The Spy Who Became Stalin's Greatest | Eastbound From The Cotswolds | 3

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0:20August 1944 In a corner of a North London pub four German communists sit around a wooden table looking uncomfortable in their second-hand suits and neckties They are all exiled anti-fascists and trade unionists who fled Nazi Germany before the war and ended up sitting it out in Britain. Trusted enough not to be interned, distrusted enough not to be allowed to fight in the war. And they've gathered here on a vague promise of there being a chance to help end Adolf Hitler's regime. The man who made that promise approaches their table, carrying a tray loaded with beers. He is Erik Henschke, a stocky German communist and associate of Ursula Kuczynski.

1:12And with him is a man the men around the table don't recognize. Henschke puts the beers on the table. The men take their pints and shuffle along to make space for him and the unfamiliar man. Henschke sits. Gentlemen, this is the man I wanted you to meet. Lieutenant Joseph Gould from the US Office of Strategic Services. Lieutenant Gould smiles. He doesn't look like much of a soldier. He's youthful, bespectacled and wearing a suit. Hi folks, pleased to meet you. One of the men eyes him warily over his pint glass. You a spy? If you're asking if I work in intelligence, yes I do, sir. The men nod. Henschke cuts in.

2:03Lieutenant Gould has a proposal I think you will be interested in. Thank you, Eric. I'll get to the point. I'm looking for Germans, reliable anti-Nazis, to undertake a mission inside Germany. It won't be long before our troops are fighting on German soil, but Germany is an intelligence dead zone. We need people on the ground, men who know the country and the people. One of the men, Paul Lindner, puts down his beer Lindner is a 33-year-old former metalworker from Berlin whose good looks have been marred by the beatings he suffered at the hands of Nazis If it helps finish Hitler, I'm interested You need to know that it will be hazardous We'll pay you$331 a month But if you're caught, the Germans won't treat you as soldiers You could be killed.

3:00Although we will compensate your families if that happens. So what's the mission? We parachute you into Germany ahead of the Allied advance. You blend in, you reconnect with people you trust and build small intelligence rings. Then report back on troop movements, industrial targets, civilian morale, transport links, anything that helps the Allied push. And how are we supposed to report back? We're developing a new communication system. I can't say more now, but it'll let you relay information almost as soon as you have it. So, are you interested? Henschke speaks before any of the others can. We'll discuss this amongst ourselves and then we'll get back to you.

3:51The meeting went better than Henschke anticipated. Gould wants men on the ground. He's not worried about their politics, so long as they are anti-Nazi. And that means his operation is ripe for infiltration by Moscow.

4:13The following Sunday, on a street corner in West London, Henschke waits inside a red telephone box. It rings right on time. Sonia? Down the line from another payphone elsewhere in England, he hears the voice of Soviet spy Ursula Kaczynski, codename Sonia. How is the meeting? He wants our men. He doesn't care much who he hires, as long as they are anti-Nazi and willing to risk their lives, which they are. Excellent. He mentioned some sort of new communication system the men would use. He was reluctant to say exactly what it was, so I presume it's secret. The centre will want to know about that.

5:01So we should help them. Yes, absolutely. Henschke hangs up and steps out of the phone box. He has his instructions now. He'll let Gould know that the men are willing to go ahead. Officially, they'll be spies for the Americans, but in reality, they will be double agents infiltrating a U.S. intelligence operation to help the Soviet Union.

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7:14emergency agency, the OSS, to help the Soviet Union take Berlin. This is Episode 3, Eastbound from the Cotswolds.

7:30Seven months later, March 11, 1945, the outskirts of Berlin. On a hill, Paul Lindner stands alone in the dark after parachuting into Germany a week earlier. The Soviet Red Army is just outside the city, preparing for the final assault on the German capital. The American and British troops advancing from the west are more than 300 miles away. But somewhere overhead, invisible in the night sky, an American reconnaissance aircraft is circling the city. From inside his overcoat, Lindner pulls out a large metal handset. He extends its aerial, checks the connections, and switches it on. This handset is part of the OSS's secret radio communication system known as Joan Eleanor.

8:34Lindner can use it to communicate directly with the reconnaissance aircraft six miles above him. It's a wartime first, allowing two-way communication with spies behind enemy lines without relying on heavy and easily detected radio transceivers. A voice from the plane above comes through the earpiece of Lindner's handset. Is that you, Heinz? Lindner presses the earpiece tight against his ear and replies using the agreed call sign. Is that you, Vic? Ready for your report. Item 1. Potential target. The Klingenberg Power Plant. It remains operational and is still providing power to defence industries.

9:20Roger. Item 2. An attack on the marshalling yard could paralyze the rail system. 26. Repeat 26 freight trains and 1818 passenger trains are currently stationed there. Roger. Item 3. Low on supplies. Request airdrop. No more items. Over. Roger and out.

