Sleepers

“Richard and Cynthia Murphy

Pictures that have emerged of the Murphys, who lived in New Jersey, appeared to confirm what was already known: the alleged Russian sleeper agents had fully embraced the US suburban lifestyle. They babysat for their neighbours in both towns, went hiking in nearby state parks and ice-skating with their children and friends. Pictures of the smiling couple seem to show a domesticated, middle-aged pair happily at home in their suburban surroundings, posing with their two daughters or wearing an apron in the kitchen. Yet it has also emerged that Cynthia Murphy had some form of access to Alan Patricof, a friend of Hillary Clinton and a well known fundraiser for Democratic party causes. Patricof was a finance chairman for Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. He said Murphy had never tried to get any unusual or sensitive information out of him. “[We] never discussed anything but paying bills and taxes in phone calls or meetings … she never once asked me about government, politics or anything remotely close to that subject,” he told the Washington Post.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/30/russian-spy-couples

Russian 10 Spy Tradecraft

While we do not know (and may never know) the full story, it is likely from the information we currently have that the 10 Russian “spies” were simply recruiters and couriers. Spying cannot exist without networks of talent scouts and contact points outside the “legal’ or diplomatic service.

So, how do spies get caught? A good 90% (plus) of the time, it is from defectors from the opposite side who have intimate information on who is spying for them.

One glaring exception was the Stasi (East German Secret Police) who deduced that “flag cards” (ID cards) of CIA Agents were numbered consecutive, while actual diplomat were randomly numbered! (Oooops!)

But usually, even DEEP moles are outed by defectors – although Aldrich “Rick” Ames simply overspent in obvious ways.

But it was Ames who outed EVERY CIA operative in Moscow in the mid-1980s – one of them TWICE. In some way, that CIA double agent escaped execution, or even jailing (he had in-laws in HIGH political places) and was re-assigned to Canada where he defected to the US and eventually taught at the Naval War College.

When an agent defects, the FIRST thing that the hosts want to know is who do they know is working for each side!

Since in the 30s, 40s and 50s there were good defectors for both sides, both sides kept updating their books.

When major Soviet agents defected (Chambers, Bentley, Gouzenko) each triggered parts of their networks shut down for months – or even years.

It appears that the Russian 10 were not espionage agents, but logistics people – recruiting, doing talent searches, picking up material from US people who probably thought they were selling business information to other competitors. I don’t know this, but it is easier to fly a “false flag” operation than to get people to sell information to Russia.

(It was not until 1996 that selling business or technical information  to ANYONE was illegal!)

Since these Russian 10 look, act, and speak like Americans, that is not difficult. They then transfer the information to Russia.

I am just guessing here. Time will tell, but I do know the usual process.

My question is: Who are the Americans they have recruited? If the FBI has been on their trail, tracking them individually (some for more than a decade), the FBI should have a real handle on their US contacts.

Those are the people I am interested in. I suspect most will be shocked that the material they provided was going to Russia instead of some US corporation.

I also expect that this is just one of several Russian networks in place.

So, What Happens to the Children?

I understand that immigration activists contend that illegal aliens should not be deported because, if they have children who are citizens, that would “break up the families.”

Some Russian spies have recently been arrested, and they too have children, who, just like other illegal aliens, will likely be deported (after some exchange).

Should the spies be deported, or should they be permitted to stay since their children are American citizens and have committed no crime?

It is SOP for illegal agents to be deported, usually with an exchange, It is SOP for Americans committing espionage for foreign countries to be incarcerated.

In the mid 1980s, an American mole in the CIA, working for the KGB, gave up two dozen agents working for the US in Moscow. The mole, Rick Ames is in US prison. The Russians executed about a dozen of the US agents. I know of several US born spies serving in Us prisons – but no Russians..

We do not know the case, but it is likely that (in tradecraft parlance) these were “illegals” as opposed to ‘legals” who have diplomatic cover. Diplomats are usually recalled or their credentials are withdrawn.

These are likely not those who actually committed espionage. They likely received information and acted as “sleepers.”

There is a standard protocol for these things.

Honor among thieves.

Like the children of illegal aliens, these children do not know Russia, do not speak the language – and unlike the children of other “illegals” these children probably had zero knowledge that their parents were engaged in illegal activities.

Bad Data is Worse Than No Data (Some Liberal Data is Bad Data)

The Caucus: Daily Kos Plans to Sue Polling Company

By DAILIA SUSSMAN

A report released Tuesday by Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos shows “quite convincingly,” he says, that the weekly poll Research 2000 conducted for his Web site for the past year and a half was “likely bunk.” In a statement that surely stunned many in the political and polling communities, Mr. Moulitsas alleges that, “while we don’t know if some or all of the data was fabricated or manipulated beyond recognition, we know we can’t trust it.” He said he intends to soon file a lawsuit against the polling firm.