false flag meaning: definition, quotations

false flag

noun

Nautical, Transport A ruse, in the days of sail, in which an attacking ship would fly the colours of its enemy until close enough to open fire.

Espionage, Government, Military, Politics, War A diversionary or propaganda tactic of deceiving an adversary into thinking that an operation was carried out by another party.

Using what the bureau calls a "False Flag" operation, F.B.I. agents posing as Russian intelligence officers contacted Mr. Pitts in August 1995, long after it believed he had ceased his spying activities, and feigned interest in reactivating him as a means of confirming his spying activities and determining how much information he may have provided to Moscow.1996 December, David Johnston, “F.B.I. Supervisor Charged With Spying for Russians”, in The New York Times:
Now, that is not just offensive, it’s stupid. If the government had actually hired child actors, there is no way their stage parents would have stopped talking about it. “Well, he didn’t get the Tide commercial, but he did book a leading role in a government-sponsored false-flag attack! It’s the same director who did the moon landing! We’re very excited!”2017, Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Ben Silva, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Seena Vali, Julie Weiner, “Trump vs. Truth”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 4, episode 1, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO:

1 more example

The US has made noncommittal statements so far. Meanwhile, many experts on Russia have raised the possibility that the strike could have been a false-flag operation from Moscow.2023 May 4, Jonathan Yerushalmy, Pjotr Sauer, “False flag or genuine attack? What we know about the Kremlin drone incident”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

false flag

verb

Informal To target someone or something with a false flag or ruse.

He instinctively false-flagged Arthur's information. There was no reason to expose the CIA or one of its deep-cover agents.1992, Steven Hartov, The Heat of Ramadan, page 424:
Some of its best agents have been Arabs false-flagged to believe that they were being paid by some other country or alliance.1996, John Laffin, Brassey's Book of Espionage, page 16:

4 more examples

We were false-flagged, sir. Obviously the Nationalists and the UDFC1997, James H. Cobb, Sea Strike, page 28:
"Are you sure your orders came from Hen?" "You're suggesting I was false flagged?" "That 'Stop Duck Hunting!' ad could have been placed by anyone with a passing knowledge of our simple letter-drop cipher."2010, Keith Thomson, Once a Spy: A Novel, page 182:
Lil Jason said that they almost snagged them after he had false-flagged, using fraudulent hand signs. Centuries ago Blackbeard the pirate false-flagged to entice lootful vessels to draw closer.2011, Mike Scott, Great American Youth: A True Saga, page 19:
Her family were Syrian Kurds from Aleppo, and Scale had false-flagged her by convincing her he was from the GSD, the Syrian internal security service.2013, Andrew Kaplan, Scorpion Deception, page 23:

Derived terms: false flagger
Related terms: agent provocateur