Spies take course in Sherlock Holmes

LONDON, April 15 (UPI) -- British spies and Whitehall officials are studying the deduction techniques of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes to prevent intelligence failures.

The Mail on Sunday reported on the new course, which is a response to intelligence slip-ups during the run-up to the Iraq War. Specifically, the 10-session course was ordered to prevent future flaws in the handling of intelligence, such as the Whitehall's interpretations that led to non-existent weapons of mass destruction.

On the list, the Mail reported, is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "A Scandal in Bohemia." The class will also examine cases from the past where notorious slip-ups of intelligence have occurred.