Israeli espionage case skirted public's radar

WASHINGTON - First and foremost in our minds is the knowledge that for one day we are all Irish as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Among the multitudinous legends about Ireland's patron saint is the wonderful tale of how Bishop Patrick drove all of Ireland's snakes into the sea. Would that St. Patrick were living in the United States today, to rid our country of the contemporary snakes we seem to be harboring — spies.

With words and actions just begging for an intro of "once upon a time," 70 years ago many American intelligence operations were closed down on the orders of Secretary of State Henry Stimson. His rationale: "Gentlemen do not read each others' mail." My, how the world (or the definition of "gentleman") has changed.

Today there are spies not only in our capital but all over the country. There is a saying, born of bitter experience among American spy catchers, that "There may be friendly governments, but there are only hostile foreign intelligence agencies."