--- title: Myths Hollywood Taught You About Espionage description: "Whether it's *Mission Impossible*, James Bond, or Jason Bourne, movies about espionage have captivated audiences for decades. They're filled with danger, excitement, car chases, and incredible gadgets that seem too impossible to be real.\n\nBut that's probably because most of the things we associate with spies and espionage really are too impossible to be real. Today we'll be looking at some of the unrealistic myths people believe thanks to Hollywood movies.\n\n## License to Kill\n\nMovies about spies often involve a complicated game of cat and mouse between spies from opposing nations. Spies may need to kill people in order to accomplish their goals, something made particularly famous thanks to James Bond. According to the novels, Bond's designation as a Double O agent granted him a license to kill. Often times, this involved killing other spies.\n\nIn reality, unless you are part of a military force engaged with an opposing military force, there's no such thing as a license to kill. At least not in most of the world, though there is debate over whether some countries unofficially endorse this practice as a necessary means to an end.\n\nBut murder isn't a spy's actual job. Their job is intelligence and data collection. As it turns out, it's a lot harder to extract information from a dead person. In fact, most CIA spies don't even carry guns. Blending in and being inconspicuous is one of the most important aspects of the job, and walking around with a gun on you at all times is the sort of thing that might draw people's attention, especially when working outside of the United States.\n\nNot only do spies not have a license to kill, but they actively avoid killing agents from other intelligence organizations. Captured spies may be subjected to intense interrogations, but it's best for all parties involved if they aren't killed. The logic is simple: if you kill one of their spies, they're going to kill one of yours. Or maybe more than one. If that happens, you may feel the need to retaliate in kind again, and it creates a big chain of needless and avoidable violence.\n\n## You're Under Arrest\n\nNot all spy movies end with the bad guys getting killed. Sometimes, the spy will slap a pair of handcuffs on them and place them under arrest. Not only would the spy's home nation probably not have any jurisdiction where the events were taking place, but even if it was happening in their country of origin they still couldn't arrest people because **spies are not cops**. Whether it's the CIA, MI6, or any other spy organization, secret intelligence agencies are not law enforcement agencies.\n\nThese organizations work closely with law enforcement, and movies tend to combine them into a single role for simplicity's sake. A movie about a CIA spy will often feature a character whose job is a hybrid of both CIA and FBI work, even if it's entirely unrealistic. Instead, the spy's job is to write reports that law enforcement can in turn use to arrest someone.\n\nAccording to one man who spent over two decades with the CIA, 90% of international espionage is paperwork. That makes sense from an intuitive standpoint. An intelligence agency is in the business of gathering information, and all of that information has to be meticulously recorded. But if audiences showed up to a movie that was 90% paperwork, they'd either walk out or fall asleep. It's hard to fault filmmakers for trying to make espionage seem more glamorous, even if that makes the films completely detached from reality.\n\n## The Suit Makes the Spy\n\nSpeaking of detached from reality, there are two main ways that spies are typically portrayed in movies. The first, usually reserved for antagonists, is a shadowy figure in a long trench coat, their wide brimmed hat pulled down over their face so that they can't be seen at all. The other is the James Bond archetype: a suave, good looking hero who wears only the fanciest suits and drives the most expensive cars. The first example hasn't been realistic for about 80 years, and the latter almost never happens.\n\nAs we said before, spies are supposed to be as inconspicuous as possible. The shadowy figure in a trench coat and hat may have blended in perfectly back in the 1940s, but these days it is about as conspicuous as a person can be. The character design is a holdover from early spy movies back when such an outfit wasn't so ridiculous, but in any modern film it's a poor attempt to make someone invisible in a way that only draws more attention to them. As for the James Bond style spy, well this can happen, but it would be rare.\n\nIf a spy had to go undercover at a party full of millionaires where everyone was driving high end luxury cars, then they would have to arrive dressed for the role in a similar style car. But attending a party for millionaires is already a fairly conspicuous event in and of itself.\n\nWhen a spy actually goes undercover, their clothes, car, speech, and even the manner in which they walk should all be as ordinary as possible. For the most part that would mean wearing the same, ordinary clothing anyone else walking down the street might be wearing.\n\n## I Could Tell You, But I'd Have to Kill You\n\nThere's a pervasive Hollywood myth that spies rarely see their families and are never able to make friends. They're always out of town on business for extended periods of time, though their families never know what that means. After all, people working for the CIA can't tell anyone what they do for a living, not even their own wife or husband. This leads to spies being portrayed in film as lonely people with no social lives, even if none of this is actually the case.