammal Program. The dolphins’ sonar
abilities could detect the movement of enemy submarines as well as divers who
were planting underwater mines. Dolphins also were used in the Gulf War to
locate mines in enemy waters before battle cruisers could safely enter the
area.
One of the more infamous projects
was “Acoustic Kitty.” In the 1960s the CIA wanted to listen in on conversations
by Russian spies who met in parks as well as an Asian head of state and others.
A cat wandering by would not attract attention, so scientists tried rigging a feline
to use as a mobile radio transmitter. They ran a wire from the cat’s inner ear
to a battery implanted in the rib cage. The cat was directed by ultrasonic
sounds. The kitty could easily be smuggled into a country via a diplomatic
pouch.
Urban legend says during a test
run a taxi hit the cat. However, a source involved with the project denies this
statement. Finding the truth will be difficult, as much of the CIA’s work is
still classified and one blogger that I read said the agency will not divulge
information about this or other projects.
The CIA also toyed with the idea
of implanting tiny transmitters into grasshoppers and other insects, to
eavesdrop as a literal “bug on the wall.” However, with the rise of technology
such as drones and miniature equipment, critters are no longer needed for such
missions and the agency has shut down its animal experiment division.
The Israeli army tried using gerbils
to detect terrorists at airports. The creatures can detect the changes that
occur in the human body when a person is tense or agitated, as a terrorist
might be before setting off a bomb. However, the gerbils could not tell the
different between a criminal and an innocent passenger who was simply afraid of
flying.
The TV spy show “Mission: Impossible”
used animals twice. In “The Seal,” a trained cat named Rusty was fitted with a
headpiece to receive voice commands from Barney. The cat then entered an “impenetrable”
vault to carry out a small jade piece in its mouth.
In the episode “Chico,” a small
dog retrieved a framed rare stamp from a secured room (the stamp had a microdot
on it). An IMF agent placed a homing device on the back of the frame. Chico was
lowed down an airshaft inside a basket. The device on the frame transmitted an
ultrasonic signal that led the dog to the target. He picked up the frame with
his mouth and took it back to the basket to be hoisted up.
My new Psychedelic Spy series has
a pet cat named Ceebee. He plays a part in getting the heroine in—and out—of
trouble. In future books I plan to expand Ceebee’s role and make him a valuable
asset to the human spies.
Flower Power Fatality (The Psychedelic Spy Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Cat Press (April 22, 2018)
Paperback: 234 pages
ISBN-10: 1946063541
ISBN-13: 978-1946063540
Digital ASIN: B07DLJS6FF
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Cozy Cat Press (April 22, 2018)
Paperback: 234 pages
ISBN-10: 1946063541
ISBN-13: 978-1946063540
Digital ASIN: B07DLJS6FF
The
Cold War gets cozy in this retro-cozy spy caper set in 1967, a year of music,
miniskirts—and murder! Actress Noelle McNabb works at the Country Christmas
Family Fun Park in Yuletide, Indiana, but she longs for the bright lights of
Hollywood.
Real-life
drama comes her way when a stranger with a fatal gunshot wound stumbles across
her doorstep. When she attempts to finds the man’s murderer, Noelle encounters
a super-secret spy agency, SIAMESE (Special Intelligence Apparatus for Midwest
Enemy Surveillance and Espionage). SIAMESE recruits Noelle on a quest to find
missing microdots under the guidance of a street-wise agent, Destiny King. As
Noelle goes undercover in a cheesy nightclub and faces the enemy in late-night
chases, she uncovers family secrets and finds her moral values put to the test.
Along with her pet cat, Ceebee, and the kooky residents of Yuletide, Noelle
discovers it takes a village to catch a killer.
About the Author
Sally
Carpenter has a master’s degree in theater
from Indiana State University. While in school her plays “Star Collector” and
“Common Ground” were finalists in the American College Theater Festival One-Act
Playwrighting Competition. “Common Ground” also earned a college creative
writing award and “Star Collector” was produced in New York City.
Carpenter
also has a master’s degree in theology and a black belt in tae kwon do.
She’s
worked as an actress, college writing instructor, theater critic, jail chaplain
and tour guide/page for Paramount Pictures. She’s now employed at a community
newspaper.
In
her Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol series are: “The Baffled Beatlemaniac
Caper”
(2012 Eureka! Award finalist for best first mystery novel), “The Sinister Sitcom Caper,”
“The Cunning Cruise Ship
Caper”
and “The Quirky Quiz Show Caper.”
”
(2012 Eureka! Award finalist for best first mystery novel), “The Sinister Sitcom Caper,”
“The Cunning Cruise Ship
Caper”
and “The Quirky Quiz Show Caper.”
She
has short stories in two anthologies: “Dark Nights at the Deluxe Drive-in”
in “Last Exit to Murder” and “Faster Than a Speeding Bullet” in “Plan B:
Omnibus.”
She
penned chapter three of “Chasing the Codex,”
a group mystery written by 24 authors with Cozy Cat Press, and writes the Roots
of Faith column for the Acorn Newspapers.
,”
a group mystery written by 24 authors with Cozy Cat Press, and writes the Roots
of Faith column for the Acorn Newspapers.
She’s
a member of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles.
Author Links
Website: http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com/
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
I’d love to read your book and entered the contest. The cover is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being part of the book tour for "Flower Power Fatality". I really enjoyed reading the guest post about the K9 and other agents. Can't wait for the opportunity to read the book.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net