… SECRET WEAPON OF THE DARKNESS
Forewarning: The subject of this report, “AGENT PROVOCATEUR,” is another in a mini-series of reports which call society and church to upright and responsible resistance to the spiritual and social subversion which is consuming western society and culture. One result is that the historic Christian consensus which laid the basis for western civilization hangs imperiled at the very edge of the precipice of global, socialistic tyranny. What this generation does to combat the rise of such barbarism will determine the freedoms our posterity will inherit as well as the course of civilization for, perhaps, many generations to come.
AGENT PROVOCATEUR DEFINED (a.k.a “mole” and in modern times also called a “penetration agent”, “deep cover agent”, or ” sleeper agent.”
AGENT PROVOCATEUR DEFINED
Agent provocateur (F, lit., provoking agent: one employed to associate himself with members of a group or with suspected persons and by pretended sympathy with their aims or attitudes to incite them to some action that will make them liable to apprehension and punishment [Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, 1981)
It has often been said, those who win the wars, write the history books. That being the case, one would expect to find the winning side defining its key leaders as the heroes of the saga and the losers becoming history’s villains. But, what if one of the key leaders for the losing side was secretly an inside “plant” for the victors? Chances are pretty good that he will look like a failure to future generations. In actuality, he may have done his assigned task very well indeed. He, more than anyone, would have guaranteed that, what was to prove to be the losing side, would be just that… the losing side. Think of it. He was strategically effective because he successfully implemented losing strategies for “his side”, willfully mismanaging the movement he was “leading.” Indeed, where history knows of such inside agents, they prove to be the determinate of victory.
Of course, the problem is knowing who they are. They rarely are over identified for one of three obvious reasons:
(1) their work is perceived as disgraceful, even to their own people;
( 2) it becomes dangerous to reveal their identity after their work is accomplished;
(3) it becomes advantageous to keep the agent in his position of betrayal permanently. However, they do exist.
Additionally, every war uses them, including “culture wars.” Why? Well . . . who wouldn’t want to CONTROL both sides of a conflict ? Especially when the stakes are often so high…History is replete with such examples. For instance, the Persian Emperor Xerxes, successfully invaded Greece in the year 480 B.C. His massive armies, upwards of a quarter of a million men, ravaged the Greek mainland wherever they traveled.
Greeks didn’t have such massive armies on their side nor the financial ability to stop Xerxes. But, their civilization was being systematically destroyed.
What could they do?
Heroism had not been sufficient. The Spartans had taken their heroic stand at Thermopylae . . . and were annihilated. Bribery was out of the question. Xerxes simply could not be bought. He was one of the wealthiest men in the world. In addition, his invasion was designed to avenge the humiliation that his father, King Darius, had suffered ten years earlier at the hands of the Greeks at Marathon. As a result, Xerxes burned Athens, already a center of classical culture.
At this point, the leadership of the Greeks hit upon a ruse. You see, the Greeks knew that the Persians depended heavily upon the massive Persian fleet. Further, they knew that Xerxes wanted the knockout punch, the destruction of the mobile Greek fleet. Most importantly, however, the Greek command knew that, in his vanity, Xerxes believed all Greeks were “barbarians”— men easily bought, having no loyalties nor values.
The Greek command authorized a highly placed Greek agent provocateur who secured Xerxes’ trust. He convinced Xerxes that his information would secure the defeat of the Greeks. Xerxes trusted this Greek “traitor” because the man was a gold mine of Greek information concerning Greek positions, tactics, and plans. By such counsel, Xerxes was convinced of the necessity of dividing the Persian fleet. The result was the Greek victory of Salamis which saved the Greek civilization from annihilation.
The provocateur’s activity depends heavily upon one point: He must be an astute character analyst. In this case, he had to thoroughly discern the character and motives of Xerxes. In addition, he must be able to tell a He more convincingly than a righteous man the truth. As a result, he is usually one who must always be the actor par excellence- outwardly involved and convincing but inwardly detached and conscienceless. His methods are varied and often complex. But, they all revolve around one focused objective: He must secure trust sufficient to manipulate the resources and leadership so as to discredit the character of the latter and erode the organizational efficiency of the former.
