Quizzes & Puzzles1 min ago
Why Did We Shoot Spies?
Why did we execute spies? What harm could they do once we’d locked them up? Why didn’t we treat them like other POWs?
Was it just habit?
Was it just habit?
Answers
spying was long thought of as cheating, the sort of thing a gentleman didn't do. Many Britons were shocked at the idea that other countries might do it, but also at the idea that Britain might do it too.
Now everyone seems quite happy with being spied on, whether by GCHQ or CCTV or their own TVs and loyalty cards, and the notion of privacy seems to have gone out the window.
Now everyone seems quite happy with being spied on, whether by GCHQ or CCTV or their own TVs and loyalty cards, and the notion of privacy seems to have gone out the window.
It probably goes back to ancient times, and some idea that war can be honourable but only if fought in a particular way. I know that the Romans, early in their history, had a passionate -- and at times a fatal -- distrust of anything that was "underhand": spying, scouting, even ambush.
Presumably, it's the same thing carried forward: that there is a right way to slaughter your enemies, and anything that deviates from that is dishonourable and deserves the highest of punishment.
Presumably, it's the same thing carried forward: that there is a right way to slaughter your enemies, and anything that deviates from that is dishonourable and deserves the highest of punishment.
