By Jim Emerson, staff writer
The cover story
Last June the FBI arrested 11 Russian spies. Ten were arrested in Yonkers, Manhattan, New Jersey, Boston and Virginia, one was arrested in Cyprus. The capability of these spies sounded like characters from an Ian Fleming or Tom Clancy novel; “excellent training, cutting-edge gadgetry, deep knowledge of American culture and meticulously constructed cover stories.”
The Russians were trained for a long term mission within the United States. They Often posed as married couples or well educated business people. It was an efficient operation where the “sleeper agents” were self-sufficient and didn’t have to call home too often. In other words who would have suspected them?
They were trained to use social networks and other connections to get close to their intended targets. It is amazing what you can learn at a New York or a Washington D.C. cocktail party. After all what wouldn’t a well connected political insider do or say to impress a sexy looking foreign woman like Russian spy Anna Chapman?
According to the FBI the agents were under “painstaking surveillance” and that “you can’t take down one without taking down all of them.” The spies were charged with conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government and money laundering. No one was charged with espionage “because in all those years they were never caught sending classified information back to Moscow.”
Why?
Politicians and cold war veterans were troubled over this spy ring. They saw no reason for such a sophisticated long term project given how it could impact long term relations between America and Russia. Any Intelligence rookie will tell you that as long we have a technological edge we will be the target of spies. Moreover, who wouldn’t want to get some discrete dirt on the world’s top political leaders? It gives you the edge in negotiations. As long as there is political, military and business competition there will be spying.
To quote the late Paul Harvey “Now for the rest of the story”
November 11, The Kommersant broke the story that a former senior official in Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) had defected to the United States before the June arrests. The official, known as Colonel Shcherbakov, provided the names of the spies. The story was confirmed by Gennady V. Guido, a Russian law maker, with close ties to the SVR.
The whereabouts of Colonel Shcherbakov is unknown but he is believed to be a target of a Russian sponsored hit squad. The Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the former KGB Colonel, doesn’t forgive or forget.
This day in history November 13
2001: In the first such act by an American President, Republican George W. Bush signs an executive order allowing military tribunals against foreign nationals suspected of committing or planning terrorist acts against America.
To learn more about this story use these links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/world/europe/30spy.html
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/11/12/russian-spy-reportedly-defects-betraying-ring-united-states/
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