KRYPTEIA: PROVOCATEUR SPARTAN STYLE
Military conflict is an obvious theater for the use of such agents as described above. However, in every culture there are factions, good and bad, contending for advantage and dominance. Sometimes, such factions are contending for the very life of a culture and use means to ensure the humiliation and destruction of whatever faction(s) they oppose.
In ancient Sparta, the Spartans were the minority ruling class who dominated the much larger slave class, the helots. The Spartans knew the internal rage of the helots and needed a way of keeping the helots from successfully revolting. The Krypteia was the dreaded secret police of the Spartan state. One of the major weapons which it used to ensure the stats would be protected from helot sedition was the use of the agent provocateur.
It should be noted the Spartans were realists. They did not pretend things would go well in their society. They never took a “wait and see” position. They planted agents among the helots because it was their task to MAKE things go well for their cruel Spartan state. They knew the helots would be tempted to revolt at some point due to the nature of their servitude, the impact of economic impoverishment, cruel political control, and the ever mounting rage of the helot mindset. It was only a question of “when”, not “if”. Once that point was understood, Spartan leaders studied the mind of the helots to determine their most probable future leaders. Afterwards, they would determine what their opponents MUST do to defeat them. Provocateurs exist as the primary means- (and often the only means) to dissuade their opponents from such vital action by eroding confidence in its practicality, diverting its alms, betraying its strengths . . . or just plain misleading it themselves.
–Theirs is an art of strategic mismanagement and betrayal from within.
The Spartans were constantly planting agents among the helots BECAUSE they viewed those whom they enslaved as enemies. (Incidentally, the Spartan state formally declared war upon its helot slaves each year as a symbolic act.) Those agents were to become leaders among the helots so as to neutralize effective action, if the helots were tempted to revolt, agents were selected to “lead” the helots so their revolt would be premature. A premature revolt could be more easily cut off by the Spartan state.
To accomplish this, such agents would make themselves the voice of the “moral mandate” among the helots (posing as helots themselves which means they, perhaps, had been living among them for many years). They would raise the cry to “do something” about the cruel Spartan masters and would begin to gather many around them “secretly” (the Spartans knowing every move and only acting in such a way so as to make the helots believers in the agent provocateur). Using his newfound position of leadership, the agent would then manipulate the helots so as to ACCELERATE their intensity and their timetables beyond their capability and maturity. Indeed, effective leadership must always recognize the maturity and capabilities of the people at hand–not just what problem must be solved. Knowing that, the agent provocateur uses an arsenal of strategic, psychological weapons such as acceleration, misrepresentation, alienation, disintegration and manipulation.
Currently, these are tactics recognizable among Republican “rhinos.” They ARE the real strength of the Marxist-socialist-Democrats today.
Acceleration is possible only because of two factors, both easily used by such inside control artists. Those two factors involve:
(1) the urgency of the moral mandate itself and
(2) the two kinds of individuals which, invariably, become attached to the movement.
First, moral causes almost always carry the basis for “urgency.” Because it is a constant temptation, even for honest leadership, to meet the urgency of the moral mandate with rashness, malformed plans and actions are constantly being hatched without a sound regard for consequences. Unfortunately, this is normal for poor but committed leadership. However, this does make it even easier for the provocateur to accomplish his task of compromising the cause by also accelerating timetables and intensity. Thus the provocateur operates in this milieu without being detectable. In other words, the counterfeit looks like the real thing . . . committed and zealous.
Internally, the provocateur has nothing but a veiled contempt for the objects of his manipulations. He is a soulless automaton who will even “love and marry” one of the objects of his enmity, raise children among those for whom he has such contempt and without any sense of guilt or feeling of remorse, abandon or sacrifice them upon command or necessity so as to fulfill his task. To him there is nothing but “the game“; nothing is inviolable; nothing is sacred.
