A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation and works within his nation's government. A mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to confidential information while a defector only becomes a spy after gaining influence. However, some use the term mole to describe any agent of a foreign power within a government organization. Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... Your Grandma. ... One of the most influential doctrines in history is that all humans are divided into groups called nations. ... One of the most influential doctrines in history is that all humans are divided into groups called nations. ... A defector is generally a person who gives up allegiance to a certain country in exchange for allegiance to another. ...

Perhaps the most famous examples of moles are the Cambridge Five, five men recruited as students at Cambridge University who later rose to high levels in various parts of the British government. Because of the long preparation time and the difficulty in inserting moles, they are quite rare in the top levels of espionage. For instance there is only evidence of one mole ever penetrating the CIA: Karl Koecher. Moles are far more common in police work where they are known as undercover officers. The Cambridge Five (also sometimes known as the Cambridge Four) was a ring of British spies who passed information to the Soviet Union during World War II and into the early 1950s. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Karl Koecher is one of only two known moles to have penetrated the CIA. Born in Czechoslovakia, he became a radio comedy writer and was frequently scrutinized by the Communist security forces for his satire that mocked the regime. ... Look up Undercover on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Being undercover or wearing plainclothes is disguising ones identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information. ...

The term "mole" is also commonly used to describe anyone working in one organization, seeking access to confidential information that s/he will pass to the organization for whom s/he really works. For example, a news reporter seeking information on a company's employment practices (such as its use of illegal aliens) may obtain a job with the company to observe the practices first-hand. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with illegal immigration. ...

The term "mole" first appeared in the History of the Reign of King Henry VII (1626) by Francis Bacon. But in modern times it is to be found in the novels of John le Carré. Le Carré said in a BBC television interview in 1976 that it was a KGB term. Events September 30 - Nurhaci, chieftain of the Jurchens and founder of the Qing Dynasty dies and is succeeded by his son Hong Taiji. ... Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, spy, freemason and essayist. ... John le Carré is the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born October 19, 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language acronym for State Security Committee, (Russian: â–¶ (help· info); Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ...

References

• Why Do We Say ...?, Nigel Rees, 1987, ISBN 0-7137-1944-1.