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Infantry1stLt t1_itqdoie wrote

Was he a dual citizen, or at least lived in Brazil (or Portugal) before? It’s not like in movies where you just fake an identity, language, culture taking a 2 hour course.

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madmolf t1_itr7eva wrote

Dormant agent, illegal agents are trained to blend in by assuming what’s called a legend, a whole backstory. There were loads of Russian born dormant agents in the USA during the Cold War sporting fake U.S. or Canadian IDs. No need to be a native of a country to pretend you are from there, being a spy is a job, unlike others, but nonetheless a job. And it takes more than two hours to be one.

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Infantry1stLt t1_itr97c8 wrote

That’s all nice and cool. But in today’s Europe you’ll inevitably bump into some people who’ve travelled a bit more and speak many more languages than the common (Cold War) American.

“Hei! I heard you’re from Brazil, so meet our Portuguese colleague.” So the agent’s accent must be spot on.

Or someone will throw that random, obscure curse word he learned during his semester abroad, and the agent will have to react to it immediately and appropriately.

I’m not saying it’s impossible, but to keep such a cover story they probably need a full immersion in a certain culture (maybe a previous mission in that very country).

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bro_please t1_its1x6s wrote

Yes they are inserted by the dozens in each important country decades in advance. They are "apolitical" because they outlast most politicians. They are likely to turn double agent. They are limited and usually clumsy. That "Portuguese" spy in Naples was one example. She must have cost tens of millions throughout her life, but is unlikely to have produced much. These schemes are too clever. Just bribe people or send immigrants.

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