Want a real life lesson about job choices? Robert Hanssen, the FBI agent who spied for the Russians, was paid $1.4 million in diamonds and cash for betraying his country. How much did the Russians offer American journalist Joshua Kucera for his services? About $300 or $400, Kucera writes, in his brief, but highly entertaining piece for the Atlantic.
Kucera wasn't expected to actually spy, just help plant Russian propaganda in the American press. A Russian embassy official named Vladimir laid out the proposal to Kucera over a meal of fajitas, helpfully pointing him to material from russianpeacekeeper.com and inforos.com. "One top story was headlined 'Timoshenko Is a Playboy’s Star' (referring to Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Timoshenko, who had said something vaguely positive about the nudie mag in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of Elle)," Kucera writes of the proposed Russian propaganda. "Another was 'U.S. Navy: Spies, Deserters, Maniacs,' which collected various unrelated misdeeds by American sailors."
The story gets even better when Kucera, who accepted the free meal but had no intention of taking the Russian up on his offer, is contacted by the FBI.The Feds knew about his rendezvous, and wanted Kucera to tell them everything Vladimir had told him. It also turns out that the Washington restaurant Vladimir took him to, Cactus Cantina, is a favorite of the Russians.
Who knew the Tex-Mex joint with the swirly margaritas was a den of spies? Last time Nathan and I were there, we spotted Trent Lott.
