Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | Back in the Game | 3

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0:17December 1941, New York City. In the FBI field office in the Rockefeller Center, Dusko Popov examines his fingernails. He's here to debrief the FBI about his trip to see the Abwehr in Rio de Janeiro. but he's still fuming about how they failed to act on his warnings about a possible attack on Pearl Harbour. FBI field office chief Sam Foxworth presses him again for more details about what happened in Rio. Let's go over this again. The Abwehr are sending you radio equipment via a steamboat from Rio. That steamboat is going to arrive next month in Toronto and you're going there to collect the equipment but you don't know anything about its captain.

1:04Not the vaguest description of what he looks like. Popov shrugs. The British want him to withhold that information. MI6 plans to arrest the steamboat captain and turn him into a British agent and it doesn't want the FBI interfering with that plan. Perhaps I can provide that detail when he arrives. Now, I have a question for you. What happened with Pearl Harbor? Foxworth frowns. It's been a week since Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor forced America into World War II. We got attacked. That's what happened. Popov scowls. Four months ago, I gave you intelligence that the Japanese were going to attack.

1:52Why wasn't that information acted upon? I don't know how you do things back in Yugoslavia, but you don't come to America and tell the FBI how to do its job. I'm not telling you how to do your job, but you're making it impossible for me to do mine. I need to send information back to the Germans to maintain my cover, and you won't give me any. You're destroying my whole network while also ignoring the intelligence I'm bringing you. Foxworth crosses his arms. Listen, Popov, I'm telling you to back off. Your job is to bring us information, not to make decisions or to ask questions. You better learn to walk the line.

2:35Mr Hoover doesn't like you. Keep pushing and things might start to get dangerous for you. Popov sits and stews. The FBI has reduced him to an impotent bystander in a war that's far from over. but he can't just quit. His family and his friend, Johnny Yebsen, live under Nazi rule. To blow his cover now would put all of them in danger. He must fight on, even if it's no longer just the Germans that stand in his way, but the very people who are meant to be his allies.

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4:43From Wondery, I'm Indra Varma and this is The Spy Who. On the last episode, Dushko Popov was sent to America to recruit spies for the Abwehr, and the British intelligence loaned him out to the FBI. But his new American spymasters disregarded his warnings of a Japanese plot to attack Pearl Harbor. And now, the trust between Popov and the FBI has hit rock bottom. What you're about to hear are dramatized reconstructions of events based on the information that's available. But, remember, in the shadow realm of the spy, the full story is rarely clear. This is The Spy Who Inspired 007. Episode 3. Back in the Game.

5:37January 1942. The Rockefeller Center, New York City. In the FBI field office on the 44th floor, Popov settles into his chair. On the other side of the desk sits his FBI handler, Charlie Landman. Popov's still keen to repair relations with the Bureau and return to his role as a double agent, feeding misinformation to the Germans. And Landman called him here with what sounds like promising news. Popov smiles at Landman. So it's true. You are building the Abvers radio transmitter. Popov's smile isn't returned. Instead, Landman looks subdued, almost uncomfortable. Yeah, it's true. We've assembled it using the blueprints you got in Rio.

6:26It's in a safe house in Wading River. That's fantastic! Popov cuts in, eager to get back in the game. When do we start? Landman raises his hand to slow Popov down. Dushko, I'm sorry, but this is going to be a Bureau operation. Orders are that you're not to be involved in the transmissions or informed of their content. Wait, you're going to use my name to transmit information to the Abwehr but you're not even going to tell me what that information is? Landman looks away, embarrassed I'm sorry, this comes from the highest level J. Edgar Hoover himself Charlie, if I go back to Europe and my Abwehr commander asks me about those transmissions and I don't even know what's in them they'll know I've turned You're putting a bullet in the back of my neck.

7:20I don't know what to say. Hoover's got it in for you. There's nothing to be done. Popov's head sinks into his hands. He spent two intense, dangerous years living a triple identity in the midst of war. Now, everything's crashing down around him.

7:42One month later, the Gold Coast, New York State. In a plush bar, Popov nurses a cocktail. Following the FBI's decision to shut him out, he's trying to party away his frustration in this fashionable haunt of movie stars and celebrities. He stares at the ice, bobbing around in his drink, and then hears a familiar voice. Across the room, he sees the French actress, Simone Simon. She and Popov had a brief but intense relationship in Paris before the war. He strides over. Simone! Simone spins around. Her hair's cut fashionably short and her bright eyes flash in excitement on seeing him. Dushko, what are you doing here?

