in International Situations, News 298 Words

A Great Spy Story

I admit it….in my younger days was a huge fan of James Bond novels and a pulp fiction spy named Sam Durell…..spy novels were fun and even entertaining…..but are they anything like real life?

To this day I still enjoy a good spy story….only these days they are more fact than fiction…..

Awhile back I wrote a post about the death of a Russian dude in Washington D.C.  I provide a link below on the subject of modern day spies……

Source: Spies Like Us – In Saner Thought

I thought that it was interesting that a former KGB dude was poisoned and awhile later some Russian ex-pat was also killed “mysteriously”.

Then a couple of years ago the FBI and other counter-intel groups had a big coup when they uncovered a pack of modern day spies operation in suburbia….one was a hot red head name Anna Chapman…..

Anna Chapman (RIA Novosti / Vitaliy Belousov)

I recall the big deal that the media made out of the ferreting out of these spies and the damage they could have caused….the media played their scenario for hours about the spies and what it took to discover their existence……

And then I found the rest of the story…….

Russian intelligence officer, Aleksandr Poteyev, who was sentenced for treason in absentia by Russia after blowing the cover of a spy ring in the US, has reportedly died. Moscow, however, is not confirming the news or taking the defector of its wanted list.

Source: Russian ‘traitor’ who exposed Anna Chapman’s spy ring dead in US – reports — RT News

Another person with a “mysterious” death…..that makes 3 the number of people connected to Putin…….this would make a great spy novel or a TV show….wait….wait…I think they already have one…..”The Americans”?

 

15 thoughts on “A Great Spy Story”

  1. Mostly, I’ll pass on this one, other than to say, it’s really hard to identify what is or isn’t real when it comes to spies… Every competent spy knows Sun Tzu, who believed them to be the ultimate warriors. He also told us “All war is deception.” That means everything the ultimate warrior does is covered, embedded, shrouded in deception… so, we’ll never know all the story, even if they say it’s all the story…Hell, especially if they say it’s the true story, after all this time

    Sure it is….

    gigoid, the dubious

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  2. Anna Chapman could get me to give up the “secret formula”, if you know what I mean.

    The Americans actually was “inspired” by this case, but was back-dated to the 80’s. It’s a great show, probably because it’s done by 2 people who know what they’re doing. Joe Weisberg is ex-CIA, so that helps with the authenticity and Graham Yost (son of late, great, Canuckistan cinephile TV host, Elwy Yost) who knows how make a good TV show.

    Outside of seeing Keri Russell half naked every other episode, the enjoyment comes from watching all the processes; the techniques, the manipulations and the rationalizations required to do what they do (“We do evil for good!”) And above all, the human wreckage & pointless idiocy of it all. The 80’s nostalgia angle is great too. Seeing what they were capable of with 80’s technology only makes you realize how much easier it is to pry open people’s lives today.

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      1. Tyrant’s good too. Before you start watching The Americans, know that, like the Sopranos, it’s also a show about a “family business” and the balancing act required. This family is the product of an “arranged marriage” and has no relatives. They are…wait for it…a nuclear family!

        But if you’re really desperate for TV spy shows aimed at adults, here’s a couple Canuckistan entries you’ve probably never heard of from Chris Haddock. He has a cool, calm & collected, “conversational” approach occasionally punctuated with matter-of-fact violence. NOT for those with ADD, Haddock passes on the glamour & glamorous violence. He concentrates on the human interactions, the office politics, the conspiracies, the chess games and the endless blurring of moral lines. For example, characters work with people they should be arresting, do things they should be arrested for themselves, and routinely sabotage co-workers. In that way, the “realism” level is probably astronomically high.

        His first spy show was Intelligence about a Vancouver CSIS unit (aka ISIS with a “C”) working with drug dealers & bikers to…well, basically to advance their own careers. With all the metaphoric dancing & seamless partner exchanges between characters, sometimes the show took on the feel of a waltz, but set to the Middle Eastern background music. Lots of conversations in cars at night. Hypnotic at times.
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_(Canadian_TV_series)

        Going by the first few episodes I’ve seen, his new spy show, The Romeo Section, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/john-doyle-the-romeo-section-is-a-subtly-sexy-thriller-for-grown-ups/article26788502/ is even more cool, calm, & collected with even more subtlety, plots & paranoia. Haddock is certainly NOT afraid to keep viewers in the dark, often letting them know even less than the characters know. This show is about an aging spy who’s afraid he’s being pushed out the door by unseen forces as he manipulates his “assets” in the heroin trade.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIoKVH398G4

        As an added bonus, it featured the most political building in Vancouver, maybe all of Canada, the Del Mar Inn.
        http://ounodesign.com/2010/11/28/unlimited-growth-increases-the-divide-george-riste/

      2. Can I get these on Netflix or other service? I started watching a spy show on BBC that takes place in 1970’s England…..I had to stop watching because of my schedule….

      3. That’s what VCRs are for, man! (hehehe) Anyway, both shows are currently airing here in Canuckistan.

        After getting cancelled by the CBC to appease the incoming Herr Harper (who apparently HATED the anti-NAFTA theme), Haddock tried to take Intelligence to FOX. Since then, it has been re-broadcast on the CBC a couple of times and is currently airing on FX Canada. I know for a fact Haddock’s previous shows Da Vinci’s Inquest & Da Vinci’s City Hall ran in syndication in the US and I think Intelligence ran in limited syndication. At least some episodes are on the Web-pipes, including the pilot. Unfortunately, all the moving cameras and darkly lit scenes only work well on big TVs. (Oh, and if you like 80’s nostalgia, “Max Headroom” (aka Matt Frewer) is a regular. 🙂 )

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-IWcEX4ZuA

        The show might be on an American streaming service. I pay no attention to any of those things. Unfortunately, because of a more recent, much more commercial, CBS show also named Intelligence, it’s now much harder to find. I suppose you can always order the DVDs from the CBC. Hey, with the current state of the Canuck-Buck, both seasons will probably only cost you $5 US.

        Meanwhile, The Romeo Section finished its 1st season a few months ago and has just started summer re-runs, which is how I came across the show. It’s probably far too soon for syndication, or streaming. I think episodes are available on the Web-pipes, but you might need a program that makes it look like you’re in Canuckistan….and come this fall…maybe you will be! 🙂

        So break out out your digital aerial (or bunny ears) and hope they get REALLY good reception!

        (PS: Make sure you check the above Del Mar Inn link. It’s been used in a few TV shows now. You just don’t see a building like that every day, certainly not with the story behind it. It’s the “Bernie” that actually beat the “Hillary”! And the building’s side has a cool anti-consumerist message too.)

  3. As you are most probably well aware of by now, I am an extreme cynic.
    I do not for one second believe any spy can be ferreted out. It is their life’s work to not be discovered.
    So, my take on all these latest Putin associates: Staged by the US to justify engaging in war with Russia

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