Activities and intelligence operations designed to stop foreign agents or spies from getting secret information.
From 'counter-' (against) + 'intelligence' (secret information). This word is 20th-century military jargon, becoming common during World War II when espionage became a major concern.
The FBI's Counterintelligence Division is so secretive that most of what they do stays classified for decades—but we know they've prevented countless spies, and counterintelligence is now considered as important as gathering intelligence itself!
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