8:28I could ask you the same question. I'm filming. It's a horror movie. I play a wicked temptress sent by the devil. I'm sure you do. It's so good to see you again. Do you remember that night at Chie Josephine in Paris, dancing on the tables? How could I forget? It seems like a different world, doesn't it? War changes everything. Can I tempt you to dance now, though? You can tempt me to anything. Popov takes her hand and leads her towards the dance floor, both feeling the flame of romance beginning to burn once more between them.

9:08It's five months later, and at the ultra-exclusive Stork Club in Manhattan, Popov and his film star girlfriend are out on the town again. Since his romance with Simon reignited, Popov stepped out of the shadowy world of espionage and into the spotlight. His world is now one of film star glamour, with lavish skiing holidays, trips to Hollywood, and regular tables at the most fashionable celebrity hangouts. But tonight, Popov's mood is far from celebratory.

9:45He holds a copy of that day's newspaper, scowling into his drink. Simone looks on, slightly irritated at being upstaged by a newspaper. Darling, I just don't see why it's such a big deal. Popov brandishes the paper at Simone, pointing at the Daily Showbiz gossip column. Walter Winchell mentioned me by name. He is the most popular gossip writer in America. The people I work for are going to see this. Sweetheart, I'm an actress If I'm seen with someone, it makes the gossip pages It's no big deal It is a big deal In the column, the writer jokes about Popov and double talk Popov knows that anyone involved in espionage will be able to read between the lines The newspaper's outing him as a spy and Popov can only think of one man who would feed this information to the gossip columnist.

10:43FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover. But it's already too late. That article is now running in dozens of newspapers across the United States. And the consequences for his loved ones back in Europe could be dire. Popov throws down the newspaper in despair. He picks up his drink and drains it. Simone reaches out and clasps his hand to try and console him, but Popov just gazes into the distance. His thoughts are thousands of miles away.

11:19One month later, New York. Popov walks through Central Park. By his side is Ian Wilson. He's an MI5 officer who's been sent to New York to extricate Popov from the FBI. Wilson offers Popov his sympathies. I know this isn't easy after all you've done, old boy. But the FBI have really done a number on you. Your cover is almost certainly compromised. It's Hoover. He disapproves of how I live. So much so, he'd rather hurt me than the Germans. Well, after that gossip column and this business with the radio transmitter, the real question is, what now? Popov stops to light a cigarette, deep in thought.

12:05I don't know. Honestly, you've done great service. His Majesty's government is incredibly grateful. You can walk away now with honour. Takes him on, go to Hollywood, leave this awful war behind. Popov sighs and starts walking again. He can picture that future before him. A life of peace, safety and Hollywood glamour. But then he sees the Gestapo officer who interrogated and beat him all those years ago. He imagines the horror of his cousin crucified on a barn door and thinks of his friend Johnny Yebsen at the mercy of German intelligence. He lifts his head. No, I'm not walking away. This war isn't over.

12:53I'm going back. Dushko, that's brave. But I have to warn you, I put your chances of survival at about 80 to 20 against. They'll interrogate you, and if you don't answer every question right, you'll wish all they do was shoot you. My mind is set. Don't try and scare me. Just give me what I need to win. Wilson looks impressed at Popov's courage. Okay, well, we'll have to cook up a story to explain why you haven't given the Abwehr any decent intelligence for the last year. MI5 will gather what scraps of intel we can here in the US, but I warn you, they will just be scraps. As Wilson speaks, Popov nods.

13:35He can already feel a plan coming together in his mind. The odds of success are slim, and the price of failure is deadly. It will take every ounce of cunning and spycraft he has, but he's getting back into the game.

14:01It's October 1942, and Popov's back in Lisbon for the first time in over a year. Popov once again sits outside a Lisbon cafe, waiting to be picked up by the Abwehr. But this time, Popov knows that he's under suspicion. He has only a few scraps of intelligence from MI5 to offer the Abwehr, and if he falters for even a moment in this interrogation, he's a dead man. A car pulls up. In the passenger seat, he sees Elizabeth, the winking blonde who he met when he first came to Lisbon. She beckons him, and Popov slides into the back. Once again, both Elizabeth and the driver maintain absolute silence.

14:47Gradually Popov begins to notice that they are not driving the usual route towards the villa in Eshtorel But along an entirely new road Popov has no idea where he is being taken He feels the panic rising Are we not going to the villa? No, there's a new location This lack of detail does nothing to calm Popov's surging anxiety He struggles to maintain his composure as the car weaves through the Lisbon traffic wondering if he's being driven to his own execution. The car pulls up next to a nondescript apartment block. Elizabeth motions for Popov to follow. She leads him into one of the flats. Inside, his Abwehr case officer, Ludovico von Karsthoff, is sitting with a man Popov's never met before.

