Even James Bond was smart enough to not have kids.
And as you read about this group of Russian spies, wannabe Bonds, living as Americans for decades, you wonder if anybody is who they claim to be nowadays. And while the story seems a bit harmless, and somewhat comical, there are some casualties involved. It's time for a new Alphabet Disorder: COS. Children of spies.
COS is not a new syndrome. On June 19, 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed in Sing Sing's electric chair for being spies for the Soviet Union. They left behind two sons, Robert, 6, and Michael, 10.
After being bounced around between an orphanage, family, and family friends, the young boys were finally adopted in 1957
by Abel and Anne Meeropol. The brothers took the Meeropol name and lived an enriched childhood, but one of anonymity. When they grew older, they became public defenders of their parents' reputation, and in 1975 wrote the book We Are Your Sons: The Legacy of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Thanks to the Meeropols, Robert and Michael developed into well-adjusted, thoughtful young men, who despite their "together" public persona, no doubt, live with many ghosts. While they seem to have pretty stable lives, their parents' notoriety is something that has become a part of their own being. Helping children who find themselves in situations like theirs has become their mission. Robert runs The Rosenberg Fund For Children, an organization that helps children whose parents are targeted progressive activists.
But what about the children of the recent group of Russian spies who were just caught, and who face years of trials and serious jail time?
In this case, there are eight kids whose lives were impacted by dangerously crafted games played by their parents. While the details seem to come directly out of a 1960s Ian Fleming or John le Carre Cold War novel, the reality is it's 2010 and these kids live in a fast-paced technological world where their faces are spread around the globe in an instant (their names are all over the Internet; I will not use their names). Not like the pre-Web Rosenberg boys, who were eventually lost to obscurity.
All children, at some point, ask the question, "Who am I?" Not only do these kids of Russian spies have to deal with the crimes their parents are charged with, they have to figure out who their parents really are, and in some cases, who they themselves really are. They grew up as all-American kids for the most part with moms making Statue of Liberty cupcakes, picnics with hamburgers and hotdogs, PTA events, "Suburbia 101" as one neighbor described the spy family next door. The painted shutters, the refrigerator magnets and the hydrangeas have now crumbled for these kids like a house of cards.
False identities, lies and deception seems to be the modus operandi for these alleged spies, and their kids are caught in the middle.
One of the children, a 17-year-old, just found out his father's name was fake, as was his dad's claim to be born in South America. Another, a 20-year-old George Washington University student thought he was born in Toronto, but it turns out he now has no idea where he was really born.
The two blonde, pony-tailed All-American girls, 7 and 11, who grew up in the beautiful town of Montclair, New Jersey, were raised with an Irish-American name, but it turns out their parents are believed to be Russian. (Neighbors wondered why they had an Irish name, but Eastern European accents.) The children appeared well-taken care of, participated in many activities such as Scouts and lived a typically suburban life.
What will happen to these children is unclear. The two youngest of the eight, are expected to be sent to family members in Russia. Most of the others are in limbo, and because of confidentiality, child protective services, U.S. Immigration and the FBI aren't providing any information.
Since it is generally believed that all the spy-parents involved were excellent parents (many of the children were overachievers), and that there was no apparent abuse, they are allowed to determine where their children can go--to family or foster care. For the children who were born in the U.S., as they believe the NJ girls were, they are American citizens.
The FBI usually uses children as a bartering tool when negotiating a plea deal with prisoners like spies. If the parents are indeed attached to their children as many are reported to be, they might be more inclined to cooperate with the government so that they can get visitation. However, one of the spies has already said that his service to "the mission" is more important than his loyalty to his son.
In any case, the therapy and healing these children will go through will be intense. Their very sense of who they are is on the line. Who are their real family members? Was having children all a part of the ruse? Were they really the birth children of the people they thought were their parents? What was their real value to their parents? Were they just tools to create a believable front? Why would their parents sacrifice everything, especially their relationship with their kids, for this spook job? The children's complete sense of what is real is in jeopardy.
Reports have indicated that most of these children have a strong intellectual foundation upon which they can resolve their issues with their parents' actions. Therapy as well as positive support from their new caretakers should help them through these uncertain times ahead.
And if the Meeropols are any indication, the kids will be alright.
