PrintJuly 7, 2010
Spy swap
The UK's Daily Mail suggests that the Russians are offering to swap spies -- taking the 10 just arrested in exchange for a nuclear scientist who denied he ever spied for us and signed a confession saying otherwise under duress plus 10 others convicted of spying for the U.S.
Russia has offered a mass Cold War-style 'spy swap' deal to the U.S., it was revealed today.The deal could see up to 11 convicted spies - allegedly including a Russian colonel - exchanged for 'femme fatale' Anna Chapman and her co-accused.Chapman is being held with nine others in the U.S. on accusations of being part of a 'deep cover' spy ring in the U.S.Dmitry Sutyagin said his brother Igor, a former Russian nuclear researcher jailed on charged of spying for the West, was told he will be part of the group.Russian and U.S. officials met Igor Sutyagin on Monday at a prison in Arkhangelsk, in northwestern Russia, his brother said.
I have no idea if the Daily Mail report is accurate; the real background or even names of those whom the Russians propose swapping . I do believe that:
(a) those arrested here have valuable information to give us;
(b)are likely to do so in order to protect their children who will otherwise go into state custody; and
(c) I do not trust this Administration to properly defend our interests in this matter.
(a) those arrested here have valuable information to give us;
(b)are likely to do so in order to protect their children who will otherwise go into state custody; and
(c) I do not trust this Administration to properly defend our interests in this matter.
