326. The Absolute Need for Secrecy

Do not trust the state. The state does not trust you, Machiavelli wrote that it is necessary for the state to deal in lies and half-truths because people are made up of lies and half-truths, even princes.

Never trust any one person 100%. Never reveal the whole truth to any one person or enough parts of the truth to many people for them to put it all together.

There is a fashion for openness and transparency in financial matters. This is perfectly fine. It is right that those who are accountable to you should be open about everything. You do not have to be bound by such quaint notions as these.

Do not reveal financial information to anyone unless it is absolutely necessary and even then make sure you swear them to secrecy. Be wise, keep your own counsel; do not tell everything even then.

Operate always on a need to know basis. Remember that people do not need to know every thing that is happening or going on.

If you give people (especially those working for the state) too much information about yourself and your affairs, it can be used in many ways against you. Your ideas can be stolen. Your customers can be stolen. The knowledge that you give others can be woven into "evidence" and used against you. The truths that you tell can be taken and twisted into a rope of lies to bind you.

When you begin to make your way in the world, lesser men will see your achievements and envy you. They will try to take your wealth away from you and injure your reputation, self esteem, and damage you physically. Do not give them any ammunition to use against you. Only give away as much information as people need to enable them to carry out your wishes.

Keep your systems secret. When you have devised a system for making money or re-investing it once it is made, keep quiet about it. You have no obligation to make things easier for your competition. NEVER disclose your key numbers, gross margins, fixed expenses, key performance indicators, turnover, number of customers etc.

Only the tax man has the legal (not moral) right to any information and you should only give that if absolutely necessary. No-one should EVER know the details of your business systems.

Never allow letters, contracts, contacts, faxes etc. fall into anyone else's hands. SHRED your waste paper.

Remember, the information that drips slowly into your enemy's hands can become dangerous power for them to wield over you.

On the other hand, always be alert for information on the oppoaition. When you are in idle moments, ring them up to find out what they are doing or go and visit them to do some recconaisance work.

When asked an impertinent question, i.e. a question asked out of nosiness, curiosity or as part of a blatant piece of interrogation, resist the temptation to tell them where to go but answer the question with another question e.g. "Why did you ask that?", "What do you mean, profit?", Who wants to know the answer to that?" etc. Don't give anything away and eventually they will get the message and give up.

When faced with this situation, note well who is asking what. Maintain files on these people and log this information in them and cross reference them with the files you keep on your own operations.

237. Espionage

Foreknowledge enables you to strike and conquer and achieve the extra-ordinary. This kind of knowledge can only be obtained from men, spies. Engage shamelessly in espionage, but do not flaunt it, you do not want to be caught spying, if only because the information loses its value once the opposition knows that you have it.

Always have two or three sources of information (collateral sources) to corroborate your spies' reports before accepting that their information is correct. This applies to general information too.

Make use of local inhabitants, the officials of the enemy, turning the spies of the enemy (double agents), deception and those who return from the enemy camp.

Remember that all is fair in Love, War, Diplomacy, Politics and Business.

Even when there is no conflict, spend a little time each day trying to find out the secrets of the opposition. Build dossiers on them and study these well. Learn to use their successful techniques and to avoid their errors. Find their weaknesses and use them against them.

220. Warfare

Always seek to put yourself in a position that is beyond the possibility of defeat and then wait for the opportunity to defeat your enemy. He will provide the opportunity. If nothing happens offer the enemy a decoy opening in your defences and when he moves to exploit it, close your trap rapidly and destroy him utterly and without mercy.

Always know your enemy and know yourself.

Practice, practice, practice and again, practice for it is possible to know how to defeat the enemy without being able to actually do it.

When meeting, either for social, business or battle purposes, always arrive first at the field. You will then be fresh for the fight and the other will have to hasten and be exhausted. Arriving first helps you to detect any traps and ambushes prepared by the enemy. Arriving early is the temporal equivalent of taking the high ground. Impose your will on him.

Appear where you are unexpected.

Only attack places that are undefended.

Only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

Do not apply locks or seiges to your enemy for a long time. Once you have applied a painful lock, be satisfied with the pain you have caused and move on to your next technique before the opposition realises what you are doing.

Direct all your forces, strongly united, against a small fraction split off from the enemy main force and destroy it. Use the hard against the soft, the strong against the weak.

Seek to discover your enemy's plans. Use every method at your disposal, your own spies, their traitors, communications intercepts, tapped telephones opened post etc.

Avoid what is strong and attack what is weak.