RUSSIAN SPIES IN THE UNITED STATES???
There seemed to be some AR interest in the Russian spy ring story and that two of the spies had active real estate businesses.
Many readers seemed incredulous that the Russians would still be spying on the US, afterall isn't The Cold War OVER? The dreaded KGB is no more so why would the Russians want to spy on the U.S. government? (for those worried about Russia being helpless they now have the FSB to replace the KGB)
If I may use a quote attributed to the 19th century British statesman, Lord Palmerston:
"States have neither eternal friends nor eternal enemies; only eternal interests."
The Russians are continuing their intelligence gathering because it is in their interests to do so; so it is with the United States. What caught our interest was how amateurish the spy ring appeared to be.
A REAL ESTATE AGENT WHO IS A SPY????
Think about it! Wouldn't a real estate agent be a perfect cover to go into homes of individuals who had their house listed and had access to important information in areas such as: Silicon Valley, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Washington D.C., San Diego, New York City, etc.
Who knows how many Russian agents have been in place and have remained so since before the Cold War ended? (and vice versa with US spies in Russia)
The US has typically relied upon technology to acquire its secrets from our adversaries(and friends).
During the 1970's and 80's we actually tapped into telephone cables buried on the floors of the Barents Sea and Sea of Okhotsk to steal Soviet naval and state secrets.
The CIA had recluse billionaire Howard Hughes build a mammoth vessel to recover a sunken Soviet sub resting over three miles beneath the ocean floor. Why? (Code books and nuclear warheads!)
DOES REAL ESTATE ESPIONAGE GO ON AROUND YOU?
*** How does your broker know what competing offices are offering agents? He/she. . . .
*** Ever have a colleague visit a distant city and he/she comes home with a brand new slogan or branding??? He/she saw the local real estate magazine and . . .
*** Have you seen a competitor all of a sudden publish market analysis and graphs that look more than vaguely familiar? I know where they. . .
*** Do you know of agents who schedule a phantom showing so they can get into the inside of a competing listing? He/she is dying to know . . .
*** Do you know any agents who "lock" their office door or secure their computer when they leave the office so. . . . . . .
ESPIONAGE... it's not just for state secrets anymore!
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