\n\nThough some intelligence officers do have to live undercover, that isn't the case for most of them. They may not be able to talk about the details of their work or give an exact job title, but many are able to tell their friends and families that they work in intelligence in some capacity. For most people, working at an intelligence agency like the CIA is basically the same as working any other 9 to 5 job. After all, we did already say that it's about 90% paperwork.\n\nEven when spies have to go out on missions, it's not uncommon for them to tell loved ones the vague area they'll be traveling to. They may even bring back souvenirs from their trips. According to one former CIA operative, the hardest part is what to tell children when their parent has to go on frequent and sometimes extended overnight trips.\n\nOnce the children are old enough to be told what their parent's job is, the operative stated that For the most part, most of the children sort of already know. And it comes as a relief to them because it's like, 'Oh, dad is not having an affair. There's a reason he's out more nights than not.'\n\n## Honey Traps\n\nIn espionage, a honey pot or honey trap is the use of an attractive agent to seduce people and trick them into a fake relationship as a means to extract information out of them. These relationships can be short or long term, and usually involve a sexual component. Especially in movies.\n\nJames Bond is one of the most notorious perpetrators of this myth, sleeping with as many women as necessary to gather the information that he needs. And if there is a movie with a female spy, she will almost always be used to honey trap someone.\n\nThis myth has a lot more basis in reality than most, as this tactic is something that has been used for all of recorded history. However, many historical instances of honey pots were done for personal financial gain rather than information gathering, and they were rarely part of a large, government operated intelligence agency. But that absolutely has happened, most notably during the Cold War.\n\nSoviet Russia was well known for its use of honey traps, even creating multiple schools dedicated solely to the training of sparrows and ravens, their terms for female and male honey traps respectively. However, despite their very real historical basis and alleged continued popularity in Russia and China, honey traps aren't nearly as ubiquitous as movies make them seem.\n\nIf movies are to be believed, sexpionage is an expected part of the job for all spies, especially women. But not only do few countries still engage in the practice, few if any Western countries do. A CIA or MI6 agent would never be requested to take part in a honey trap, with one former CIA agent describing the whole practice as ridiculous. She contended that honey traps aren't nearly as effective as movies make them out to be, claiming that they don't even work because of the complex emotions involved. But despite how poorly Western intelligence agencies view the practice, those agencies are still constantly shown employing honey traps in movies.\n\n## Anyone Can Be a Spy With Some Brief But Intense Training\n\nIt's true that civilians are sometimes targeted and recruited to work with intelligence agencies like the CIA. Some of the more famous examples of this involve celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Harry Houdini. However, movies take this kernel of truth and ramp it up to extreme levels far outside the bounds of reality.\n\nIt happens in spy movies all the time, where a civilian gets caught up in the world of international espionage. These people will either go through a very brief but intense bit of training, or sometimes no training at all. Despite this they are always able to integrate seamlessly into their role as a spy.\n\nThough it makes for entertaining storytelling and provides a shortcut through what would otherwise be a long and somewhat tedious process for the audience to witness, this is obviously not how things really work. Being a spy takes extensive training, and it isn't for everyone. Even if someone already had the necessary skills, determining whether or not a person is psychologically capable of handling the job is a lengthy process in and of itself.\n\n## Countries Only Spy on Their Enemies\n\nDeep down, this is something that most people probably know is a myth, even if we don't want to believe it. Spy movies typically focus on intelligence gathering (and overt acts of violence) against adversarial nations. Intelligence gathering takes a lot of time and resources, so it only makes sense that those resources should be focused on nations that could be deemed a threat rather than a nation's closest allies.\n\nIn fact, sometimes intelligence agencies even work together to spy on a common enemy. One of the most well known examples is the Five Eyes, consisting of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It was a secret agreement in which the five nations agreed to share gathered intelligence and to definitely not spy on one another. However, that's not always the case.\n\nEven if it's something that won't show up in movies, since there wouldn't be any way to work in a big car chase or shoot out, countries spy on their closest allies all the time. It's been that way for thousands of years, and it's unlikely to ever change. In modern times, it's even alleged that countries will request that friendly nations spy on their own citizens.