For example, everyone is certain that a house of brick and siding on Fulton Street with a back porch overlooking the embassy is a spy house. Same with a brick colonial on Wisconsin Avenue across from the main gate. One night, there was a block party at a home near the Fulton Street house. Some of the neighbors sneaked over to get a closer look. They found the garage windows blacked out.
Neighbors tell a story related by the family who used to live next door.
One night, the mother was upstairs and looked out the window. In an upstairs room of the spy house, she saw three men sitting around a piece of equipment. One of the men quickly shut the blinds. After the house was sold about six years ago, the trees and shrubs in back were cut down, affording a clear view of the embassy, says resident Peter Spalding. A few years ago, the burglar alarm went off but nobody knew whom to call, so it rang for a long time in the middle of the night.