Soviet 'Illegals' training
By Daniel Webb
As was mentioned previously in this blog series, illegals were Soviet (and later Russian) spies who lived undercover in the United States during the height of the Cold War and as recently as 2010. Much has been said about how these spies got to the United States and what they did once they were here. But what about the training and preparation they went through in the Soviet Union before leaving their country and beginning their new lives?
After being carefully hand picked by the KGB, illegal candidates began a training program that could some times last years. The training begins in a secretive Moscow housing unit that is outfitted as if it were a typical American home. While residing in this home, the trainee wears the clothes and shoes, and eats the food, even smokes cigarettes and uses razor blades procured from the United States. They also learn to not only speak English, but to speak it with an American accent, leaving behind all traces of their Russian accent. The trainee would also spend a considerable amount of time reading American magazines and newspapers and watching American movies and TV shows. The instructors, usually former illegals, would then ask the trainee all kinds of difficult questions about what he or she had watched or read.
After decades of this type of training, the illegal candidate knows the ins and outs of every sports team, restaurant, and nightclub along with gossip, current affairs, and even weather forecasts of a city in a country he or she has never set foot in. Finally, after all of this rigorous and at times monotonous training is complete, it is time for the illegal spy to assume his or her new identity and to begin a new life as an "American."
As was mentioned previously in this blog series, illegals were Soviet (and later Russian) spies who lived undercover in the United States during the height of the Cold War and as recently as 2010. Much has been said about how these spies got to the United States and what they did once they were here. But what about the training and preparation they went through in the Soviet Union before leaving their country and beginning their new lives?
After being carefully hand picked by the KGB, illegal candidates began a training program that could some times last years. The training begins in a secretive Moscow housing unit that is outfitted as if it were a typical American home. While residing in this home, the trainee wears the clothes and shoes, and eats the food, even smokes cigarettes and uses razor blades procured from the United States. They also learn to not only speak English, but to speak it with an American accent, leaving behind all traces of their Russian accent. The trainee would also spend a considerable amount of time reading American magazines and newspapers and watching American movies and TV shows. The instructors, usually former illegals, would then ask the trainee all kinds of difficult questions about what he or she had watched or read.
After decades of this type of training, the illegal candidate knows the ins and outs of every sports team, restaurant, and nightclub along with gossip, current affairs, and even weather forecasts of a city in a country he or she has never set foot in. Finally, after all of this rigorous and at times monotonous training is complete, it is time for the illegal spy to assume his or her new identity and to begin a new life as an "American."
espionagehistoryarchive.com
This is terrifying, but also not that surprising. The world is full of strange secrets.
ReplyDeleteThat is super crazy and also scary.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan, you really know how to make me feel safe in these scary times -__- lmao.
ReplyDelete