Well... Who Knew?

I just watched an interesting program on PBS about MI6, the British Secret Service. In the program, I learned that a statue of St. Francis of Assisi on the grounds of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) was a favourite place for Soviet spies to use as a, "dead letter drop" during the cold war. A Soviet double agent would leave a microfilm, a cassette or message behind it to be picked up later by a 'handler' from the Soviet Embassy.

From here...
A little further away, literally just behind the oratory, the Holy Trinity Church is the site for another dead letter drop. As you approach the church from the Brompton Road, bear to your left and in the corner there is a small statue of St Francis of Assisi. Soviet agents reputedly left their files and microfilms on the ground at the base of the tree next to the wall.
Mind you, this was way before Alpha, and HTB was not implicated. It's just that its grounds were a secluded spot to leave clandestine messages.

I just found it interesting, that's all.

Small world.

Blessings,
John

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