In the world of spies, the most important thing is normalcy.  No matter what, the successful spy is capable of deception, trickery, and hiding in plain sight.  That might bed due to his or her miniature gadgets in the movies.  However, according to The Official CIA Manual Of Trickery and Deception by H. Keith Melton and Robert Wallace, the real task of the secret agent according to deception master and stage magician John Mullholland is to be bland and “so normal in manner, and his actions so natural, that nothing about him excites suspicion.”  Not even the secret messages in his shoelaces.

The idea that someone could compose entire sentences just based on the pattern of how the laces are looped into the shoes is pretty spectacular.  I would have never thought to study someone’s shoes for a secret message, which is probably why I wouldn’t be much of a spy.  Still, I can read about spies and dream of being a suave James Bond type!

Tags: CIA, Central Intelligence Agency, spies, secret codes, shoelace codes, The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception, H. Keith Melton, Robert Wallace, deception, secret messages, John Mullholland

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