Russia Honors the Spy Who Stole the A-Bomb

An anonymous reader writes "The New York Times reports on the life of George Koval, codenamed Delmar, one of the most important spies to have infiltrated the Manhattan Project, the secret program that created the world's first nuclear weapon. President Putin recently granted Koval a posthumous Hero of the Russian Federation award, the highest honorary title that can be given to a Russian citizen. Koval was born in Iowa, spoke fluent American English, and played baseball. But he was also recruited and trained by the GRU, Russia's largest intelligence agency."

Re:that's awesome

[ushering05401]

I really apologize, but I have to mod you down. Do you even realize that you just tried to use logic on /.?

Re:Pride?

[sinclair44]

If you're feeling like a jerk
'cuz your A-Bomb just won't work
Go ahead and steal the thing
Then you'll finally have the US's bling.
BURMA SHAVE

eh hem....

[djupedal]

'he was also recruited and trained by the GRU, Russia's largest intelligence agency'

When you're an English-speaking, baseball-playing, corn-on-the cab chewing, native-Iowan, those young Prussian female recruiting babes, I mean 'agents', are pretty hard to resist.

They should be the ones getting the honors, actually...

In Soviet Russia...

[SyscRAsH]

Putin honors YOU!

So, you know...

[orionop]

watch out for people. Keep an eye on your fellow Americans and do your duty to the Government. Do not trust anyone, not even your loved ones! In fact, the terrorists will probably dress up like someone you love, just to make it worse when they kill you. They are everywhere, they even play baseball. Do your part and report non-baseball activities to your local authorities right away.

Re:Pride?

[richie2000]

Something was stolen from someone.

I do believe the US still had the A-bomb after this so-called "theft".

Re:News for Nerds How?!!!!

[4D6963]

A spy works works for their government, their country, and works to benefit their country by being engaging in authorized missions. A traitor betrays their country, by selling their own people out for financial gain, ideological drive or whatever.

Well in this case, it all depends on which country we consider was that man's.

Don't forget it wasn't just the Americans that were "crapping their pants" during the Cold War.

Thanks I know but it's irrelevant. My point was that thanks to his work, USSR could enter the pissing contest against the USA and thus scare them, despite their might. I wasn't trying to establish an exhaustive list of countries who were scared of USSR.

No you are WRONG.

Thanks for rubbing that undoubtful fact in my face.

Re:hmmmm

[jdunn14]

I wouldn't want to be born there either, but don't you think the death penalty is a bit harsh for being an Iowa native?

Re:that's awesome

[xhrit]

The reasons that were at the forefront of the mind of those who decided to *invade iraq* were reprehensible. Showing the power of the US to the *islamic nations* and American willingness to *retaliate* were not good or moral reasons for the *iraq invasion*. That doesn't change the fact that the justification for *invading iraq* holds water. Just because many of the leaders of the day viewed the *iraq invasion* as a tool for *consolidating political power* doesn't mean that the other reasons they had in mind were not justification enough.

Everyone who criticizes the decision to *invade iraq* likes to forget that *Bush* and his advisors were working with incomplete information...