| Summary/Abstract |
For centuries, the roles of diplomat and spy were closely linked. Ambassadors gathered information in many ways. Some were overt, others clandestine. The diplomats of 15th-century Venice and Russia, for example, are renowned as being especially effective intelligence collectors.1 Over time, however, the professions of diplomacy and espionage diverged, and intelligence officers and diplomats understood the distinctions even when they interacted closely. Yet, even with foreign ministries firmly established in essentially all states, meaning professional diplomats are readily available, national political leaders recurrently choose to use intelligence officers for diplomatic purposes.
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