\n\nFor example, it is illegal for the US to spy on American citizens, and there are similar laws in the UK preventing the government from taking those actions. However, there's nothing to stop the US from asking the UK to spy on specific citizens and report back to them, and vice versa. Hypothetically, of course. Governments vehemently deny that these practices take place, but not everyone is willing to just take them at their word.\n\n## \"My Bond Moment\"\n\nWe've talked a lot about the various myths surrounding espionage, but you may have picked up on the fact that there is a singular theme that runs common through most of the myths: the life of a spy is exciting and full of danger.\n\nThough aspects of the job certainly may be exciting to those involved, in reality it's nothing like a Hollywood movie. We've touched on many of the ways this isn't the case already, but one final example are high speed car chases. These are absolute staples of any good spy movie, but they virtually never happen in the real world. And why would they?\n\nImagine you're a spy in an adversarial nation, and you've just been made while driving away from committing an act of espionage. Is a high speed chase really worth it? Not only could you wind up getting yourself shot by showing such reckless resistance, but in modern times it's not like you're going to escape anyway. With things like radio communication and drones being everywhere, it's unlikely you would be able to escape just by driving really, really fast. Besides, a lot of the times a spy who is caught will just be kicked out of the country; there's simply no reason to risk your life in a high speed chase. As disappointing as it may be, it turns out that the life of a spy just isn't as dangerous as it's been made out to be.\n\nBut every once in a while, those truly exciting or dangerous moments really do happen.\n\nAt the International Spy Museum in Washington DC, and also available on their YouTube channel, there is an exhibit titled My Bond Moment. The exhibit features people who worked decades long careers in secret intelligence, each sharing their one story of that time life was actually like a movie. Though these stories are fascinating and sometimes filled with danger, there is one key takeaway to be had from them: it would take the full careers of hundreds of real world spies to amass enough of these moments to make a single Bond film.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n- Real spies focus on intelligence gathering, not killing or high-speed chases.\n- Spy movies exaggerate the glamour and danger of espionage for entertainment.\n- Most spies blend in and avoid conspicuous behavior, unlike movie portrayals.\n- Honey traps, while historically used, are not as common as depicted in films.\n- Extensive training is required for spies, contrary to movies showing brief training.\n\n## Frequently Asked Questions\n\n### Do spies have a license to kill?\n\nNo, spies do not have a license to kill. Their job is intelligence and data collection, and killing is not part of their mission. Most CIA spies don’t even carry guns.\n\n### Can spies arrest people?\n\nNo, spies cannot arrest people. Secret intelligence agencies are not law enforcement agencies. Their job is to gather information, not to make arrests.\n\n### Do spies typically wear fancy suits or trench coats?\n\nNo, spies aim to be inconspicuous. Wearing fancy suits or trench coats would draw attention to them, which is the opposite of what they need to do.\n\n### Do spies rarely see their families?\n\nNo, many spies can tell their friends and families that they work in intelligence in some capacity. Working at an intelligence agency is often like any other 9 to 5 job.\n\n### Are honey traps a common practice in espionage?\n\nWhile honey traps have been used historically, they are not as ubiquitous as movies make them seem. Few, if any, Western countries use this practice.\n\n### Can anyone become a spy with brief training?\n\nNo, being a spy requires extensive training and psychological evaluation. It is not something that can be done with brief or no training.\n\n### Do countries only spy on their enemies?\n\nNo, countries often spy on their closest allies as well. This practice has been going on for thousands of years and is unlikely to change.\n\n### Are high-speed car chases common in real-life espionage?\n\nNo, high-speed car chases are virtually non-existent in real-life espionage. They are more of a Hollywood trope and are not practical or necessary.\n\n### What is the primary job of a spy?\n\nThe primary job of a spy is intelligence and data collection. According to one man who spent over two decades with the CIA, '90% of international espionage is paperwork'.\n\n### Do spies often kill agents from other intelligence organizations?\n\nNo, spies actively avoid killing agents from other intelligence organizations. Captured spies may be subjected to intense interrogations, but it’s best for all parties involved if they aren’t killed.