Ex-CIA Officer John Kiriakou Details Sex in Espionage Operations

Intelligence agencies worldwide have long used sex to extract vital information, according to former CIA officer John Kiriakou.

In a recent interview with Jay Dyer, Kiriakou, one of the country's most prominent ex-intelligence figures, discussed how spies have employed sex throughout history. "The CIA since its inception has been involved in sexual operations, sexual espionage," he said. "Certainly, sex was a well-documented component of MK Ultra, which lasted from about 1952 to 1975. People are going to jump on my head for saying it ended in 1975. It ended in 1975. Certainly, there are other operations that could be considered successors to MK Ultra, but MK Ultra ended in '75. You talked about Operation Midnight Climax. That's one of the more famous ones. It's one of those operations that we talk about today in 2026, and you just have to shake your head and ask semi-rhetorically, what in the world were they thinking? But yeah, I mean, sex was used routinely well into the late 70s, the early 80s."

Kiriakou highlighted Russians and Israelis as known for "honeypots," agents who use sex to target sources. The United States once followed suit but halted the tactic around the time President Ronald Reagan took office, deeming it inefficient.

"If you really want somebody to be a source for you and to commit espionage for you over the course of, you know, years, that relationship has to be built on a foundation of trust, not one of coercion," Kiriakou said. "And so, you know, if you go up to somebody and say, 'Listen, we set you up with a prostitute the other night and you didn't know, but we had the room wired for video and audio and we have these pictures of you and videos and we're going to release them to your wife or we're going to release them to your government unless you work for us.' That's not how you build trust. That's not how you build a long-term relationship."

Kiriakou is not alone in addressing the topic. Former Russian honeypot agent Aliia Roza told Shawn Ryan on his show that men are most vulnerable during intercourse. "As a former honeytrap agent, I can tell you that men are the most vulnerable during intercourse, and if you are a quite experienced agent, you can ask certain questions during or after the intercourse," she said. "So, when a man is in bliss and when he's, sort of, like in unconscious like condition and when doesn't really understand everything clearly and if an agent asks questions, the answer should be yes or no…Mostly likely he will tell you."

People in sensitive positions receive training to spot and counter such approaches. A basic guideline holds: If someone wouldn't chat with you at your local bar, they are likely working you.