Читать книгу The Secrets of Spies - Weldon Owen - Страница 15

STATEHOOD AND SPYING

IN ANCIENT INDIA

CHAPTER 1  THE FIRST SPIES

16

Left: The

Arthashastra

’s supposed author, Chanakya, was an

advisor to the founder of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta.

The empire was later expanded by Chandragupta’s grandson

Ashoka, who built magnificent lion monuments.

The Mauryan Empire,

which reached its height in

around 270

bce under the

reign of Ashoka, included

most of modern-day India,

Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

It was during this time that the

first parts of the great book

the Arthashastra were written.

The Arthashastra was written at roughly the same

time as the Chinese The Art of War. It is a more

general manual of statecraft, but it too emphasizes

the importance of spying, not only against possible

enemies but to also gauge the loyalty of the ruler’s

own subjects. A particular feature of the Arthashastra

is a plea for the monarch to develop a regular

intelligence service rather than using spies on

an ad hoc basis.

Spies were expected to master the sending of

coded messages and the adoption of disguises.

They were encouraged to take on the mantle of

traveling people, who could mix with strangers

without arousing suspicion. Among these were

monks, merchants, doctors, peddlers, entertainers,

dancers, and prostitutes. Women were considered

especially useful in winkling out information through

seduction from corrupt officials.

Assassination was a vital tool in state policy:

“A single assassin can achieve with weapons, fire,

or poison, more than a fully mobilized army.” Given

their importance, assassins were to be “recruited

from the bravest in the land.” As well as obvious,

public assassinations, intended to deter potential

malcontents, covert assassinations were also

recommended for treacherous government officials.