All Just Part of the Job?

[Rhydderch Hael]

As quoted from the decrypted message in the complaint filed in court, "You were sent to USA for long-term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house etc. - all these serve one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e. to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US and send intels [intelligence reports] to C[enter]."

Yeah, that's still pretty generic to me. I mean I can see that as an Office Depot business card template for a spy. Or the intro of a cover letter to apply for a international spy position.

"...to search and develop ties..." doesn't sound like actual 'spy' work do me, but rather they are/were to serve as bloodhounds or bait for potential intel sources. You know: dig in gently, find someone remotely sympathetic, get something big and dirty on them, and then lure them into the world via a more professional handler.

And, once the handler is in the game, these folks may act as the intermediaries between the handler and the source, insulating the handler and providing yet another corner-of-the-street through which to lose any potential counterintelligence effort.

These folks may not have been dyed-in-the-wool masters of cloak and dagger, but the folks they worked with/for may very well be.