spy exchange
Traded intelligence operatives
A spy exchange is a negotiated swap of captured intelligence agents between opposing governments.
During the Cold War, such exchanges often occurred at dramatic locations like Berlin's Glienicke Bridge.
The arrangement typically involves simultaneous release to prevent either side from reneging: The spy exchange took place at dawn on the border crossing.
Modern exchanges may involve multiple prisoners traded for a single high-value operative.
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- iron curtainDivider of forged metal
- Bridge of Spies2015 espionage legal drama
- bridgeStructure spanning an obstacle
- prisonerConfined criminal detainee
prisoner swap · defector · double agent · Berlin · no man's land · swap · agent · cover story · diplomat · checkpoint · handover · safe passage · intelligence · tradecraft · dead drop · covert operation · negotiation · hostage
- Berlin historyBerlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, East Berlin, West Berlin
- Cold War GermanyBerlin Wall, East Germany, West Germany, German reunification, divided Germany
- espionagespy, spies, double agent, double agents, moles
- Cold WarBerlin Wall, Iron Curtain, arms race, Warsaw Pact, Cuban Missile Crisis
spy exchangedefection
Abandoning one's loyalty
asylum · capture · extraction · exfiltration
spy exchangeexecution
Completing a planned task
life imprisonment · indefinite detention · show trial · death sentence · hard labor
exchange, spying, spymaster, exchanges, exchanged, exchanging, exchangeable, change, changes