Motives for spying
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There are many suggested motives for spying that an individual may have. In general, espionage carries heavy penalties, with spies often being regarded as traitors, and so motivating factors must usually be quite large.
There have been various attempts to explain why people become spies. One common theory is summed up by the acronym "MICE", which stands for "Money, Ideology, Compromise or Coercion (depending on source), and Ego". Other explanations have stressed the role of disaffection and grudges, or of personal links.
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Motivations
Money
For many spies, the primary motivating factor is the prospect of financial gain. Spies may simply seek to supplement whatever income they already receive, or may be driven to spy due to financial difficulties. Sometimes, these spies are detected due to extravagant spending of the money they receive. Aldrich Ames and John Anthony Walker are examples of spies who worked for money.Ideology, patriotism, or religion
Sometimes, a person will become a spy simply because of their beliefs. These can include their political opinions, their national allegiences, or their cultural or religious beliefs. This was particularly true during the Cold War, when many spies were motivated by support for the ideological positions of either the Western world or the Communist bloc. Examples of spies with ideological motivations include Kim Philby and Klaus Fuchs (communist), Fritz Kolbe and Juan Pujol (anti-Nazi), Nathan Hale (pro-American independence), Harriet Tubman (anti-slavery), Ana Montes (pro-Cuban) and Jonathan Pollard (pro-Israeli).Disaffection and grudges
On some occasions, a spy is motivated largely by personal, non-ideological hostility towards the country or organisation that they are spying on. This may stem from some real or imagined wrong — a person may, for example, betray secrets to the enemy if they feel that they have not been given sufficient recognition, or they have been treated badly. Liu Liankun, a general in the People's Republic of China, is believed to have begun spying for Taiwan after being falsely accused of corruption and therefore denied a promotion.Personal relations
A spy may also be motivated by personal connections and relationships. In some cases, secret information may be passed on due to a family connection, a friendship, a romantic link, or a sexual relationship. In particular, the spouses and friends of an active spy may sometimes be drawn into the spy's activities — an example is Rosario Ames, wife of Aldrich Ames. The tactic of seducing a potential source of information is also well-established — Katrina Leung is accused of using this method to gain access to secret FBI counter-intelligence documents.Sense of importance
Ego is a relatively uncommon motivation [[Citing sources citation needed]], and is hard to define. In some situations, a person can be inticed to spy by the sense of importance or significance which it gives them — they cease to be simply a minor functionary, and are having a substantial impact. This motivation often involves the target gaining a sense of superiority over his or her colleagues, who he or she is outwitting. In rare cases, a spy may even be motivated partly by excitement, particularly if they are bored with their life. Ego or excitement are unlikely to be the primary motivation of a spy, but may be contributing factors.Coercion
Not all spies enter into service willingly — sometimes, a person can be threatened into providing secret information to another country. The most direct method of coercion is threat of harm against a person or their family. An example is Mathilde Carré, a member of the French Resistance who was captured by the Nazis and threatened with torture unless she became a double agent. A more subtle form of coercion is blackmail, with a government threatening to release embarrassing information about a person's activities unless that person provides them with secret information. A wide range of material can be used for blackmail — extramarital affairs, homosexuality, and undiscovered crimes have all been used for this purpose. John Vassall, who was threatened with revelations about his homosexuality, is an example of this type of spy. Alfred Redl, who spied on Austria-Hungary for Russia, may also have been coerced with the same threat. William G. Sebold, a German-born American who was threatened by the Nazis with revelations that he lied in order to immigrate, is also an example. Sebold, however, quickly betrayed the Nazis. This indicates a major problem with using coercion as a motive — a person coerced into spying has no real loyalty for their masters, and will turn on them when possible.See also
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