Headscratchers / Bridge of Spies

• According to the film, every government involved is obsessed with deniability. The U.S. picks Donovan as their negotiator for the swap because he's not a government agent, so they can claim he doesn't really "represent" them. Presumably, the whole purpose of this is to allow the government to deny that a swap ever took place. But once they pull it off, they tell the whole world! Suddenly there's a guy on TV announcing that Abel was swapped for Powers and that the U.S. government set up the whole thing (with Donovan's help). If they're so willing to claim credit for this, why did they need Donovan in the first place? Why not send a regular CIA agent to do the negotiations? Why not just send a diplomat from the State Department, and make everything official?
  • Deniability is in case anything goes wrong. Specifically if negotiations fall through then everyone can say it never happened.
    • Is it really so hard just to say "We tried to negotiate, but the negotiations failed"? Geez, apparently governments are really touchy about admitting failure.
    • Well, of course; what government ever wanted to admit failure? Admitting failure basically gives your political opponents instant ammunition to use against you.
  • Of course they are, no government wants to appear weak. Specially not the US and USSR in the Cold War.
  • Donovan in real life was General Council for the precursor of the CIA during the war. Once an agent, always an agent, but the CIA can use the 'not any more' excuse.