“It doesn't surprise me given that the CIA and the NSA as well actively target allies as well as enemies,” Karen Kwiatkowski, a former Pentagon and intelligence official said, commenting on the WikiLeaks release of the CIA advice booklets entitled “Schengen Overview” and “Surviving Secondary.”
“It would seem strange that even though the CIA had a huge latitude to operate in the EU, it still wants to infiltrate intelligence officers into the block,” Annie Machon, a former intelligence officer for MI5, the UK Security Service said. “This indicates that there is a strong covert operation going on across the EU.”
Kwiatkowski pointed out that presumably all US spies enter the European Union without notable troubles. She also shared her experience, though she admitted it has been a long time since she flew to Europe.
“I recall once being stopped in Germany at Frankfurt and questioned, bags extensively searched, for over 30 minutes, despite being on military orders and providing a copy of those orders, and my US military ID card, and government [issue] passport, and this was […] several years before 9/11. I thought the security was pretty good, at least in Germany at Frankfurt,” Kwiatowski told Sputnik.
The two documents released by the WikiLeaks date from 2011 and 2012, and give detailed information on customs procedures in Europe and threats they pose to agents using false documents.
The publication of the two travel advice documents is the second release within the WikiLeak's so-called CIA Series, which is set to continue next year.
