# Was this cold war story true? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 28, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997 "2013-11-28T12:40:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/1 "2013-11-28T12:40:37Z")
Were there Russian (Soviet) sleeper cells operating in the US? The legends state that agents were trained in the USSR in “American” villages to speak perfect English, be 100% culturally acclimated etc. in order to fit in and live in the USA waiting to carry out orders from the KGB. Was any of this true? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/2 "2013-11-28T14:24:55Z")
_Was?_ This was revealed, and presumably still operative, last year or so. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/3 "2013-11-28T14:29:51Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > _Was?_ This was revealed, and presumably still operative, last year or so. Cite, please. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/4 "2013-11-28T14:32:16Z")
[The Americans](http://www.fxnetworks.com/theamericans). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/5 "2013-11-28T14:34:25Z")
That site is only viewable if you’re in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/6 "2013-11-28T14:59:42Z")
Yes. Look up [Anna Chapman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Chapman). ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/7 "2013-11-28T15:03:58Z")
[During the Cold War, the Soviet Union had sleeper agents stationed in Washington, charged with disabling the city’s electric grid and poison the public drinking water in the event of a superpower crisis, according to a former KGB general.](http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/07/12/ex_kgb_general_soviet_sleeper_agents_were_tasked_with_blowing_up_dc_power_grid_pois) Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/8 "2013-11-28T15:12:01Z")
Its the fact that Soviet backpack nuclear devices were supposedly cached in Western nations to be utilised in the event of hostilities that really raised my eyebrows. I can’t find a better link that the wikipedia page but I was under the impression there was more official confirmation than that described, certainly for western European nations. > **[Suitcase nuclear device](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase_nuke)** > > A suitcase nuclear device (also suitcase nuke, suitcase bomb, backpack nuke, snuke, mini-nuke, and pocket nuke) is a tactical nuclear weapon that is portable enough that it could use a suitcase as its delivery method. > Both the United States and the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons small enough to be portable in specially-designed backpacks during the 1950s and 1960s. > Neither the United States nor the Soviet Union have ever made public the existence or development of weapons small enough t... See ‘Russian’ segment. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/9 "2013-11-28T15:14:42Z")
Did we do the same thing to them? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/10 "2013-11-28T15:16:29Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > That site is only viewable if you’re in the US. The glitter palace isn’t in the US? Why do they hate America? Anyway, it’s a link to a cable TV show, set in the early '80s. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/11 "2013-11-28T15:52:19Z")
Thanks for the links. Anna Chapman seems to have been ‘just’ a good old-fashioned spy and not a “sleeper” agent in the sense used by the OP. The FX site is not accessible. The ‘Foreign Policy’ site requires a subscription (admittedly free, but still too much of a hassle). And, while I agree that the “suitcase bombs” (if any were even deployed) were, presumably, the responsibility of covert operatives, the latter aren’t sleeper cells as I’d define them or as implied in the OP. In other words, they had only the one purpose (i.e. to hide and then possibly detonate the bomb, remotely) obviating the need for a functioning and ongoing sleeper cell. Phrased differently yet again, once in place, the ‘package’ could be detonated by pressing a button in Moscow, thus eliminating the need for a sleeper cell. In fact, the existence of such a cell might even compromise the whole plan should it ever get infiltrated, or cracked, or whatever. So, again, I ask - is there a site/cite that details the existence of “Soviet sleeper cells operating in the US? (with) agents (that) were trained in the USSR in “American” villages to speak perfect English, be 100% culturally acclimated etc. in order to fit in and live in the USA waiting to carry out orders from the KGB.” ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/12 "2013-11-28T16:25:13Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Thanks for the links. > > Anna Chapman seems to have been ‘just’ a good old-fashioned spy and not a “sleeper” agent in the sense used by the OP. The FX site is not accessible. The ‘Foreign Policy’ site requires a subscription (admittedly free, but still too much of a hassle). > > And, while I agree that the “suitcase bombs” (if any were even deployed) were, presumably, the responsibility of covert operatives, the latter aren’t sleeper cells as I’d define them or as implied in the OP. In other words, they had only the one purpose (i.e. to hide and then possibly detonate the bomb, remotely) obviating the need for a functioning and ongoing sleeper cell. Phrased differently yet again, once in place, the ‘package’ could be detonated by pressing a button in Moscow, thus eliminating the need for a sleeper cell. In fact, the existence of such a cell might even compromise the whole plan should it ever get infiltrated, or cracked, or whatever. > > So, again, I ask - is there a site/cite that details the existence of “Soviet sleeper cells operating in the US? (with) agents (that) were trained in the USSR in “American” villages to speak perfect English, be 100% culturally acclimated etc. in order to fit in and live in the USA waiting to carry out orders from the KGB.” I think most people would consider those in the “illegals program” sleeper agents, as Anna Chapman was, as some were here since the mid 90s, weren’t really doing much spying, and seemed to be spending most of their time trying to look normal. > **[Illegals Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegals_Program)** > > The Illegals Program (so named by the United States Department of Justice) was a network of Russian sleeper agents under unofficial cover. An investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) culminated in the arrest of ten agents on June 27, 2010, and a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States on July 9, 2010. > The arrested spies were Russian nationals who had been planted in the US by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (known by its Russian abbreviation, SVR), mo... I think a NY Times article quoted a neighbor as saying “how could she [one of them] be a spy - look at her hydrangeas”. It’s been a bit since I read in depth about the program, but if memory serves - these agents were pretty incompetent. Only maybe one or two based on the mug shots could have passed - just on looks - for your typical white bread American. Some of them were paired to other agents, asked to get married, and had children together. That is a pretty big commitment. I dont really see the need for American villages. I think that would be difficult - if you are going to really commit - do what they were doing - have kids in the US - get their accent there. Any “training” could be done by the parents in the US - then you have an actual American Citizen - who can even pass a background check and get a security clearance if needed. I mean the kids probably would have more loyalty to the US than say a kid raised in Russia would, but I think there are other advantages. Why were the agents asked to live together and have kids? I guess you could say to blend in - which is partially true - but was it really necessary to have kids to blend in? That seems like a REAL big commitment. You can’t tell me there weren’t people in Russia that weren’t dreaming to use that kid further. Or that the kid was ONLY to be used as a prop. THAT kid - was the REAL sleeper agent. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/13 "2013-11-28T16:38:04Z")
The agents marriages were separate from their duties, the Russians recruited married couples, rather than paid up spies. ---
**Author:** ![Polar\_Iceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Polar\_Iceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polar_Iceman)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/14 "2013-11-29T02:31:08Z")
Why would they need to place “Russian” sleeper agents? There is evidently no shortage of American/indigenous citizens who are ideologically committed to communism and would voluntarily provide any information required. Some time ago, I read the autobiography of a top KGB agent who was attached to the Russian mission to the UN. He said he would periodically travel to Ottawa and meet with senior Canadian defense department personnel who would tell him all he wanted to know about NATO, Canadian and American defense matters, for free. Some would just walk into the Russian embassy in Ottawa and drop off piles of defense documents, unsolicited. He knew as much about Western defense “secrets” as most senior military personnel. Similarly, he would do lunch with all kinds of American state department personnel who would tell him all he wanted to know about anything he wanted to know. This is all in addition to the American citizen spies that worked on the Manhattan project, and who currently work in all of the major defense industries. So, given the local talent available, why would the Russians waste time and resources planting agents? Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the book; help me out here, anyone?) ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-cold-war-story-true/674997/15 "2013-11-29T02:59:24Z")
Present Russian Federation Spetsnaz ( Special Forces ) are not the same as, although they are the heirs to, Soviet era Spetsnaz, who ran such deep infiltration agents — any more than the FSB can be strictly compared to the Chekist KGB. I always thought the Fall of the Soviet Union must have left a lot of sleepers high and dry. Prolly having to commit in earnest to their assumed lives. Some actors are supposed to be eventually consumed by their public roles…