Chapter 8: Intelligence & Reconnaissance

How do organizations gather the intelligence and information they need to make smart decisions and understand their adversary’s weak points?

In a nutshell: Good intelligence allows small groups with few resources to defeat larger opponents; resistance movements have specific intelligence needs and ample sources for good information.

In this chapter: 
IRA & Bloody Sunday – The struggle for Irish independence is stymied by the British system of spies, informers, and torture; Michael Collins takes drastic action to “put out the eyes” of the British intelligence system. (p. 405) Histories or case studies
The Intelligence Cycle – Information is not intelligence; the intelligence cycle shows us how to convert raw information into something a resistance movement can use. (p. 409)
Direction and Goals – What do we need to know to win? (p. 414)
Collection and Intelligence Sources – Where can movements find that information? (Including human sources, reconnaissance and scouting, open sources, allies, maps, government or private registries and databases, and espionage and social engineering.) (p. 415) Checklists or practical skills
Analyzing Intelligence – Why information is more important, timely, and accurate? How do we separate the good and reliable information from the noise? (p. 428)
Intelligence Packaging and Products – How can we package and share this intelligence? (p. 430) Checklists or practical skills
The man who volunteered for Auschwitz – Early in the Second World War, the Holocaust is happening but the Allies don’t believe the stories they hear; a Polish resister offers himself up for Nazi capture in the hopes of smuggling evidence to the Allies. (p. 435) Histories or case studies

Movements and groups in this chapter:

Featured: Irish Republican Army. Discussed: George Jackson Brigade, Special Operations Executive, African National Congress, Ruckus Society, Save Our Prison Farms. Mentioned: Irish Republican Brotherhood, Wikileaks, Equal Rights Amendment Campaign.