"The human spy, in terms of the American espionage effort, had never been terribly pertinent"

This quote by Aldrich Ames recommends that making use of human spies in the American espionage effort was not especially reliable or essential. Ames implies that the American espionage effort was not reliant on human spies, and that other methods of gathering intelligence were more reliable. This could be due to the fact that human spies are more prone to making errors, and can be more quickly spotted than other methods of espionage. Additionally, the use of technology and other methods of intelligence event have ended up being increasingly advanced, making human spies less needed. Ultimately, this quote suggests that the American espionage effort was not heavily dependent on human spies, and that other methods of intelligence event were more reliable.