The Spy Who Outran the KGB | Secrets and Chocolate Bars | 1

0:00Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Spy Who ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. Before we begin, a huge thank you to listeners Hazel, Brian and Mike, who requested that The Spy Who tells the tale of Oleg Gordievsky. Send your suggestions to thespywho at wondery.com.

0:29July 1985, 2.40pm, the Soviet Union. In a forest near the border with Finland, KGB officer turned British agent Oleg Gordievsky lies in the damp undergrowth. A few metres in front of him is a highway lay-by. He checks his watch, then strains his ears, hoping for the sound of a car turning off the highway. Gordievsky has spent the past few days evading KGB surveillance in what is probably a futile attempt to escape Soviet Russia. Britain's Foreign Intelligence Service, MI6, has never successfully extracted a Russian agent from the USSR, let alone one under near-constant scrutiny. And Gordievsky's rescuers are late.

1:23The silence stretches unbearably.

1:29Feeling dehydrated, Gordievsky swigs the last of the beer he brought with him, then tosses the bottle into the undergrowth. Shit! Gordievsky curses his carelessness. His fingerprints are on that beer bottle. He draws himself to his feet, then plunges his hands into the bracken until his fingers meet the smooth glass. The spy rolls the bottle in some mud. When satisfied that he has smudged away his fingerprints, he pushes the bottle deep into some tall grass, then returns to his hiding position.

2:08He tries to remain still, shuddering his shoulders occasionally to shoo away the ravenous mosquitoes. He checks his watch for what must be the 30th time. Where is MI6?

2:25emboldened by alcohol and boredom Gordievsky creeps into the lay-by there he crouches listening for cars he reasons that if anyone sees him they'll assume he's a hitchhiker the road is empty then on the horizon he spies a white saab speeding toward him with another car following close behind could this be them? he wonders Suddenly he realises his mistake. What if his rescuers have been found out and the KGB have come to arrest him? Gordievsky dives into a nearby bush, hoping that the occupants didn't catch his silhouette. Idiot. Control yourself.

3:12Peering through the leaves, Gordievsky hears the cars approach the lay-by. They begin to slow, then pull in.

3:23Gordievsky strains to make out the occupants of the cars Gordievsky holds his breath It's a moment of destiny Is he about to be rescued Or dragged back to Moscow?

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5:17From Wondery, I'm Indra Varma and this is The Spy Who. Beneath the veneer of the everyday lurks the realm of the spy. It's a murky world full of dark corners, sinister motives and corrupted morals. A place of paranoia and infiltration, sabotage and manipulation. In this season, we open the file on Oleg Gordievsky, the KGB officer who turned his back on Moscow to spy for Britain. His spying would reveal how the world almost sleepwalked into nuclear war in 1983. And his secret advice would help Western leaders steer East and West away from confrontation, hastening the end of the Cold War. But when his treachery was uncovered, he became a hunted man.

6:11You're listening to The Spy Who Outran the KGB. This is Episode 1. Secrets and Chocolate Bars.

6:291967, Denmark. 18 years before Oleg Gordievsky attempts to flee the USSR.

6:41In Copenhagen's red-light district, two Danish intelligence officers rest against a wall. They stand side by side, pretending to chat. But they're really watching the man who's just entered one of the nearby sex shops, Russian diplomat Oleg Gordievsky. It's the height of the Cold War, and the Danish intelligence service, PET, PET is out to monitor, investigate and neutralise threats from foreign powers. Its officers have been trailing Gordievsky ever since he arrived at the Soviet embassy a year ago. PET suspects he's no diplomat, but a KGB agent working undercover. Back in a minute. One of the Danish officers pushes off from the wall, then crosses the road and enters the sex shop.

7:35The officer descends into the shop's basement Gordievsky is at the counter paying for something The officer pretends to browse the pornographic magazines on the shelves Here you go, sir The officer glances toward the shopkeeper just in time to see him slide two magazines into a white plastic bag The officer looks away, not wanting to arouse suspicion but surely he wasn't mistaken. Those magazines had men on the covers. Didn't the files state Gordievsky is married? He waits for Gordievsky to leave then after a minute or so marvelling at the shop's exotic wares follows his mark outdoors. He returns to his colleague who offers him a quizzical glance.

8:24Anything? The first officer grins broadly. That evening, Gordievsky's apartment. In his apartment, Gordievsky smiles at his wife, Yelena, across the dinner table. She meets his gaze with a stern look. What? You'll never guess what I bought today. Gordievsky pulls out the two magazines and slides them across the dining table. Look here. In Russia, they pretend homosexuals don't exist. In Denmark, they publish entire magazines about them. Yelena eyes the covers as though they might soil her fingers. She opens one, grimaces, and shoots her husband a withering, practiced look. Is this what excites you now?

