Russian/U.S. spy swap

Dick Taffe — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:48:05 +0000

Those alleged Russian spies arrested after living in U.S. suburbia for 10 years were brought to New York as word got out that they may plead guilty and then be swapped for a scientist Moscow has kept imprisoned for a decade for allegedly spying for the United States. International relations Professor Arthur Hulnick, himself a long-time veteran of the CIA, says he hopes a deal can be worked out so the Russian deep-cover intel officers can be allowed to go home.

“They caused no damage here, stole no secrets, and were an embarrassment to their masters in Moscow. I suspect some U.S. counterintelligence hardliners will push to put them in jail as a deterrent to future operations, but I think the Russians will go back to more traditional espionage operations after this.”

Contact Arthur Hulnick, 617-353-8978, ahulnick@bu.edu

Alleged Russian espionage ring busted

Dick Taffe — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:40:27 +0000

The FBI arrested 11 people for allegedly spying for the Russians while living secret lives in American communities – from Washington, D.C., to Seattle – sent here years ago to infiltrate U.S. society and steal its secrets. It’s unclear what the alleged spies actually found. Two BU international relations professors, Arthur Hulnick and Joseph Wippl, are both long-time veterans of the CIA and quite familiar with the world of spies. They offer their thoughts on the big bust.

Hulnick: “The case demonstrates that the FBI is really good at uncovering such spy rings. I’m not sure what will happen to the Russians who have devoted so much time and effort to what appears to be a failed operation. I suspect the Russian government will deny that it is behind the operation.”

Wippl: “Unlike diplomats, none of the 11 has diplomatic immunity which would result in a PNG (Persona Non Grata) expulsion from the U.S. Without diplomatic immunity, they will be prosecuted in a U.S. court according to the charges brought against them.”

Contact Arthur Hulnick, 617-353-8978, hlnk@aol.com, or Joseph Wippl, 617-353-8992, jwippl@bu.edu

BU Now » Russian spies

Russian/U.S. spy swap

Alleged Russian espionage ring busted