From Russia With Love

Who'd have thought? Ten Russian spies were living in the U.S., posing as Americans, and trying to gain access to the government - and two of them were living as a couple in Montclair, New Jersey! Needless to say, I am really jealous of the residents of Montclair, being the center of attention in a tale international intrigue.

The couple who went by the assumed named of Richard and Cynthia Murphy, lived on a quite dead end street in the Upper Montclair section of town, near the county border. For people who know the area, it's almost literally a stone's throw away from Applegate Farms, an ice cream stand and a northern New Jersey institution. It's a secluded area on the fringe of town, so it made a perfect hiding place for two secret agents. Their house, at 31 Marquette Road in Montclair, is depicted here - my picture!

The spy known as Richard Murphy stayed home while his wife (assuming they were really married) worked at a financial services company in New York and rode the commuter bus into the city. She was also seen tending her garden and occasionally with her daughters. She and her alleged husband seemed like a typical suburban couple.

Well, they were, of course, because they didn't interact with many people. It was very easy to hide in American suburbia, where people keep to themselves and don't involve themselves in the community. So the "Murphys" had a perfect cover. What many people don't understand is why the Russians went by an Irish surname to hide their national origin, because Montclair is known for having a diverse, international population. Russian nationals would have fit in just as easily as Americans (or others) with surnames derived from the British Isles. In fact, "Richard Murphy" must have aroused suspicion for looking more Russian than Irish.

That's probably how they got caught. Something went wrong. That's "Murphy's law." :-D

Although this is a serious case that might have put American government secrets and could adversely affect Russo-American relations, it's become a source of humor in in the region - a friend of mine calls the couple Boris and Natasha. Will we be laughing if some Caucasian, blond-haired blue-eyed couple turn out to be converts to radical Islam working for al-Qaeda plotting the next 9/11?

Anyway, the fact that Russian spies were found in Montclair doesn't impress me. My hometown of West Caldwell is already famous for being the home of an extreme right-wing political operative who was sent to Washington to infiltrate the government and use his power to suppress the American people.

How did that happen? Well, you see, George Walker Bush appointed him to the Supreme Court. :-O