9:48Five weeks later, April 21st, 1945, 3am. Berlin is collapsing. The Soviet Red Army has arrived and the final battle with the Nazis is underway. Streets are shattered, buildings burn, and in the northeast of the city, through the darkness, Paul Lindner moves carefully, keeping to the shadows. He carries the OSS radio handset with him, but if he's caught with it by either side, he risks imprisonment and execution. The Nazis will think he's a spy, and the Soviets will think he's a German resistance fighter. So he's heading to the address of a safe house he memorised before leaving London. A man's face appears in the half-open doorway.

10:41Lindner whispers the password. Sonia. Lindner is pulled inside without another word.

10:53He follows the man through the house and out into the rear allotment, where they stop between a plum tree and a chicken coop. The man nods to the soil at their feet. This is the place. Then, with the man's help, Lindner buries the top-secret handset in the ground.

11:22Nine days later, the battle for Berlin is almost over. Soviet troops control most of the city. A Red Army officer stands outside the safe house. Once again, the man who lives there leads the stranger through the house and to the allotment at the back And finally to the spot between the plum tree and the chicken coop The army officer begins to dig And, within moments, he has found what he came for The OSS handset is recovered The officer inspects it briefly then hands over a receipt and heads back into the night. America's new spy communication system is now in Soviet hands and on its way to its military intelligence agency, the GRU, which will unlock its high-tech secrets and then deploy them in the service of the motherland.

12:33One week later, May 8th, 1945, Summertown, Oxfordshire. Inside her home, Ursula stands at a table and finishes filling a Victoria sponge cake, aided by her daughter Nina. Careful, spread it evenly. That's it. Job done Ursula lifts the cake and carries it outside Where neighbours have set up long tables along the street to celebrate VE Day The war in Europe is over Germany has surrendered Nazi leader Adolf Hitler has taken his own life And Berlin is under Soviet control Across Britain, people are celebrating A neighbour waves Ursula towards one of the tables. What a wonderful-looking cake. Here, put it next to the scones.

13:31Can you believe it, Ursula? The war is finally over and life can return to normal. I'm so happy. It is a truly wonderful moment. Ursula shares her neighbour's joy, but she has more to celebrate than most. The center has confirmed the success of her last mission. The OSS's secret communication system is now in Soviet hands. Her agent, Klaus Fox, is in America, feeding Moscow the secrets of the US atomic bomb project. And her home city, Berlin, is finally under communist rule. Meanwhile, her network of spies in Britain have, so far, evaded the attention of the British security service, MI5 But while the Britons around her celebrate the end of the war with Germany Ursula is already looking forward to the future Because now the Nazis are defeated She can finally refocus on the ultimate goal Of bringing down capitalism

14:48Autumn 1946 Great Rollwright, the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire One year after the end of World War II Ursula cycles out of the village and along a quiet country lane She passes beneath a railway bridge Continues to a crossroads then stops counting the line of trees. Two, three, four. At the fourth tree, she kneels and reaches into the hollow at its base. The dead drop site is empty. No message, no money, no signal from Moscow. Four weeks ago, Ursula's Soviet handler failed to show at a meeting in London. In the event of this happening, someone else is supposed to leave a message for her here. She's checked the dead drop site several times since then, but it has always been empty.

15:52And her instructions are clear. If contact is broken due to the risk of compromise, she must not attempt to re-establish contact with the centre by radio. She turns around and begins to cycle back home, checking over her shoulder to see if anyone has seen her. With no contact from Moscow, she has no orders and no money. But its loss also signals something far more worrying. It could well mean that the British Security Service is closing in on her and her network.

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18:02August 1947, nearly one year later, Rugby Mansions, West London. Ursula's former agent, Alexander Foote, looks out of the window at the tree-lined street and can almost taste freedom. He's been in Moscow since the end of the war, but persistent interrogations by the GRU have stripped away any remaining belief he had in the Soviet system. A few days ago, en route to a new foreign posting, he turned himself over to Britain's secret intelligence service, also known as MI6. Foote readies himself as an MI6 officer switches on a tape recorder and resumes his interrogation. Let's go over your time in Munich during the war again.

18:51You said you were part of a Russian spy ring run out of Switzerland. Yes, that's correct. Foote wants to defect, and to do that, he needs to gain the trust of MI6 and convince them he's not a double agent sent by Moscow to infiltrate British intelligence. So he'll need to tell them everything he knows, and that could put others at risk. Where in Switzerland was the ring's leader? Co-sur-Montreau, near Lake Geneva. And what was his name? He was a she. A woman. A woman? Yes. What was her name? Foot pauses. If he can't convince MI6 he is genuine, they will send him back to Moscow, where a gulag or worse will await him.

19:38But while his loyalty to the centre is gone, he still feels loyal to the people he worked with during the war. Ursula Burton. Burton? That's her name now. She married one of the agents for a British passport. And is she still active? No. Really? Why is that? Foot frames his answer carefully, hoping to protect Ursula while preserving his own credibility. She felt betrayed by the Soviet Nazi pact. She left Switzerland as soon as possible and came to England to put it all behind her. So she was disillusioned with communism. Yes, especially after Russia invaded Finland. She considered it a naked act of aggression.