The problem with this is obvious. Where the honest leader is zealous, sometimes his work is effective because of that zeal (though usually disproportionately costly). On the other hand, the provocateur plans his strategic malevolence. His acceleration tactics always have in view the advancement of his own position so as to compromise the movement more effectively at a later time or… the precipitation of more immediate follies which do irreparable damage now.
Currently, Republicans are endorsing ONE bill (now embodied in AB1), calling the three bills in the state Senate “impossible to pass,” but endorsing ONE bill with the 3 provisions in it. “So,” they say, “the Governor will get what he wants and we all will get what we want (the 3 safety provisions).” That is a Lie. What the agents provocateurs are NOT telling us ANYWHERE is that the Governor will LINE ITEM veto the 3 provisions and will get the law he wants put into effect. Why haven’t any of the Republicans spoken to the danger of the line-item veto? Because they trust Agents Provocateurs…and are ignorant or simply foolishly “trusting” their leaders!
In addition, intense fervor is easily MANIPULATED because of the presence of two types of individuals. One is the “idealist” who (though often misguided) intends the very best for the cause. The other is the “unstable” individual–those angry, semi-alienated, unrestrained daredevils who readily commit themselves to actions which irresponsibly enmesh many others to follies not of their own making. Both types of individuals are very usable to the control-artist who enlists their activities so as to constantly compromise the movement.
The idealist is usable because he is usually impractical and zealous. As for the unstable individual, the irony is that one of the “calling cards” of the provocateur is he is diabolically able to achieve what good leadership usually cannot, i.e., the ready and willing accountability of the normally unaccountable, unstable individual to the plans of the manipulator. Why? One of the marks of good leadership in general is the ability to recognize instability and thus try to work around it (while perhaps trying desperately to instruct it). The provocateur, on the other hand, flatters and promotes the unstable, gaining its affection. Remember, the ability to recognize and use “flaws” in character is the real talent of this operative.
It should be understood the Spartans were realists. They would risk war because they believed conflict was inevitable (especially since they were the constant cause of provocation). That is the case with China today. It believes war with America is inevitable. So, they gain influence in Canada and America through traitors in government, media, and culture-business “influencers.” In Sparta, they “co-opted” a revolt which they provoked, thereby making it their own to control, so to speak . . . and ensuring its ultimate failure. As a result, the helot population was left to despondency with its hopes dashed, far less likely to revolt in the future, thereby ensuring their continued servility. China is doing the same thing now…using Americans to provoke other Americans to act foolishly and engage in a losing civil strife. That is the mold into which the DC “rioters” (media usage, not true) are being recast by media moguls.
The whole Covid provocation of masks, distancing, lies, changing standards of science, online muzzling, and the soon-to-be-enforced vaccines are all, under instigation of China via the UN.
If today’s rising opposition to the official Socialism in our government has any meaning it is this: Those in power intend to stay there. They know they will be opposed, probably by majorities of increasingly disappointed voters. Thus, the only way to stay in power, is to plant agent provocateurs amongst the people, FINANCING them to ORCHESTRATE SOME EXCUSE FOR AN ARMED OPPOSITION against the government.
The good people in the former Tea Parties are a perfect target for the agent provocateurs. Anytime there is a determined opposition to a socialist Spartan-type government, understand this:
If you call for a public meeting, your friends may come…
Your enemies will ALWAYS be there.
MOSES AND PAUL
It was a well known fact the Pharaohs of Egypt employed a vast spy system to watch over the massive slave populations needed to build their pyramids, cities, fortifications, transport systems, and cultic centers. The Egyptians were very fearful of slave revolt–which would amount to civil war, given their size. Of particular concern was their fear of foreign influences upon their slave populations. It is interesting the book of Exodus relates this
particular fear of Pharaoh when he speaks of his Israelite slaves: Let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when any war breaks out, they join our enemies, and fight against us, and so depart out of the land.
