I’m GenX, a child of the cold war. “Tradecraft” is what spooks and spies do. It’s espionage and poisoning enemy agents and infiltration and shit.
So what the fuck?
I’m GenX, a child of the cold war. “Tradecraft” is what spooks and spies do. It’s espionage and poisoning enemy agents and infiltration and shit.
So what the fuck?
Yes. TL;DR, “tradecraft” as a synonym for spy-work was borrowed by the intelligence community from industry. Very likely, introduced by John le Carré, although he admitted that he could no longer remember which terms he introduced that were adopted by intelligence, and which he picked up from them.
But that term originates in 1810, and refers to the work of skilled trade laborers.