20:26It made her see Stalin for who he was, another dictator. I wish I'd had the same clear-sightedness a bit sooner myself. Thank you, Mr. Foot. You've been most helpful. I think we can take a break.

20:45A month later, Great Rollwright, the Cotswolds. In her farmhouse cottage kitchen, Ursula is mixing a cake for her son Peter's fourth birthday when there's a knock at the door. She wipes her hands on her apron and goes to open it. three men stand outside a uniformed policeman and two in civilian clothes one of the civilians wears a trilby hat and mackintosh a pipe hangs from the corner of his mouth the policeman removes his helmet good day mrs burton i am detective constable herbert of chipping norton police station these gentlemen would like to speak with you may we come in now Wow. I'm in the middle of baking a cake.

21:34I best suppose you're going to want to come in anyway. She ushers the three men into the living room. But before she can ask them to sit, the man with the hat removes his pipe and starts talking. I'm Mr. Sneddon and this is my colleague, Mr. Savile. We know you used to be a Russian agent until the Finnish war disillusioned you. we're aware that you haven't been active in England and we are not here to arrest you. If his intention was to wrong foot Ursula it has the opposite effect. She's been expecting the knock at the door ever since becoming a spy but she didn't expect it to be quite so comical.

22:17Would you like a cup of tea, Constable? Yes, please. Milk and two sugars. And Mr Sneddon? Well, go on then. Yes, please. and Savile will have one too.

22:36Moments later, Ursula pours tea, sits and looks expectantly at Sneddon. So, are you going to tell me what this is about? It's about your time in Switzerland. We know you became disillusioned with communism and are now a loyal British subject. so there's nothing to fear if you cooperate and tell us about your activities there I am a loyal British subject now but that doesn't oblige me to speak about my past I am quite happy to talk about my years in England I've been very happy here she sees Ned and watch her as she glances through the window to where Len is working in the garden Why refuse to tell us about it if you've done nothing wrong?

23:26We have information about what you were doing from a leak in Russian intelligence. We just need you to clear up a few ambiguities. I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't intend to tell lies and therefore I prefer not to answer your questions. Shall I fetch my husband?

23:50Len, we have visitors!

24:01Minutes later, Bjerton joins them from the garden and Ursula excuses herself. I was about to put a cake in the oven when you arrived. Would you mind if I did that while you speak to Len? Then, Sneddon looks a little put out, but she goes back to the kitchen anyway and listens through the open door as she spoons cake mixture into a tin. Mr. Puritan, I understand you knew Alexander Foot. Footy, yes. What's he doing nowadays? Ursula puts the cake in the oven and returns to the men with a fresh pot of tea. Top up, anyone? Mr. Sneddon? Thank you. Mrs. Beerton, your loyalty to your former employers is understandable, but you know it would not be reciprocated.

24:54My loyalties are to ideals, not people. But you are anti-communist now. I wouldn't describe myself as anti-communist, but I don't see any contradiction between being a loyal British subject and holding left-wing views. You may not, Mrs. Beerton, but if you don't come clean, others in your family may come under suspicion. Ursula doesn't answer, and Sneddon picks up his hat and pipe and prepares to leave. If you change your mind about talking, get in touch with Detective Herbert.

25:36Ursula shows the three men out, and just as they are about to leave, Saville, who has remained quiet throughout the exchange, speaks for the first time. It's beautiful here. It must be lovely living like this. I shouldn't mind it. If the observation is supposed to be a threat to her established way of life, Ursula ignores it. That could be arranged. I happen to be looking for a lodger.

26:14Late 1947, Great Rollwright. It's early morning when Ursula hears the post arriving and leaves her bedroom to retrieve it. As she passes along the landing, she glances through an open door at her sleeping father. Robert Kaczynski has been living with the family for the past three months since Ursula's mother died, but his cancer is in its final stages. She knows it won't be long before she loses him too. In the hallway, she sorts through the post and spots a letter from Berlin. She tears it open. The paper has been folded more than once. MI5 have not been back, but Ursula suspects they are monitoring her mail and movements.

27:08Not that she's been doing much of anything since Moscow ceased communication more than a year ago. She takes the letter to the kitchen, where Len is sitting, smoking and staring into space. It's starting to rain, and Ursula shivers in the early morning chill, wishing the money from the centre hadn't dried up. With just Len's wages from his job at the aluminium factory to live off, they can't afford to heat the house properly. She sits and moves her chair close to Len, so that the lodger they have taken in to help with the bills will not overhear her. I've had a letter from Jürgen. Her brother moved to East Berlin at the end of the war and is working there as an academic.

27:56He's suggesting we move out there, Len. It's a possibility. What do you think? I don't speak very good German. She gets up and goes to the window, looking out as heavy rain falls outside. Len is increasingly depressed these days and can only see the negatives. But for her, East Berlin sounds like the new communist utopia she always dreamed of, and moving there would mean getting rid of MI5 for good. Leaving won't be easy. She's already forced her young family to move several times over, and finally they're settled. She's not sure she can bring herself to uproot them again.