The Smell of Spies

[Music] olfactory intelligence collection has been a staple of the intelligence world for centuries as smells and specific odors provide a specific collection opportunity that cannot be gained by any other source the slightly sweet but mostly industrial chemical smell of homemade explosives drying on a rooftop in the sun or the faint smell of cigarette smoke in a place where humans aren't supposed to be smells and odors can often mean the difference between life and death this is why smoking has been forbidden by militaries of the world while their soldiers are on patrol for centuries not only is the bright red tip of a cigarette a visual indicator the smell of tobacco is one of the most recognizable and easily spreadable smells on the planet depending on the wind and the time of day and other atmospheric conditions you can smell cigarette smoke for hundreds of yards away also important to consider is the odor of foods the civilian backpacking community is well aware of this concept due to bears having a really keen sense of smell and therefore an extremely common consideration for backpackers is hanging up food and bear bags and making sure to cook and eat food a considerable dist therefore an extremely common consideration for backpackers is hanging up food and bear bags and making sure to cook and eat food a considerable distance away from camp and for the person or team that is trying to set up a clandestine operation post in the middle of the back country this is very much a consideration for them as well humans obviously don't have as keen of a sense of smell as bears but the smell of cooking up a very aromatic meal will carry much further away than you realize just think about it how many times have you been walking down the street and smelled something that smelled delicious only to look around and not see any restaurants now imagine how amplified the effect would be if you hadn't eaten in a couple of days that person will be able to smell food from hundreds of yards away and it would be quite unfortunate if you got domed by some dude because you were craving some kung pao chicken moving over to the reconnaissance side of the house cough drops can also be a hazard depending on your specific surveillance situation cough drops are a handy tool for surveillance and reconnaissance operations for a very simple reason as soon as you need to take the shot o situation cough drops are a handy tool for surveillance and reconnaissance operations for a very simple reason as soon as you need to take the shot or click the shutter you will have a tickle in your throat or need to cough or even worse when you have to stay as quiet as possible you will need to cough or sneeze or something murphy's law frequently rears its ugly head in the surveillance world for me i get seasonal allergies that often manifest in the form of coughing usually at the worst possible times and since i don't like strangling myself or holding my breath to the point of blacking out in order to stay silent cough drops help a lot but when it comes to cough drops the scent not only carries a long way but menthol tends to deaden your own sense of smell as well so you're not only emitting a very distinct odor but you also can't smell things as effectively yourself not an ideal arrangement but this might not be such an issue if you aren't doing extreme close range surveillance where this comes into play for us is that cough drops are certainly an american thing now it's not like other countries don't use them they certainly do but in some more remote areas of the world withou s are certainly an american thing now it's not like other countries don't use them they certainly do but in some more remote areas of the world without access to modern medicine cough drops aren't something you tend to see a lot on the street so this can be an indicator of your westernism if you are in a nation where these aren't super common that is if your skin color and style of dress doesn't give you away first also deodorants or antiperspirants are very important for ensuring that your surveillance partner doesn't strangle you while on the mission however again deodorant is a very american thing in certain parts of the world some parts of the world just downright stink at least to an american standard this is no surprise to anyone but cultures around the world are very different and have very different hygiene standards most americans can't go a day without a shower whereas in some parts of the world people frequently don't really bathe for a very long time and besides the concept of deodorant itself is quite a western thing many cultures around the world don't use it or use alternatives like oils perfumes spices or even incense the same concept applies for western perfumes an cultures around the world don't use it or use alternatives like oils perfumes spices or even incense the same concept applies for western perfumes and colognes in a lot of the developing world they have the same perfumes and colognes as in the united states or more accurately they've got really good fakes but the real stuff stands out quite significantly even walking around somewhere like in a market in the middle east where your nostrils are assaulted with the most aromatic and intoxicating smells of the world your speed stick will make you stand out as an american breath mints are also helpful for maintaining positive diplomatic relations with your surveillance partner but again this can be an issue in some very close surveillance situations these are also very useful afterwards in the event that you have to smoke a cigarette and you are not a smoker as one might imagine a romantic and frequently repeated sentiment in the intelligence world is that you can get far more with a cigarette in a hershey bar than with a gun this idiom is most certainly true even today so sometimes you've gotta do what you gotta do and take one for the team and suck down a black russian cigarette that most certainly true even today so sometimes you've gotta do what you gotta do and take one for the team and suck down a black russian cigarette that scars your insides with the aggression of the soviet union so after you've loosened up your source with silence finest and gotten your information you'll thank yourself when you have some sort of breath man or chewing gum afterwards and a far more pleasant usage of breath mints is in the rare event that you have to put on the charm in order to get information surprisingly a lot of the time you can get the information you need with a kind compliment and a smile an effect which is completely ruined if your breath smells like the bean burrito you scarf down in your surveillance van and speaking of chewing gum if you like it that's fine for when you're back in a controlled environment but when you're out on the street it's a huge no-go chewing bubble gum is about as american as apple pie so unless you want to look like rex cuando on the streets of some far away city choose a breath mint instead plus if you're using some sort of communication system your surveillance partner will murder you for smacking your gum into the microphone so whet ead plus if you're using some sort of communication system your surveillance partner will murder you for smacking your gum into the microphone so whether you're on a formal ultra close reconnaissance mission or just trying to seem like less of an american while on vacation don't forget that olfactory indicators can most certainly blow your cover or be used to your advantage to complete your mission [Music] [Music] you