The Americans: The Realities of Soviet Spies in the U.S.

In the FX show "The Americans," a husband and wife Russian spy team live and act as normal Americans while spying for their native country. In the latest episode of Emory Looks at Hollywood, Soviet spy expert Harvey Klehr, an Emory history and political science professor, discusses the realities of Soviet spies in the U.S.

[@forensicdarling]

It's a very good show though. Best television in a while. So different from growing up. We never would have cheered on the spies. Of course, there wouldn't have been a show on like this pre-88.

[@countermove4909]

+Beruska Vozabova Yes I think that was one of the main appeals of this show. To get people to root for the "bad guys." Although when one considers the huge popularity of mafia movies over the years and how characters from these stories were idealized for so long it would seem that there is a history of the entertainment industry getting audiences to cheer for the villains in the U.S.

[@drake71000]

Do watch "The Green Prince". MOSSAD Spy in Hamas

[@huh98]

They would have but they would have made the spies more brutal and hard to like.

[@georgedarkrender388]

*Tangles in with.*

[@alexajessop4803]

Loved every episode of this show. Its totally brilliant. Thank you for a wonderful show. Glad it ended the way it did. None of the heroes died. Paige at the station before they crossed the border. Very profound.

[@Ozymandias1]

I would't call them heroes. The show was based on a real Russian spy ring called which infiltrated the US in the 2000s. The producers thought it was more interesting to set it during the Cold War, originally during the 1970s but they changed it to the 1980s. In those days it was much easier to pay Americans for information, as was the case with Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen.

[@RaisonDetre96]

"Speak better English than we do." That just goes to show just how bad American education is that even the Americans admit that foreigners can do speak the language better than them. I know I'm taking it too seriously, but still.

[@atirx7317]

Azer Simple - That's simply not true. Americans do not judge other Americans English skills based on the writings within a social media Outlet. This is not a classroom. What is your curriculum vitae to judge anyone here's English Language and grammar skills. Don't come on here asking Americans to agree to thinking of themselves as less intelligent and agreeing with you. Unless of course you're talking about Donald Trump and the Republicans ! 😆😝😎

[@queenmaoasada8447]

Azer Simple Have you ever our “president” speak? He’s, like, a smart person.

[@larrysizemore6869]

“Can do”

[@atirx7317]

Peter Michalski - I never said that most of the underclass are Democrats. I am a Democrat and I'm not consider undrclass by socio-economic standards and I don't receive government assistance. Not that I'm putting it down for those who may direly need it. I don't know what your commentary is about . Have you ever seen a trump rally and looked at what these people look like. Most of them are considered under class and many of them are on public assistance and they are Republicons.

[@countermove4909]

+Azer Simple In my experience this sort of thing happens in many instances not just with the U.S. or with English. Often when someone learns an additional language they do not also learn the slang and bad grammar that native speakers often use. In short they just learn the proper way of speaking because that is what is in the text books. Also in this type of situation I'm sure they would have native English speakers aiding in the training of their spies during the initial phases.

[@emoryuniversity]

In the #FX show The Americans, a husband and wife Russian spy team live and act as normal Americans while spying for their native country. In the latest episode of Emory Looks at Hollywood, Soviet spy expert Harvey Klehr, an #Emory‬ history and political science professor, discusses the realities of Soviet spies in the U.S. #EmoryHollywood

[@jasonjung0614]

What about the Chinese spy 🕵️‍♂️?

[@jasonsan6708]

Question if you were Estonian American were u considered an enemy alien considering Estonia was part of the USSR?

[@williamzhao2521]

honestly Estonians look more like Greeks than Germans. Plus they teach them to smile really well.

[@SweetSirenia]

You were considered a citizen of an enemy nation, but you weren't automatically viewed as an enemy yourself. Many Refuseniks, defectors, and Baltic immigrants (including Estonians) were automatically viewed favorably by the Americans because they were openly opposed to and critical of the Soviet system. The Polish, Czech, and Hungarian communities in the U.S. are quite large and have historically been celebrated for their resistance to Soviet rule, and many immigrants from those places received U.S. government jobs and other assistance.

[@reenoyet9651]

Это у вас шпионы, у нас разведчики

[@PrimateSoul]

Based on a true story. Fbi has a whole page dedicated to it

[@DARDA360]

'They are very expensive'... for you, folks with budgets.

[@81forever50]

They don't have a country those from the 80's it is the diaspora and those sent into the diaspora, that are NOC's and get their messages from RT.

[@tatianalyulkin410]

Say what?

[@ryansetliff7416]

This author is overly dismissive of the KGB’s use of assassination, murder, kidnapping, etc.

[@DeandreSteven]

That and they would kill of their assets when they were done with revoloutions.

[@mr.busster8424]

@@UCLAfilm01 You consume way too much conservative media lmao. Get out of the basement, take a walk, hug someone

[@HoldenNY22]

@@mr.busster8424 I am writing this early March 2nd 2022 1:55 AM. a few days after the Russian Invsastion of Ukraine. NOw, both liberals at least CNN and MSNBC LIberals want us to go to War with Russia and PUtin. There are some old Fashioned LIberals like Jimmy Dore, Aaron Mate, Max Blumnenthal who want us to see that the Russian/Ukraine situation is much more complicated (The US help overthrow a dEmocratically elected Ukraine Government , etc) than most people realize.

[@myronplatte8354]

The CIA does at least as much.

[@chowyangneo9630]

and the CIA on the hand were humble, gracious, good looking people who went around helping in the soup kitchen and feeding orphans.

