In The 1950s, When Russia Was Our Worst Enemy, Random Alaskans Were Secretly Taught Espionage Tactics

COPPER RIVER COUNTRY JOURNAL 

"Your Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It..."

From Russia... With Love. Or, Maybe Not.   

On Wednesday, October 21st, 2026, Steve Witkoff, representing the United States of America, was in a palace in St. Petersburg with Vladimir Putin, the Communist dictator of Russia. Witkoff told Putin, "You are a humanitarian.. .and I salute that. I commend you." Now, several days later, word has come that Russia will apparently be investing in Alaska's long-awaited LNG line.  

But Russia has not always been America's friend. The enmity goes back a long way. When Alaska was "owned" by the Russians, they were famously cruel to Natives, killing them and slaughtering the wildlife that sustained them. When the Russians came north into the Copper Valley, the Ahtna killed them off – again and again. 

The successful and unlikely early Ahtna kickback against the Russians was perhaps a lesson to the future. Many years later, the people of rural Alaska were called upon to try to protect Alaska again from our nearby neighbors. 

In 1950, the Soviet Union – America's most hated and feared enemy – backed North Korea in an invasion of South Korea. This led to a dangerous war in Asia, and concern by the United States. 

Alaska and Russia are very close, physically. Too close. In 2008, Sarah Palin described the situation, and famously told ABC that Russia was a 'next door neighbor” and that you could see Russia from an island in the Bering Sea. That statement was turned into the unforgettable punchline on Saturday Night Live when Tina Fey, channeling Sarah Palin, exclaimed, "I can see Russia from my house!" 

But Russia wasn't funny. In the 50s, the fear that Russia would come on over the strait and enter the territory of Alaska was both frightening and somewhat plausible. And that unsettling thought lingered, for many years. 

Until very recently Russia has taken advantage of the concerns of an attack on Alaska. Only four years ago, when Russia began bombing Ukraine, several high Russian politicians began publicly suggesting that Russia should take back Alaska. Citizens in Russia seemed to grab the idea seriously. Across Russia, there were billboards, proclaiming "Alaska Is Ours!" 

Googling "Alaska Is Ours" billboards on Russian roads.

Because of these longstanding fears that Russia could easily invade Alaska, in the 1950s the FBI and Air Force came up with a plan. Their idea was to protect America by recruiting everyday Alaskans across the territory.  Unassuming, almost invisible locals, in towns and settlements across the road system – all civilians – would be trained in espionage and survival skills and, then – when the Russians poured over the countryside – these standard-issue Alaskans would be the first line of America's defense and intelligence gathering. 

The plan, which was known as Operation Washtub, was top secret. It ran from 1951 to statehood, eight years later. 

Local people were recruited in Seward, Big Delta, Anchorage, Cordova, Palmer, and Fairbanks among other places. As if they were all in the Witness Protection Program, they didn't know who the other operatives were – apparently so they wouldn't rat on them if they were caught and tortured by the enemy. 

Their job was to fit in, which was easy enough, of course.  They were already here, wandering around, chopping firewood, shooting bears, hauling water... The roughshod recruits learned all kind of military-type skills: coding, communications, hand-to-hand combat and how to identify Russian uniforms among them. 

After the Russians arrived, overrunning their small communities, probably dropping from the sky as paratroopers, these wild and secret agents were to glean any intelligence they could and share it with the government. 

Eventually, there were 89 top secret agents across Alaska. Each got $3,000 for their efforts, which would be almost $42,000 today, for each year of service. For rural Alaskans in any era, that's a large chunk of change. If the worst happened and the Russians did arrive, the undercover civilians would get twice that amount.

Pilots, miners, lodge owners and regular guys were supplied with 30-06 rifles, a pistol with a silencer, a camera, climbing rope, radio equipment, snowshoes, explosives, skis, and gold and silver coins - presumably to use if they needed to barter or get information. It was an elaborate, seat-of-your-pants, Boy Scout Challenge type plan.

There were hidden cabins, caves and caches across Alaska. Each held $2,500 in expensive government-supplied equipment, worth about $32,000 per person today. 

The FBI was involved with the project for only a year, before walking away from it. 

Unlike nowadays, during that time period Americans remained very secretive about their roles in the military, bowing to the ideas of 'national security'.  It wasn't until 2014, when the documents were declassified, that people learned that Bob Reeve, who went on to become a famous bush pilot, had been one of the men in this program. 

Not surprisingly, according to Outside Magazine, the caches were eventually looted by locals. Alaskans never throw anything away. 

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 THE AHTNA: HOMELAND SECURITY 

RUSSIANS AN

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