Travel, Tourism and spying has been in the spotlight a number of times. “Convincing a Russian to work as a spy for the United States Government is like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Robin Dreeke, an American Counter Intelligence Expert. Mr. Dreeke spoke yesterday at the 26th International Tourism Security Conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center yesterday.
His job was to recruit Russian spies to work for the CIA or other U.S. Intelligence agencies. “I was good in it and never used computers, smartphones, or any electronic equipment to do it.”
Robin pointed out the five rules to success and to create a culture of trust and healthy relationships.
For him, it is about building trust, leadership, communication, and relationship strategies for all situations by demonstrating affiliation and value.
The way he was able to get the trust of Russian spies was to be convincing vs. inspiring. Robin added, “Words can inspire the world.”
- How to make it about them
- Seek THEIR thoughts and opinions
- Talk in terms of THEIR priorities
- Validate THEIR priorities and context
- Empower THEM with choice
Robin delivered his concept of introduction for a personality assessment of a prospect.
“When talking to someone to see if he was a good candidate to have him spy for the U.S., I had to make sure his target would understand:
Why should anyone talk to you?
Why should anyone tell you anything?
Why should anyone want to see you again?
Why should anyone take actions for you?
Why should anyone follow you?”
After the session, a tourism police officer from Russia asked a lot of questions.
The conference co-organized by Safer Tourism CEO Dr. Peter Tarlow gave an insight into the many fascinating subjects related to safety, security, and law enforcement in relation to the travel and tourism industry.
