HOBOKEN AND BEYOND — Well, sure, why not? The New York Times and other outlets reported late Monday that the U.S. government arrested 10 alleged spies (and were pursuing an 11th) who allegedly were dispatched to the U.S. to fit into American cities and suburbs and obtain secrets for the Russians. One pair of alleged spies lived in Hoboken for a time.
The paper reports: “An FBI investigation that began at least seven years ago culminated with the arrest on Sunday of 10 people in Yonkers, Boston, and northern Virginia. The documents detailed what the authorities called the ‘Illegals Program,’ an ambitious, long-term effort by the S.V.R., the successor to the Soviet K.G.B., to plant Russian spies in the United States to gather information and recruit more agents.”
One couple at first lived in an apartment in Hoboken, but in 2008 moved with their school-aged daughters to a house in Montclair (proving that they knew exactly how to behave like typical Hobokenites…)
A paragraph about the wife, who apparently did some work in her garden, prompted this instant-classic line from a neighbor:
“They couldn’t have been spies,” Ms. Gugig said. “Look what she did with the hydrangeas.”
James Bond, where are you? We need you, comrade! (Oops!)
Here’s a link to the article in the Times.
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