Thread by @CIA

Long before current traditions of #ValentinesDay sprang forth, spymasters worldwide have used the amorous arts to obtain secrets from their enemies. Known as “honey traps” or “honeypots,” rivals ensnared their adversaries in a game of love, lure, & lies.

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One of the best known seductresses was Mata Hari, a Dutch exotic dancer convicted of spying for the Germans during WWI. She was accused of being a double agent & obtaining intel by seducing prominent French politicians & officers. She was tried, convicted & executed in 1917.

While most think of female temptresses when they hear the term "honey trap," men too have been used as honey traps to steal secrets. For example, in West Germany during the height of the Cold War.

After #WWII many West German women took jobs in business, government, parliament, military, & intel often having access to highly classified secrets. Thus they became targets for East German male spies interested in only one thing: secrets.
These men were nicknamed “Romeo Spies.”

Romeos were trained in espionage, given false identities, & sent to West Germany. Once there, they identified a potential “Juliet” with access to the info they were after. They created a chance encounter, began an affair, & finally asked the women to pass them secrets.

Romeo spies were warned not marry their assets even if they developed genuine feelings for them (which many of them did) because West German authorities conducted background investigations of anyone seeking marriage to a government employee with access to classified material.

Initially, most women were naïve about the true intentions of their Romeos; however, as the relationship developed, Juliet began to suspect that her Romeo was working for the other side. Most were not shocked when they were asked to spy for their men.

By this point in the relationship, some women had fallen in love & agreed to spy to keep their affairs going; some relationships lasted for decades. For those who fell in love with their Romeos, their espionage careers ended when the affairs did.

While many women terminated the relationship when asked to spy, others fell in love not with their Romeo, but with the excitement of espionage. Their Romeos were just part of the process.

40 women were prosecuted in West Germany over the course of the Cold War for committing espionage. Many hearts were broken, including those of several Romeos who truly loved their Juliets. Several couples fell genuinely in love, married, & started new lives.

Find out how to spot a Romeo, learn about the man behind the Stasi program, & read the stories of the:

Original Romeo
Rebound Romeo
Super-Romeo
Two-Timing Romeo
&
High-Achieving Romeo.

Check out the full story:
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