[@georgedarkrender388]

*Wave.*

[@pattismithurs9023]

Watched the whole series, but it was a joke all that activity, multiple missions, loads of dead bodies never a problem, never home at night, working all day, and a son who was 'smart' but never noticed his folks' odd behavior? - and then there was that mole thing on Elizabeth's lip! "Can you describe the woman you saw?" oh yes, a mole on her lip - very unusual. Agent Beeman would've had her cuffed in one series! Thanks for this piece, I've been looking for opinions from knowledgeable sources about the series. (LOL -- All the Experts commenting!)

[@fistzarsprottnik5533]

you do realize that their daughter was suspicious of her parents since the beginning of the series, and agent beeman quite literally suspected them in the first episode too. only random good timing prevented them from being busted in the beginning. maybe watch the series a second time. many shows as layered as this or even more get more interesting&understandable with at least another watch-through

[@tatianalyulkin410]

There is no way in hell the KGB would have wasted an illegal by turning him/her into an assassin. Would they have a way to say get rid of someone who got too suspicious? Probably. But that " Joe Shmoe " Soviet assassin would never know who ordered the hit. The whole premise is absurd.

[@marshacreary9771]

Who knew?

[@harutyunmagdesyan3094]

This true. Im from post soviet country but im worked in 1970-now FSB RUSSIA .I LIVED 5 YEARS IN SAN DIEGO . AND I HATE FSB

[@missa5591]

What you can tell us else? We listening😂

[@tatianalyulkin410]

I'm not sure how to respond to this.

[@ninotaribo1221]

Зашла посмотреть, есть ли в комментариях русские)

[@tatianalyulkin410]

Define " Russians ". 🤣

[@user-rz5bq6wd9s]

Я 😂беларуска

[@fatiherdogan7811]

Mw3 red riot units 😀

[@andreasmoser6365]

I could tell you so much about this, but I am not allowed to.

[@pattismithurs9023]

Park bench, 10 a.m. You name the place. I'll be reading a Harry Potter. We can talk then.

[@chrisk.-lq9ic]

They killed you harvey

[@tesspeelz]

In russia vodka drink you

[@VenomousRage]

Come on guys wtf...

[@user-ld9hx7eh8b]

Yes. We will die, But we will do .... Glory to the GRU of Russia!

[@missa5591]

Это не ГРУ, это СВР)

[@user-ld9hx7eh8b]

@@missa5591 Свр это что?

[@reenoyet9651]

​@@user-ld9hx7eh8bСлужба Внешней Разведки.

[@user-ld9hx7eh8b]

@@reenoyet9651 Покуй кароч пацаны это наши слова...

[@beautifulrosemary6565]

The Americans was a horrible show!

[@edgarbraintree4370]

Are you kidding? It’s the best drama in TV history

[@Bootmahoy88]

@@edgarbraintree4370 Don't pay 'beautifulrosemary6565' any mind. Just a typical troll.

[@atirx7317]

This would explain our current government here in America and especially the Trump Administration and the Republican Congress.

[@smithnwesson990]

Atir X Oh god another liberal idealist believing in a fake utopia painted with multiculturalism. It amazes me how you cant fix a city but believe you have the awnser for all society lol!

[@atirx7317]

SmithN' Wesson - I never said that I had the answers for all of society. But let me ask you something. Are you claiming that you have all the answers to society's ills ???😯

[@smithnwesson990]

Atir X Nope but thats the point. There is no one with the awnsers yet todays "liberals" believe their ideology is what society needs. Do we really need a bunch of emptional head cases calling everyone they see a racist or bigot? Or throwing temper tantruns because they didn't win an election and rioting at colleges? I used to thibk that they loved diversity but apparently not diversity of thoughts or ideas. People will always have different likes and dislikes. I don't see how trying to pretend to be "the moral authority" by catagorizing half of the country as evil or racist helps. It seems the two party system has made people fall into two camps essentially one that likes small governemnt and old traditions to a fault and another who believes in huge government control and wants new laws and rewritten constitutional laws every 3 freaking years. There seems to be no middle ground. Honestly though I don't see why anyone cares if people believes in god or whatever they worship it's no ones business. What would you rather have..People who sre excepting of your religion or lack there of and like individual freedom or those who believe you should have to do as they say, think what they think and not say certain things?

[@atirx7317]

SmithN' Wesson - But you are doing the exact same thing for the right. The right or alleged conservative do anything to prmote and ram their narrative own the Ametican people's throats. But that's okay and it's the wonderful thing about America. We all have a freedom of speech and the right to dissent. It's just that some people on the right get pissed off when it doesn't work out their way. If the people from all sides don't have a voice that means that only one personal party does and that's a dictatorship. Americans have never and will never want to live under a dictatorship. If you do then moved to North Korea.

[@smithnwesson990]

Atir X How is it by saying you should accept people will always want diffrent things and think diffrently is doing the same for the right? Does the right own 90 percent of the media? Are they creating Black Supremacy classes in college( the idea that liberal arts counts as education itself is crazy? Are they rioting trying to shut down Liberal speakers? No, No and No. Secondly, I am not a wing Im a Libertarian who views the indanity from the outside and its not really hard to see which hardliners have becone far more radical. People constantly having to defend themselves from verbal and sometimes in extreme cases Physical attack is not forcing their ideas on others. Tell me how many do you see creating new terror groups like antifa or drmanding strings of new laws stripping freedoms from other Americans because of emotional responses? Not a lot. The idea that because somethibg bad happens we need more laws in itself is a crazy idea. It seems tradition governs modt of the rights ideology were feelings and moral judgments govern the lefts. There is no real right awnser but there certainly is wrong ones.