Eye Spy - May 2018

52 EYE SPY INTELLIGENCE MAGAZINE 115 2018

Eye Spy presents 10 case files which reflect the complex intricacies,

covert dealings, dangers, advantages and sometimes unknown

circumstances and reasons for the exchange of spies

SPY EXCHANGE

he exchange of prisoners is not
a new concept - far from it.
However, for most of human
history, depending on the
Tculture involved, a prisoner of

war (PoW) could expect to be either slaugh-

tered or enslaved. The rules were very

different for spies: from ancient times, the

penalty for espionage in many countries was

execution without any defining rules. After

World War Two, the political and intelligence

mindset changed, when countries recognised

the potential and value of a captured spy in

future negotiations. Importantly, the building

bricks of ‘exchange protocol[s]’ were

established, and most had a political dimen-

sion with all ‘pros and cons’ examined

thoroughly, as well as the wider implications,

such as public perception, for example. The

words ‘setting precedents’ being carefully

examined in the case of future happenings.

In military conflicts, espionage is considered

permissible as countries recognise the

inevitability of opposing sides seeking

intelligence about the other. Soldiers or agents

often used disguises to conceal their true

identity; if caught behind enemy lines,

however, donning such attire or using false

identities, they were not entitled to PoW status

and subject to prosecution and punishment -

including execution. Operatives of Britain’s

WWII Special Operations Executive (SOE)

being a good example. Though working for a

military element, if caught, they were often

executed.

INTRODUCTION

Today, host nations find little reward in killing

each others’ spies and many people convicted

of espionage are given penal sentences rather

than the finality of execution. Others, even

those suspected of espionage, are asked to

leave the country. In the 2010 spy swap

between the United States and Russia (see

Operation Ghost Stories Eye Spy 76) of 10

Russians for four US and UK spies, officials

said no substantial benefit to national security

was seen from keeping the captured agents in

prison for years. Analysts speculate that the

hasty exchange was beneficial to Moscow,

Washington and London as it precluded

lengthy trials that could have proven an

embarrassment for all countries. Politically, it

could have been an obstacle for future

relations between Russia and the West and

created a new and unwanted platform for

numerous ‘tit-for-tat’ actions.

DIPLOMATIC COVER

Not all exchanges are so simple, nor do they

always involve accredited spies. An enlarged

example can be found in events following the

surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in

December 1941 and Hitler’s declaration of

war which brought America into World War

Two. These actions left hundreds of diplomats

stranded behind enemy lines.

After the attack, which resulted in the deaths

of 2,335 personnel and some civilians, the US

First Secretary said: “On Sunday morning, 14

December, all staff and their families collected

at the (Berlin) embassy only to find the

building, inside and out, already guarded by

members of the Gestapo, and ourselves their

prisoners. Then, the entire assemblage moved

by bus and rail to Bad Nauheim, near Frankfurt

am Main.” American Diplomat George Kennan

said, “most of us were emaciated when we

emerged from the experience.”

Under the terms of the Geneva Convention of

1929, the US (and other nations) were bound

to protect diplomats and their families. In

America, German diplomats were relocated to

various ‘resort’ locations, including the

Greebrier Hotel in West Virginia. This would

later be turned into a secure site used by US

Intelligence and senior officials. In total, the

FBI, State Department and other agencies

moved some 2,000 diplomats to these

resorts.