# Soviet Spy Village?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soviet-spy-village/194779>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 13, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soviet-spy-village/194779 "2003-08-13T00:39:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![slipster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@slipster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slipster)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soviet-spy-village/194779/1 "2003-08-13T00:39:44Z")

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During the Cold War one heard from time-to-time that it was “well known” that there was was, somewhere within The Soviet Union, a mock American town where spies-in-training play-acted at being Americans. This was missioned in Jack Webb’s kitsch classic **Red Nightmare** , where, IIRC, it was merely said to be “rumored” to exist, and it was the subject of various television programs, including at least one episode of **Mission:Impossible.**

If there really was such a place, now that The Soviet Union has been dead and buried for years, there would be a good chance that the existence of this place would be known for certain by now.

Did anyone ever produce proof of the “spy town”? Does anyone know when and where, exactly, did the stories start?

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**Author:** ![slipster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@slipster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slipster)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soviet-spy-village/194779/2 "2003-08-13T00:40:57Z")

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Sorry: it was “mentioned”, not “missioned”…

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soviet-spy-village/194779/3 "2003-08-13T00:51:48Z")

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Also the subject of a [bad John Travolta movie](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0097314).

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**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soviet-spy-village/194779/4 "2003-08-13T03:19:31Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Walloon \*  
> \*\*Also the subject of a [bad John Travolta movie](http://us.imdb.com/Details?0097314). \*\*

I actually liked that movie as a kid, probably because HBO played it 10 times a day. I’m sure it would be unbearable today.