fifth column

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Here's the derivation of 5th column from the Enc. Britannica

[Index] clandestine group or faction of subversive agents who attempt to
undermine a nation's solidarity by any means at their disposal. The term is
credited to Emilio [Index] Mola Vidal, a [Index] fascist revolutionary
general during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). As four of his army columns
moved on Madrid, the general referred to his militant supporters within the
capital as his "fifth column," intent on undermining the loyalist
government from within.


A cardinal technique of the fifth column is the infiltration of
sympathizers into the entire fabric of the nation under attack and,
particularly, into positions of policy decision and national defense. From
such key posts, fifth-column activists exploit the fears of a people by
spreading rumours and misinformation, as well as by employing the more
standard techniques of espionage and sabotage.

Mike Lieber

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