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Original Side Projects video: Myths Hollywood Taught You About Espionage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC9UuPLqjNk)\n\n## Related Coverage" url: https://sideprojects.pub/article/myths-hollywood-taught-you-about-espionage.md canonical: https://sideprojects.pub/article/myths-hollywood-taught-you-about-espionage datePublished: 2026-06-25 dateModified: 2026-06-25 author: - name: Simon Whistler url: https://sideprojects.pub/author/simon-whistler publisher: Side Projects image: "https://media.sideprojects.pub/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/EC9UuPLqjNk/hero.jpg" type: NewsArticle contentHash: 173afd700e9ab8ebac5c57aef04a8e131ded95c80cae5d8a382fe40202a98cef tokens: 4044 summaryUrl: https://sideprojects.pub/article/myths-hollywood-taught-you-about-espionage.md.summary.md --- Whether it's *Mission Impossible*, James Bond, or Jason Bourne, movies about espionage have captivated audiences for decades. They're filled with danger, excitement, car chases, and incredible gadgets that seem too impossible to be real. But that's probably because most of the things we associate with spies and espionage really are too impossible to be real. Today we'll be looking at some of the unrealistic myths people believe thanks to Hollywood movies. ## License to Kill Movies about spies often involve a complicated game of cat and mouse between spies from opposing nations. Spies may need to kill people in order to accomplish their goals, something made particularly famous thanks to James Bond. According to the novels, Bond's designation as a Double O agent granted him a license to kill. Often times, this involved killing other spies. In reality, unless you are part of a military force engaged with an opposing military force, there's no such thing as a license to kill. At least not in most of the world, though there is debate over whether some countries unofficially endorse this practice as a necessary means to an end. But murder isn't a spy's actual job. Their job is intelligence and data collection. As it turns out, it's a lot harder to extract information from a dead person. In fact, most CIA spies don't even carry guns. Blending in and being inconspicuous is one of the most important aspects of the job, and walking around with a gun on you at all times is the sort of thing that might draw people's attention, especially when working outside of the United States. Not only do spies not have a license to kill, but they actively avoid killing agents from other intelligence organizations. Captured spies may be subjected to intense interrogations, but it's best for all parties involved if they aren't killed. The logic is simple: if you kill one of their spies, they're going to kill one of yours. Or maybe more than one. If that happens, you may feel the need to retaliate in kind again, and it creates a big chain of needless and avoidable violence. ## You're Under Arrest Not all spy movies end with the bad guys getting killed. Sometimes, the spy will slap a pair of handcuffs on them and place them under arrest. Not only would the spy's home nation probably not have any jurisdiction where the events were taking place, but even if it was happening in their country of origin they still couldn't arrest people because **spies are not cops**. Whether it's the CIA, MI6, or any other spy organization, secret intelligence agencies are not law enforcement agencies. These organizations work closely with law enforcement, and movies tend to combine them into a single role for simplicity's sake. A movie about a CIA spy will often feature a character whose job is a hybrid of both CIA and FBI work, even if it's entirely unrealistic. Instead, the spy's job is to write reports that law enforcement can in turn use to arrest someone. According to one man who spent over two decades with the CIA, 90% of international espionage is paperwork. That makes sense from an intuitive standpoint. An intelligence agency is in the business of gathering information, and all of that information has to be meticulously recorded. But if audiences showed up to a movie that was 90% paperwork, they'd either walk out or fall asleep. It's hard to fault filmmakers for trying to make espionage seem more glamorous, even if that makes the films completely detached from reality. ## The Suit Makes the Spy Speaking of detached from reality, there are two main ways that spies are typically portrayed in movies. The first, usually reserved for antagonists, is a shadowy figure in a long trench coat, their wide brimmed hat pulled down over their face so that they can't be seen at all. The other is the James Bond archetype: a suave, good looking hero who wears only the fanciest suits and drives the most expensive cars. The first example hasn't been realistic for about 80 years, and the latter almost never happens. As we said before, spies are supposed to be as inconspicuous as possible. The shadowy figure in a trench coat and hat may have blended in perfectly back in the 1940s, but these days it is about as conspicuous as a person can be. The character design is a holdover from early spy movies back when such an outfit wasn't so ridiculous, but in any modern film it's a poor attempt to make someone invisible in a way that only draws more attention to them. As for the James Bond style spy, well this can happen, but it would be rare. If a spy had to go undercover at a party full of millionaires where everyone was driving high end luxury cars, then they would have to arrive dressed for the role in a similar style car. But attending a party for millionaires is already a fairly conspicuous event in and of itself. When a spy actually goes undercover, their clothes, car, speech, and even the manner in which they walk should all be as ordinary as possible. For the most part that would mean wearing the same, ordinary clothing anyone