15:36Their faces are stony, unreadable. Von Karsthoff gestures to a chair. Popov, sit down. Von Karsthoff looks Popov up and down. So, what is this crucial intelligence that you couldn't transmit by radio? Popov picks up his bag, opens a secret compartment, and withdraws papers containing the misinformation prepared for him by MI5. You'll see these are photographs of documents. They're mainly concerning the movement of American troops in Britain. The 1st Armoured Division, the 8th Air Force. The unknown Abwehr officer gives the papers a cursory glance and raises his eyebrows. This is very thin. Why couldn't you just send this by radio?

16:19It wasn't the intelligence that was the problem. It was the radio operator. I was afraid he might have been turned by the Americans. And who was this radio operator? Popov recites the cover story he has carefully worked out with MI5. He was an Indian fellow. He'd been involved in the independence movement in Delhi, but came to New York to study engineering. I was able to recruit him because he despises the British. So what happened? The other Abwehr officer cuts in aggressively. Why did you suddenly decide he was a risk? Look, I don't know how much work you've done in the field, but it's different than sitting behind a desk in Lisbon.

16:54You have to read people. I just sensed something was wrong, that the Americans had got to him. OK, but how did you even get this information? There was a naval attaché. He drank too much and liked women, so I found him a chorus girl and while they were busy in the bedroom, I was able to snap these pictures on the camera you gave me. It was seedy, but I did what I had to do. Von Karsthoff is about to speak again, but before he can, the other Abwehr officer slams his fist on the table. Enough of this dancing around. There are people in Berlin who think you haven't been gathering information for us at all, that you've just been swanning around America with film stars, and there are some who believe that it's you who is working for the Americans.

17:36Popov freezes. There it is. The accusation that could lead to his death. Everything rests on how he reacts in this moment. He scans the faces of the two men opposite and in one split second makes a decision. He discards all his well-rehearsed plans with MI5 and instead of pleading and playing safe, he risks everything. I've been turned? How dare you? Popov brings his own fist, smashing down on the table. Von Karsthoff, I told you not to send me to America, that I had better contacts in Britain, but you sent me anyway, with no network, no protection from the FBI, and no money. My whole cover is being a man of society.

18:24Swanning around with film stars is how I work. I asked you again and again for funds. None ever came. I was reduced to finding chorus girls for naval officers. I have half a mind to write to Berlin myself. I'll tell them how I was abandoned in New York by my so-called case officers. Popov sees both officers turn pale. He realises that he's hit on the one thing that truly terrifies them. If he causes a scandal by writing to Berlin, both of them could be punished by being sent to the brutal Eastern Front, where millions of Germans and Soviets have already died. Von Karsthoff raises his own hands in a conciliatory gesture.

19:09Duschko, come, come. No offence was meant. We are all working under pressure. Everyone recognises the sacrifices you have made. Let us smooth things over with Berlin. I'm sure you will be able to work to your full potential when you're back in London and reconnected with your network. These are the words Popov has been waiting to hear. He immediately feels a surge of relief. Not only will he be safer in Britain, out of reach of the Abwehr, but it means he's back in the spy game. It's July 1943, and Popov sits with Johnny Yebson in a deserted restaurant in the fishing village of Kashkis, Portugal.

19:50It's the first time they've met since Popov's return from America. Popov's regular trips to London have made it hard for the two friends to catch up. But the reunion is tense. Jebsen has just arrived from Berlin and carries an urgent warning. The situation in Germany is awful. Since Stalingrad, it's gone insane. The only person who actually believes the war can still be won is Hitler, but he'll burn the whole country to the ground rather than give up. Is there any hope of an uprising against him? That's what the Nazis are afraid of. They're coming down hard. Anyone who questions them gets sent to a concentration camp.

20:30Yebsen lights a cigarette before continuing. And Dushko, the talk in Berlin is that you are hiding in Britain and not delivering any useful intelligence. Easy for them to say. This doesn't just concern you, you know. I need you to do more. I need information to send up the chain of command. I don't care where you get it or who you have to speak to. The two friends look at each other. Popov thinks there's a hidden message in Yebsen's words. that maybe Yebsen knows he is in contact with British intelligence and that he doesn't care. But Popov knows it's too risky to come clean. They must both maintain the pretense that they are loyal German agents.

21:12Popov tries to get clear on what his friend is really saying. Johnny? What's going on? Yebsen leans closer. There were some high-ranking Gestapo officers. They asked me to help them move some currency to Switzerland. It was their insurance for after the war. They're not people you can say no to. Jebsen glances around and then continues. But they were involved in counterfeit money. And now I'm caught between the Gestapo and the Abwehr. That's why I need any information you can get. I need the Abwehr to consider me a valuable enough source that they will protect me. Popov looks at his friend and then speaks very carefully.

