Undercover operations require intense advance work and painstaking attention to detail. Tough decisions are necessary and sacrifices will have to be made. When Agent Bauer needed to reestablish his role within the Salazar crime organization to prevent the sale of a dangerous bioweapon by Ukrainian scientists, the setup required the jailbreak of a drug lord and cost many lives, among other things, to make the operation believable. It can take months to create a viable false identity. You are creating a whole person-someone with a history, with friends, business associates, and habits. When months of planning are not possible, keep the following in mind as a quick reference.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
It goes without saying-but we’ll emphasize it here-that you must know every aspect of your false identity cold. And you must also know the organization you are infiltrating inside and out. Strive to understand the subtleties of the way they work: what will impress them, what will enrage them, what’s important to them, and what they fear. Know their friends and know their enemies, because you are, essentially, both.
COVER YOUR TRACKS.
Files. Information. Contacts. The web of proof you weave must be sturdy enough to support any level of scrutiny. You must have proof in place that explains who you say you are now and what that person has done in the past. On Day 2, when Agent Bauer reestablished his cover as “Jack Roush” with the domestic antigovernment terrorist organization led by Joseph Wald, a full prison file from the state of Florida was created and uploaded onto the appropriate databases so that should anyone want to check him out, the information he gave them would match up. Whenever possible, it’s also desirable to include real people who can back up your story, such as the police officer from Florida who was on call to verify that “Jack Roush” was out on parole.
DON’T APPEAR OVEREAGER.
While you want to be sure to get “inside,” don’t overplay your hand. Like dating, if you make yourself too available, it can sometimes work to your disadvantage. Terrorists are secretive by nature and will not respond well to someone behaving like a sixth-grader who wants to be in with the “cool kids.”
CREATE TRUST.
Criminals are not trusting by nature. To gain their trust, you will need to give them something they want, make a dramatic gesture, or, ideally, both. To reestablish cover with the Salazars on Day 3, Agent Bauer broke Ramon Salazar out of prison. On Day 2, in order to gain the trust of Eddie Grant, second in charge to Joseph Wald, Bauer presented Grant with the severed head of Marshall Goren, key witness in a case against Wald. The life sacrificed-that of a known pedophile-was a necessary one for overall operation success.
USE SMALLER TRUTHS TO SUPPORT THE LARGER LIE.
Speaking the truth conveys a believability that will enhance any falsehood. On Day 3, Agent Bauer was rejoining the Salazar crime organization, not establishing a new cover. Bauer had been responsible for Ramon Salazar’s incarceration. The Salazars knew Bauer worked for CTU. Agent Bauer’s ability to convince the Salazars that he should be trusted was rooted in his ability to use elements of the truth to create a more believable lie. “I’m done putting my ass on the line for nothing,” Bauer convincingly said to Hector and Ramon Salazar. Agent Bauer then added emotionally charged information about the death of his wife, Teri, about his daughter hating him, and about his heroin addiction-all of which were, at one time or another, true. Bauer used these very real and emotionally charged facts to embellish his overall comments about his dissatisfaction with CTU and desire to leave his life as an agent behind. Bauer used the real pain in his life to convince them of a lie. The pain and frustration behind his statements made him believable.
DISPEL SUSPICION.
When establishing cover, some people are easier to convince than others. It is up to you to read the situation quickly and correctly and to identify the person or persons who may cause you the most trouble. Once that has been accomplished, an effective tactic is to shift suspicion away from you and toward those individuals causing problems. On Day 2, Agent Bauer knew that “Dave” stood to thwart his successful reentry into Wald’s organization. Bauer’s vehement criticism of Dave’s abilities-that he tied his explosive fuses too tight-not only put Dave on the defensive, but also caused him to jump Bauer, giving Bauer the opportunity to put him out of commission by breaking his ankle. While you do not always want to attract unnecessary attention to yourself, a certain degree of alpha-dog behavior can go a long way under the right circumstances.
OFFER THEM SOMETHING THEY WANT.
Terrorists want what most people want: Money. Power. Influence. Revenge. On Day 3, the carrot that Agent Bauer dangled in front of the Salazar brothers was the brokering of a deal for a bioweapon that would net them nearly a billion in profit. Greed tends to override logic.
