What do you know about…

Wouldn't it be great if spies ran around with lapel badges that said, 'Kiss me, I'm a spy?'

So what did these spies do when they weren't spying? Here are the answers.

1. Mata Hari was a famous spy. What was her day job? Exotic dancer.
2. What did Paul Revere do when he wasn't riding his horse? Silversmith.
3. Julia Child's day job is well-known. During World War II, she was too tall to enlist in the US Women's Army Corps. What organisation did she work for instead? The OSS.
4. Chuck Barris claims he worked for the CIA. (They deny this, but then, they would.) What was his day job at the time? Game show host.
5. Harry Gold of Philadelphia spied for the USSR. What was his occupation? Laboratory chemist.
6. Jonathan Pollard spied for Israel. What was his job for the US government? Intelligence analyst.
7. Ninian Cockburn (d.1579) was a Scotsman who spied for the English during a dodgy episode called the Rough Wooing. (Don't ask.) What was his day job? Soldier.
8. Sandy Glen (oh, come on, these names) is cited as one of the inspirations for James Bond. What official job did he have for the British government? Chairman of the British Tourist Authority.
9. Eddie Chapman was a double agent in World War II – codename 'Zigzag'. What was his dodgy prewar 'day job'? Safecracker.
10. Merlin Minshall was another 'inspiration for James Bond'. (How many were there?) Minshall liked to race and try for records – with what two forms of transportation? Cars and sailboats.

Okay, so sometimes spies were glamorous. Although working for the British Tourist Authority might be beneath 007….

Dmitri Gheorgheni

30.05.16 Front Page

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