else walking down the street might be wearing. ## I Could Tell You, But I'd Have to Kill You There's a pervasive Hollywood myth that spies rarely see their families and are never able to make friends. They're always out of town on business for extended periods of time, though their families never know what that means. After all, people working for the CIA can't tell anyone what they do for a living, not even their own wife or husband. This leads to spies being portrayed in film as lonely people with no social lives, even if none of this is actually the case. Though some intelligence officers do have to live undercover, that isn't the case for most of them. They may not be able to talk about the details of their work or give an exact job title, but many are able to tell their friends and families that they work in intelligence in some capacity. For most people, working at an intelligence agency like the CIA is basically the same as working any other 9 to 5 job. After all, we did already say that it's about 90% paperwork. Even when spies have to go out on missions, it's not uncommon for them to tell loved ones the vague area they'll be traveling to. They may even bring back souvenirs from their trips. According to one former CIA operative, the hardest part is what to tell children when their parent has to go on frequent and sometimes extended overnight trips. Once the children are old enough to be told what their parent's job is, the operative stated that For the most part, most of the children sort of already know. And it comes as a relief to them because it's like, 'Oh, dad is not having an affair. There's a reason he's out more nights than not.' ## Honey Traps In espionage, a honey pot or honey trap is the use of an attractive agent to seduce people and trick them into a fake relationship as a means to extract information out of them. These relationships can be short or long term, and usually involve a sexual component. Especially in movies. James Bond is one of the most notorious perpetrators of this myth, sleeping with as many women as necessary to gather the information that he needs. And if there is a movie with a female spy, she will almost always be used to honey trap someone. This myth has a lot more basis in reality than most, as this tactic is something that has been used for all of recorded history. However, many historical instances of honey pots were done for personal financial gain rather than information gathering, and they were rarely part of a large, government operated intelligence agency. But that absolutely has happened, most notably during the Cold War. Soviet Russia was well known for its use of honey traps, even creating multiple schools dedicated solely to the training of sparrows and ravens, their terms for female and male honey traps respectively. However, despite their very real historical basis and alleged continued popularity in Russia and China, honey traps aren't nearly as ubiquitous as movies make them seem. If movies are to be believed, sexpionage is an expected part of the job for all spies, especially women. But not only do few countries still engage in the practice, few if any Western countries do. A CIA or MI6 agent would never be requested to take part in a honey trap, with one former CIA agent describing the whole practice as ridiculous. She contended that honey traps aren't nearly as effective as movies make them out to be, claiming that they don't even work because of the complex emotions involved. But despite how poorly Western intelligence agencies view the practice, those agencies are still constantly shown employing honey traps in movies. ## Anyone Can Be a Spy With Some Brief But Intense Training It's true that civilians are sometimes targeted and recruited to work with intelligence agencies like the CIA. Some of the more famous examples of this involve celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Harry Houdini. However, movies take this kernel of truth and ramp it up to extreme levels far outside the bounds of reality. It happens in spy movies all the time, where a civilian gets caught up in the world of international espionage. These people will either go through a very brief but intense bit of training, or sometimes no training at all. Despite this they are always able to integrate seamlessly into their role as a spy. Though it makes for entertaining storytelling and provides a shortcut through what would otherwise be a long and somewhat tedious process for the audience to witness, this is obviously not how things really work. Being a spy takes extensive training, and it isn't for everyone. Even if someone already had the necessary skills, determining whether or not a person is psychologically capable of handling the job is a lengthy process in and of itself. ## Countries Only Spy on Their Enemies Deep down, this is something that most people probably know is a myth, even if we don't want to believe it. Spy movies typically focus on intelligence gathering (and overt acts of violence) against adversarial nations. Intelligence gathering takes a lot of time and resources, so it only makes sense that those resources should be focused on nations that could be deemed a threat rather than a nation's closest allies. In fact, sometimes intelligence agencies even work together to spy on a common enemy. One of the most well known examples is the Five Eyes, consisting of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It was a secret agreement in which the five nations agreed to share gathered