House of Spies. I'm Jason Horton. I'm Rebecca Leib. And this is Ghost Town.

On the shore of Lake Jackson in Manassas, Virginia, is a sturdy fortress of a building. Though it

looks important, it simultaneously looks nondescript, a large estate fortified with these beige,

large walls. But beyond the walls, Elvictus, the estate's mysterious name, holds some even more

alluring secrets, as it has become one of the most famous secret refuges for defecting Russian

spies and celebrities alike. We're talking this Friday about Elvictus, the United States' most

famous safe house. Elvictus started as a typical looking log cabin, bought in 1959 by Victor

Purse and his wife, Alice, after Purse attempted to end his life over the loss of his job. We'll get

to that in a minute. The original owner, Luther Alpaw, was the son of the developer who needed cash

to fight a murder charge. Purse promised to sell back the trophy property should Luther Alpaw go

free, but reneged after he was acquitted. Purse was delighted by the house. He was enthusiastic,

he was ready for a new chapter. He named the cabin Elvictus after he and his wife,

Alice, Victor, Us, Elvictus. Despite the modesty of this new cabin, Purse loved attention and soon

Elvictus grew into a more stately mannered summer home that endures to this day. The 18-foot wall

of windows in the great room is flanked by three bedrooms and two bathrooms and frames the lake

beautifully, with multiple terraces and a 13-foot swimming pool. It also has a coy pond,

shaped like a pea, Purse, of course. Purse had big plans to build a helicopter pad in the front yard,

but he was too busy with work and other things and it never happened. Speaking of work,

as the State Department Deputy Chief of Protocol from 1954 to 1957, he was tight with all kinds of

high-ranking figures, including his boss, Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth, and King Saud bin Abdulaziz

of Saudi Arabia. In fact, Purse was so close with the Saudid King that he gifted Alice her own

$3,000 Oldsmobile convertible. She later refused to return it she loved it so much after the

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