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French spies have so many casual romps that Russian honeytrap blackmail plots DON’T WORK, doc into Paris’s MI6 reveals
One agent said he told Russian enemies: 'Go ahead, my wife already knows'
RUSSIAN honeytrap plots do not work on French spies as they have so many casual flings, a bombshell documentary has revealed.
Married secret agents told Russian enemies blackmail over their lovers was all but useless as their wives were used to their affairs.
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Producers of an explosive documentary uncovered the revelation as they went behind the scenes of the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) - France's equivalent of MI6.
French spies told makers of the doc that Russians tried to force them to switch sides by threatening to tell their wives about their romances.
One agent, named only as Nicolas, said he told his foe: "Go ahead, my wife already knows."
He added: "Defectors from the Soviet Union used to talk about the 'French paradox', namely if you surprised a Frenchman with a mistress by telling him, 'we've caught you red-handed with a 22-year-old call Tatyana'.
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"'Work for us or we'll tell you wife', it didn't work.
"That was because he generally said: 'Go ahead, show her, she'll understand', or 'she already knows about it'."
Cameras were allowed to go into the DGSE for the doc, Making of Secret Agents which aired in France on Tuesday, after a negative press.
In one part of the 90-minute show, former French spy chief Bernard Emié rejected claims his agents were unaware of Russia's invasion of Ukraine after Putin massed troops on the border.
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Both the UK and US had warned the tyrant was plotting to unleash war - but French intelligence maintained there was no imminent threat.
Mr Emié claims in the doc, however, that France was well aware of the situation - but just didn't say so.
Mr Emié said: "When Russia unleashed its war on Ukraine, the DGSE had the same technical information as its American partners.
"The problem is then how you exploit and analyse that information and the way in which you think an event will or won't take place.
"The CIA made the totally respectable decision to divulge the intelligence it had with the aim fo dissuading the Russians from launching their operation.
"This is a policy that we don't pursue.
"But in terms of intelligence, we had the same level of knowledge.
"In plain terms, nobody was party to someone within President Putin's entourage with access to his personal way of thinking."
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