Sexual "honey traps" to trap prominent figures... Huang's relationship as an example?

The latest espionage case in the United States sparked widespread controversy and brought back memories of "honey traps." Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's relationship with a woman accused by Washington of working for Chinese intelligence, an allegation Beijing denies, has brought the "sex trap" tactic back into the spotlight, reviving interest in an old espionage tactic that turns attraction and intimacy into tools to steal state secrets and influence powerful people.

Seduction and blackmail

History is full of influential politicians and figures who found themselves in the nets of men and women who were entrusted with the task of gaining their trust in preparation for extracting intelligence information from them or obtaining pressure cards against them.

One of the most famous glamorous women in the history of espionage is Mata Hari, a Dutch dancer who was executed in 1917 after being accused of spying for Germany during World War I.

The Cold War witnessed a long series of similar situations. In France, Ambassador Maurice Dugan was summoned from Moscow in 1964 over an extramarital affair, according to Clément Renault, a researcher at the French Institute for Strategic Research. The scandal sparked a sarcastic reaction that became one of the most prominent sayings of former President Charles de Gaulle, when he said sarcastically, “So, Dogan, do you entertain yourself with casual relationships?”

Rono recalled another famous case of the KGB blackmailing John Vassall, an employee of the British Embassy, ​​using “intimate photographs revealing his homosexuality taken in Moscow.”

In the 1980s, Israeli expert Mordechai Vanunu, who leaked details of Israel's alleged secret nuclear program, was lured into the hands of his captors by a woman known in intelligence circles as Cindy. Rono recounted that she "convinced him to join her in Rome, where the Mossad kidnapped him and returned him to Israel."

In the 1960s, Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Po, who was secretly working for Chinese intelligence, began a two-decade relationship with French diplomat Bernard Boursico, who provided him with sensitive information.

Even ancient history was rich

These “honey traps” are not just a modern intelligence technique, but have their roots in ancient religious and historical stories. The Torah tells the story of Delilah and Samson, where Delilah was able to learn the secret of Samson’s strength and hand him over to his enemies. Historians also constantly mention Judith and Holofernes who used seduction to overpower a hostile military leader.

There is a famous legend in France about its queen, Catherine de Medici, who used a group of beautiful women to influence men and collect information, before explaining that many historians consider this story an exaggeration or anti-women propaganda, according to Spiegel magazine.

"Photos in underwear"

The "sex trap" can take many forms. Some seducers are trained professionals, such as the famous "Romeo spies" in East Germany, whose mission was to have romantic relationships with lonely women in West Germany in order to obtain important information. The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) later reported in a study that “with the shortage of men as a result of World War II, single women in West Germany became frequent targets of East German spies,” according to Spiegel magazine.

The intelligence services also used sex workers, executives, and influential people in the target's circle. Renault said that Alice Huang, the woman involved in the Nvidia case, “held a senior position at Megaspeed, a Singaporean company specializing in artificial intelligence computing infrastructure” that was doing business with Nvidia. "She was allegedly recruited by the (Chinese) Ministry of State Security as an agent, and was in an ideal position to communicate (with Jensen Huang)," he added. He explained, "What is interesting here is that a central figure in (the artificial intelligence war) may fall into the trap of a somewhat classic operation."

However, some cases are not that subtle. A former member of one of the French security services recalled an incident in which he was contacted by a woman from South America who claimed to be a journalist wishing to interview a high-ranking security official. He told Agence France-Presse, "I met her twice. Both times, she avoided speaking clearly about her work as a journalist and the actual subject of the interview. But she kept repeating to me that her marriage was miserable, and showing me pictures of herself in underwear."

Who uses "sex traps"?

According to Renault, the short answer is almost everyone. He said, "It is possible that all intelligence services will resort to (entrapment and blackmail) operations and similar methods." But not all countries are equal in terms of readiness and capabilities to carry out such operations. "These missions require a very high level of personal and physical commitment on the part of the agents," Rono explained. Thus, authoritarian governments “that can exert greater pressure on their citizens or that are driven by strong ideologies,” according to Rono, may be in a better position to demand that individuals make such sacrifices. The French Internal Security Service posted a video clip on YouTube entitled, "You have fallen into the trap of a foreign intelligence service? It is not too late to get help." As for the British authorities, they offer simpler advice: “If someone’s interest in you seems unusually intense or too good to be true, you should be careful.”