Recipes for Disaster: an anarchist cookbook

To go undercover, you must dress and act in character. To the extent it is possible, dress as someone you could be comfortable being. If you are going undercover in a region unfamiliar to you, get your supplies and clothes there: dressed up and harmless in Boston looks nothing like dressed up and harmless in Texas. Going undercover can be expensive if it requires a new set of gear, especially if you are an impoverished revolutionary attempting to appear to be a respectable member of society. The suit, the car, the smell: these things are all important, and can be arranged given enough time and resources?but every civilian who goes undercover for work every day is trying to do so as cheaply as possible, just like you are, so it can be a challenge to afford the requisite commodities without making the standard compromises. Pawnshops and thrift stores often provide decent garb at affordable prices. Carry a prop: a clipboard for office environments, a wane glass for parties.

Spend time learning your character. If possible, don't use a completely fabricated identity unless you have a very good one. Instead, borrow an existing identity, perhaps that of a friend who is comfortable with this. Watch movies about your subject, talk to people about it. Pretend you are the best actor in the world, and you will eventually become so. A good cover story for your behavior, into which you can slip comfortably, is absolutely vital. Think through possible questions you might be asked. Get in character and try the character out in non-threatening situations?say, while hitchhiking. Remember, never volunteer any more information than necessary, but have possible stories ready so you're not caught tongue-tied by an embarrassing situation.

All social groups are essentially networks of who knows who; from Congress to your local drug dealers, people operate in networks of trust. Once you've entered such a network, a whole horizon of new contacts opens before you. To get in, you need a "hook," some legitimate reason why you would be involved. If you're going into an office, your hook could be delivering a package; if you're gathering intelligence on a company, you

could pretend to be a student writing a report about them. Drop names. You don't necessarily have to know the person whose name you drop?just make sure they're in a position of trust and respect within the network you're trying to infiltrate, and that, if you are lying, the person to whom you are lying can't easily determine this. Strike up conversation, subtly dropping in references that identify you as an insider. Always try to plunge deeper with your comments and questions, in what appears to be innocent chatter.

When you lie, there are telltale signs that many, particularly those well versed in in- Lying terrogation, can recognize: nervousness, motion of the eyes, reddening or touching of the face, tapping of the feet, a bit of sweat at the brow. The best lies, therefore, are not Hes at all, but half-truths. If you're undercover as a delivery man at the ofEice of a major corporation and the security guard asks you what you're doing snooping around someone's desk, don't run or make up some tall tale about how you were good friends vtith that person back in high school. Instead, try something actually true, such as "I didn't expect to see you here?oh, I must be in the vinrong office," then walk calmly off. After all, you are metaphysically in the wrong office, and you did not expect to see the security guard there.

If he grabs your shoulder, you may want to proceed to the next level, the plausible lie. "I must have been given the wrong office number ... I'm sorry." The key to a plausible lie is that it explains away irregularities. It should be simple and succinct. If the web of lies you weave becomes too intricate, you vidll be more likely to tell lies that are implausible or that conflict with each other.

If the security guard demands to know "Who gave you the office number?," remember one of the golden rules of lying: be vague. "The guy up front," you explain. By being vague and ambiguous, you induce the person to whom you are lying to interpret the . n, .-lie in the way that makes the most sense according to the workings of the world as he soq

knows it. With any luck, the guard will interpret your statement as a reference to someone who legitimately gives out ofiice numbers, such as a receptionist or boss.

If the clever guard suspects a ruse, he may ask for clarification. You should provide as little verifiable information as possible, while simidtaneously making the best claim to legitimacy you can. Any reference to authority is a good source of legitim.acy; God is the best one in certain circles, but He's a bit too far out there for everyday lying purposes.