Real-life Espionage Incidents Discussion

[JHyde]

This thread is for discussion of real-life spy-stories such as this:

The Washington Post has the best articles on the subject I've read thus far and can be found here. A couple of interesting op ed pieces over the last 24 hours especially.

Theories?

[lwhite53]

Yes, the home-town paper is on a roll with this story (looking towards next year's Pulitzers, I suspect). And given that three of the so-called "sleepers" were found 5 miles away, in Arlington, VA, I guess it is a little too close for comfort.

But, I'm really on the same page as Tea Lady -- this can't be all there is to this story. Russia didn't plant 11 deep-cover agents in the US to get info that could basically be garnered on the internet. There's something else going on here.

[A Cousin]

(01-07-2010 01:31 PM)lwhite53 Wrote:  But, I'm really on the same page as Tea Lady -- this can't be all there is to this story. Russia didn't plant 11 deep-cover agents in the US to get info that could basically be garnered on the internet. There's something else going on here.

Well, ironically enough considering my posts on the Series 9 Rumors and Speculation thread, Annie Machon has checked in with her own theory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxbPHgkSAxA

Interesting none the less. They could have been here to influence government policy re: big business. She, of course, is on the very far end of the opinion spectrum.

This one amuses me. Apparently one did not feel appreciated. Poor baby.... Maybe because they weren't getting any real information nor near enough to the government or financial circles in order to influence policy.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424...TopStories

[YourFutureMuse]

Just read an article in the independent about one of the suspected spies - Anna Chapman that claims she had links with England and she lived n London between 2003 and 2007 and MI5 are looking at their databases to see if it was possible she was working for the SVR
haha how coool

[Silktie]

I find it amusing how appallingly bad they were at the whole thing. They never twigged that the FBI had been watching and monitoring for about TEN years? Sheesh.

And I don't think they were just supposed to be looking for information available on the Internet. They were supposed to get close to politicians and policy makers to find out stuff that is not known widely. Looks more like they were supposed to monitor what is generally called "corridor diplomacy", i.e. the stuff that goes on behind the scenes - the little deals made secretly that in the end decides policy or conference outcomes, etc.

[YourFutureMuse]

Maybe they were deliberately bad... as a decoy

[Tea Lady]

(01-07-2010 03:49 PM)Silktie Wrote:  They never twigged that the FBI had been watching and monitoring for about TEN years? Sheesh.

Ten years was it? So why move on them now? Why not continue to feed them false information and use them? It seems to have got the Press off the President's back though, about the BP mess, for the time being anyway. Mmmm...one wonders !

[Aria]

Fascinating article in The Telegraph about Russian spies. Made me immediately think of Connie and 8.2.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...-away.html

[Kazters]

is it wrong when i heard this news the first line out of my mouth was 'its like an ep fof spooks' i find it odd how much information is being released to the media and the public! i mean one of them who lived int he uk her ex husband is in the papers talking about her!

[almh]

Just read an article in the Times about how MI5 are currently working out who the Russian sleepers are, and I immediately thought of Tiresias (Well, after thinking "Why on earth are the British Secret Service haunting Russian sleepers" and then realising I'd misread the title )