[eno_]

One is that these were spies in training, newly minted Mossad graduates on test runs to see how they would operate in field conditions.

I like this one best. It fits the unfocused, haphazard nature of it. Put trainees into genuinely hostile but not physically dangerous environments and see how they perform. And the involutary test sites have good reason to be too embarassed to complain much. Cheap, elegant, and effective.

[Fabozz]

"I like this one best."

So do I—once we dismiss the "it's all bunk" theory as being too boring. ;-) In addition to the reasons you cite, the "information" these people would acquire is all stuff the Israelis already know and could therefore verify—Israeli LEOs work with DEA and visit DEA offices, IDF officers work on-site at U.S. bases, etc. No point giving a final exam if the teacher doesn't know the right answers, is there?

[MickMan51]

One is that these were spies in training, newly minted Mossad graduates on test runs to see how they would operate in field conditions.

I like this one best.

Me too. Rookie training. Real world scenario without much real risk. But they list it last. In any event, the feds got burned bad nationwide on this one. Visiting agents' homes? In the military, this kind of stuff would get people relieved of duty.