intelligence and to definitely not spy on one another. However, that's not always the case. Even if it's something that won't show up in movies, since there wouldn't be any way to work in a big car chase or shoot out, countries spy on their closest allies all the time. It's been that way for thousands of years, and it's unlikely to ever change. In modern times, it's even alleged that countries will request that friendly nations spy on their own citizens. For example, it is illegal for the US to spy on American citizens, and there are similar laws in the UK preventing the government from taking those actions. However, there's nothing to stop the US from asking the UK to spy on specific citizens and report back to them, and vice versa. Hypothetically, of course. Governments vehemently deny that these practices take place, but not everyone is willing to just take them at their word. ## "My Bond Moment" We've talked a lot about the various myths surrounding espionage, but you may have picked up on the fact that there is a singular theme that runs common through most of the myths: the life of a spy is exciting and full of danger. Though aspects of the job certainly may be exciting to those involved, in reality it's nothing like a Hollywood movie. We've touched on many of the ways this isn't the case already, but one final example are high speed car chases. These are absolute staples of any good spy movie, but they virtually never happen in the real world. And why would they? Imagine you're a spy in an adversarial nation, and you've just been made while driving away from committing an act of espionage. Is a high speed chase really worth it? Not only could you wind up getting yourself shot by showing such reckless resistance, but in modern times it's not like you're going to escape anyway. With things like radio communication and drones being everywhere, it's unlikely you would be able to escape just by driving really, really fast. Besides, a lot of the times a spy who is caught will just be kicked out of the country; there's simply no reason to risk your life in a high speed chase. As disappointing as it may be, it turns out that the life of a spy just isn't as dangerous as it's been made out to be. But every once in a while, those truly exciting or dangerous moments really do happen. At the International Spy Museum in Washington DC, and also available on their YouTube channel, there is an exhibit titled My Bond Moment. The exhibit features people who worked decades long careers in secret intelligence, each sharing their one story of that time life was actually like a movie. Though these stories are fascinating and sometimes filled with danger, there is one key takeaway to be had from them: it would take the full careers of hundreds of real world spies to amass enough of these moments to make a single Bond film. ## Key Takeaways - Real spies focus on intelligence gathering, not killing or high-speed chases. - Spy movies exaggerate the glamour and danger of espionage for entertainment. - Most spies blend in and avoid conspicuous behavior, unlike movie portrayals. - Honey traps, while historically used, are not as common as depicted in films. - Extensive training is required for spies, contrary to movies showing brief training. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Do spies have a license to kill? No, spies do not have a license to kill. Their job is intelligence and data collection, and killing is not part of their mission. Most CIA spies don’t even carry guns. ### Can spies arrest people? No, spies cannot arrest people. Secret intelligence agencies are not law enforcement agencies. Their job is to gather information, not to make arrests. ### Do spies typically wear fancy suits or trench coats? No, spies aim to be inconspicuous. Wearing fancy suits or trench coats would draw attention to them, which is the opposite of what they need to do. ### Do spies rarely see their families? No, many spies can tell their friends and families that they work in intelligence in some capacity. Working at an intelligence agency is often like any other 9 to 5 job. ### Are honey traps a common practice in espionage? While honey traps have been used historically, they are not as ubiquitous as movies make them seem. Few, if any, Western countries use this practice. ### Can anyone become a spy with brief training? No, being a spy requires extensive training and psychological evaluation. It is not something that can be done with brief or no training. ### Do countries only spy on their enemies? No, countries often spy on their closest allies as well. This practice has been going on for thousands of years and is unlikely to change. ### Are high-speed car chases common in real-life espionage? No, high-speed car chases are virtually non-existent in real-life espionage. They are more of a Hollywood trope and are not practical or necessary. ### What is the primary job of a spy? The primary job of a spy is intelligence and data collection. According to one man who spent over two decades with the CIA, '90% of international espionage is paperwork'. ### Do spies often kill agents from other intelligence organizations? No, spies actively avoid killing agents from other intelligence organizations. Captured spies may be subjected to intense interrogations, but it’s best for all parties involved if they aren’t killed. ## Sources - [Original Side Projects video: Myths Hollywood Taught You About Espionage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC9UuPLqjNk) ## Related Coverage