21:56Well, there are certain people I could make contact with in Britain to increase the flow of information. And Johnny, if you wanted to, there are ways that you can help. The two men eye one another cagily until Yebson replies. Contact anyone you need to. I don't care where the information comes from. Popov and Yebson share one last meaningful look. before Jebsen breaks the tension. Oh, one more thing. You should be careful in London in the coming months. Why? What's happening? We have a new weapon. A bomb that doesn't need a pilot. Hitler hopes this will scare the British into submission. That sounds like Nazi propaganda.

22:44No, it's real. Very real. Stay safe, Dushko. Popov nods. He's more convinced than ever that Jebsen's giving him a coded signal to contact British intelligence. He's also sure that Jebsen's warning about Germany's new weapon is also meant to be passed on too.

23:18Summer 1943. Ten months since Popov regained the trust of the Abwehr. In the sitting room of his house in London, Dusko Popov edges forward in his armchair. He's in a hurry to relate the latest intelligence he's gleaned about the Nazis to his MI5 case officer, Tarr Robertson. The Germans have a new weapon, some kind of bomb that doesn't need a pilot. Robertson nods solemnly. Yes, that tallies with what we've been hearing elsewhere. Let's go over the details later. We have something more important to discuss. What's more important than a secret new weapon they're going to be firing directly at us?

23:57Robertson gives Popov a look before replying. I'll tell you what's more important. The invasion of Europe. Robertson gets onto the sitting room floor and unfolds the large map of Western Europe he's brought with him. Popov kneels next to him. Robertson begins pointing out positions on the map. It's been decided that a joint allied force will attack the Germans here in Normandy. Your job is to make the Germans believe that we will be attacking them here at Padukale so that they concentrate their defensive positions there. It takes Popov a moment to absorb what he's just been told. You hope to fool the entire German military?

24:36Wow. But the Abwehr will need more than my word if they're to buy into this. Yes, we're aware of that. The invasion won't happen until next year. But you and other agents will begin feeding the Germans misleading information now. In isolation, the faked intelligence will be partial and unconvincing, but taken together, it will form a convincing picture. Popov stares at the map as Robertson continues. This will be the most complex amphibious invasion ever attempted. Our soldiers will be jumping into freezing water facing a wall of machine gun fire. You can help make sure they have the best chance of making it to the shore by convincing the Germans that the invasion will start somewhere else.

25:22This operation could determine the course of the war. It will be the most important thing either of us ever do. Popov looks up at the map and thinks of Johnny Yebson trapped in Germany, under suspicion from the Gestapo. He turns to Robertson. If I'm going to pull this off, there's someone I need to bring in as an agent. Who? my friend, Johnny Yebsen. He's been feeding me information from the Abwehr. I think he's ripe to be turned into an agent. He's Abwehr. Can you really trust him? I would trust Johnny with my life. He's the one who gave me the intelligence about this new German weapon. But I want him given full protection, both during the war and after.

26:04Duschko, you're one of our very best agents. If you think he is trustworthy and that it's necessary, then we will try and make it happen. As Popov stares at the map of Europe, he feels exhilaration. This is what he returned from America for. The chance to really influence the course of the most crucial battle of the war.

26:30A few weeks later, Spain. Johnny Yebson scurries through the streets of Madrid in a state of extreme panic. He's been ordered to return to Berlin to make a report, but his mind is in terror that he's actually being summoned so he can be eliminated by his Gestapo enemies. He turns the corner and rushes into the British Embassy, grabbing one of the attaches. My name is Johnny Yebson. MI6 knows who I am. I need immediate evacuation to Britain. The attaché overcomes his initial shock at Yebson's wild entrance, and the mention of MI6 becomes deadly serious, dropping his voice quiet. Sir, I understand, but I cannot authorise anything here.

27:10I will contact the appropriate authorities in London. Tell them to move fast. They'll know who I am. Yebson turns on his heel and exits the building, leaving the bewildered attaché to pick up the phone to London. That evening, Surrey, England. In the oak-panelled library of his country house, MI6 Chief C listens as MI5 officer Tar Robertson briefs him on what's been happening in Madrid. Apparently, Yebson burst into the embassy, demanded immediate evacuation, and claimed we'll know who he is. C raises his eyebrows and alarm. The bloody fool. And the blasted thing is, we know from our ultra-intercepts that he's just being recalled to Berlin for a routine report.