TopManFL (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 10:08 am Espionage. It was rumored that during the cold war Soviet spies in the United States were circumcised so they fit in better. With enough training, the spy could speak without an accent, use table utensils the way Americans use them, learn to hold up the number three with the correct fingers, and master other cultural civilities. However, during the time of the cold war, almost every American male was circumcised. Therefore, for a spy to fit in, going under the knife to trim off his foreskin would have been a requirement.
In biographical descriptions of Sir Richard Burton (the anthropologist/explorer, not the movie actor) there are sometimes mentions of his circumcision in order to conduct undercover work in the Middle East. In at least one such account that I remember reading (about 60 years ago), Burton had to educate the surgeon on the differences between Jewish and Muslim circumcision styles and about the regional differences in the Muslim world. He wanted to be certain to have the right style for his intended undercover identity. His reason was that imposters might well be castrated before being killed and that it would be difficult to hide lack of circumcision or its style.
Burton did explore the al-Masjid al-Haram (the Grand Mosque of Mecca), where he paid his proper respects to the Kabah, where non-believers are prohibited (and at that time killed, if discovered). He also interviewed some of the eunuch guardians of the shrine and wrote of the slave market nearby.