Interestingly, “leaving Egypt” became the major contest in a later Pharaoh’s confrontation with Moses. Moses demanded he let Israel go. Pharaoh saw the fate of Egypt ruined in losing his huge slave population. But, Pharaoh did not unleash his army at Israel. He used economic hardship to provoke the Israelites, accelerating their rebellion so the leaders of Israel, out of fear, would become willing tools of Pharaoh to discredit Moses.
Even in the wilderness, Moses and Aaron were constantly faced with alienation tactics. Malicious leaders sowed discord among the former slaves by picking at every flaw as an excuse to alienate the people from Moses, doing everything to promote disintegration of Mosaic authority. But the ultimate objective remained the same. Tempt Israel to return to Egypt (Pharaoh). Ironically, the objective was almost completely irrational. Why return to a thoroughly destroyed Egypt? THE ECONOMY WAS SHATTERED. The government had collapsed, and disorder was rampant. The army was gone, and invaders (Amalekites) had entered the land to plunder it further. Israel knew all of this, having witnessed most of it.
Yet, the temptation to return was a constant.
Were there agent provocateurs among the Israelites? Probably. Men such as- Dathan, Abiram and Korah come to mind. In alienating the people from Moses, such agents would have been willing to buy back Egyptian favor by selling their brethren as, for example, Samson was sold later to the Philistines by his generation of traitors from within the congregation. Whether they were provocateurs in the classic sense only the Lord knows, but they did do the work of such provocation.
However, Paul the Apostle did most certainly face self-conscious provocateurs. The churches throughout Galatia had been founded by him. He had spent years ministering to these churches and they loved him. As necessity would have it, he had to travel in order to minister elsewhere. Paul’s powerful enemies hired provocateurs to enter those churches, join as members, appear fervent, ardent, and especially self-sacrificial and serve with distinction in order to be elevated to positions of authority.
Some had served other Apostles (James and John) before coming to Galatia. Paul speaks of such individuals as “disguised” in their intentions “coming in the churches in order to “spy out our liberty.”
Their tactics were textbook provocation. Internal disintegration began almost immediately by eroding Pauline teaching concerning the union of Gentile Christians with Jewish Christians. Of course, everything was done “behind his back.”
Such criticism was never done forthrightly and NEVER … EVER… with the intention of trying to “BUILD UP” character, rectify flaws, honor proper authority and reconcile divisions. By holding up his physical disabilities to scorn, the provocateurs managed to discredit Paul, thereby splitting the churches. One can almost hear their argument.
His “flawed” appearance was used as cause to “wonder” if God would have used such a man as an Apostle. Such questioning would first plant the seed of doubt . . . which is the first step toward alienation away from sound leadership.
Having called his character into question, Paul’s authority was next on the chopping block. That falling into disfavor, his teaching was castigated despite the fact that the Galatians had seen the good fruits of his instruction in radically changed lives, discernment and ethic. A gentle, charitable spirit had distinguished the churches. Christian love was renowned among the Galatians. Yet, so radically did the Galatians turn from their beloved Apostle and what had been taught them (and that for no apparent cause) the only words Paul could use to describe the change was “bewitched”. The chain reaction of the manipulator took its toll. From alienating due to simple doubt, to discrediting due to character assassination until finally, total erosion of the work was accomplished; the self-conscious work of the provocateur followed a veiled agenda to completion.
Crucial to the destruction of a free people, in church or country, is the work of the agent provocateur. Deceit is always the most important element in disarming and betraying the strengths of a people. Christianity and the America, in which we all grew up, are both too strong to be confronted directly. Direct assault upon America would be a folly to almost any coalition of nations arrayed against us. But, the agent provocateurs can work from within… gaining the trust necessary to betray a great people into servitude and despair.
Image credit in order of appearance
Header
1. Greeks
2. Spartan
3. Moses
4. Samson