9:14His wife's sarcastic tone drags Gordievsky back to reality. Outwardly, she is the ideal KGB wife. Clever, loyal, the skilled translator who can support his work whenever needed. Inwardly, their marriage is hollow. He wants children. She does not. She recently revealed she had an abortion without telling him. Her quick tongue, once charming, now corrodes. Her disinterest in keeping their flat tidy, once evidence of her wild individuality, now rankles. Ignoring the mess of the living room, Gordievsky stands and sets the magazines on the mantelpiece, perversely proud. There. A reminder of what you're fighting against, Yelena.

10:07Yelena rolls her eyes and shuts herself in the bedroom. Gordievsky stares at the plate of half-eaten food she has left on the table. A meal he cooked for her after a long day at the embassy. He feels his anger rise. Denmark has shown him what life could be. Open, unafraid and free. Everything Moscow taught him to fear. And Yelena, clinging to that old world, has sealed herself off. Gordievsky pulls on his running shoes and, without a word, leaves the apartment. He pounds into the night to escape both his wife and the Soviet ideals he has begun to doubt.

10:58The following summer, Copenhagen. In a cramped office, the Danish intelligence surveillance team monitoring Gordievsky's home phone line switch on their reel-to-reel recorder. They hear Gordievsky calling his wife at home from his office in the Soviet Union's Danish embassy. Yelena, have you seen the news on TV? Tanks in Prague, students beaten the streets. It's unbelievable. There are already protesters here outside our embassy. Is it so surprising? What's happening in Prague is disgraceful. How could our leaders be so blind? The surveillance officers freeze. They too have heard the news Czechoslovakia's leaders have been trying to loosen Moscow's grip on their country by introducing greater political freedoms In response, Soviet tanks and troops have arrived to crush the movement and restore hardline control But for a KGB man to condemn Moscow on a phone line he must at least suspect is being monitored This is almost unthinkable Did he say disgraceful?

12:11He's furious. Quiet. Listen. I feel ashamed to wear their uniform. The agents exchange a glance. This was no slip of the tongue. Gordievsky's outrage rings with conviction. For the first time, the Danish officers glimpse the fissure in Gordievsky's loyalties, A crack that, given the right pressure and enough time, might yet split wide open.

12:48Five years later, 1973, Copenhagen. MI6 officer Richard Bromhead sweeps into the city hall. He's here to attend the opening of an art exhibition that's being attended by multiple foreign dignitaries. But he's come with an ulterior motive. To meet and evaluate Oleg Gordievsky. After the Prague Spring, Gordievsky returned to Moscow. PET assumed they missed their chance to turn him into a spy for the West. Now, Gordievsky's back at the Soviet embassy in Denmark, and the operation to recruit him has resumed. But after a failed attempt to entrap him with a male honey trap, the Danes have asked their British friends at MI6 for help.

13:42Bromhead steps into the hall. Champagne, sir. Right on cue. Thank you, my good man. Now, let's see. Across the room, Bromhead spots Gordievsky. He's standing with some other Soviet diplomats. Bromhead moves towards them, shaking hands and chatting to other guests as he closes in. He's been briefed by the Danes that Gordievsky could be a closeted homosexual. If they're right, he could be vulnerable to blackmail. Homosexuality is a criminal offence in the Soviet Union. Bromhead inserts himself into the huddle of Soviets.

14:26Bromhead smiles apologetically as if he mangled his Russian and German by mistake Like most things he does, it's a ruse For Bromhead, clowning provides the most fitting cover Gordievsky, polite but curious, responds in fluent German You are with the British Embassy? Yes, yes, embassy Bromhead notices Gordievsky slightly raise an eyebrow surprised that such an apparently unsophisticated man should be representing Britain on the diplomatic stage Good, there's power in being underestimated Bromhead uses the moment to consider the Russians' appearance Gordievsky is bluntly handsome his hair swept back from his forehead an athletic frame, perhaps a sportsman He has a humorous smile that lights up his face, but with something hard and hidden behind his convivial exterior.

15:28Bromhead gestures with comic grandeur at the walls. Good paintings, eh?

15:38The two men laugh at the futility of their exchange. But while they lack a shared language to discuss the art, each man recognises something in the other. Bromhead maintains eye contact for an extra second or two. Gordievsky doesn't fit his image of a homosexual. But he doesn't fit the KGB stereotype either. Something about him is different. Bromhead has spent years around KGB officers in various European cities. Gordievsky is not like the others. As the Soviets drift away to look at the artwork, Bromhead lingers, turning the thought over. The composure, the interest, the flicker of independence behind the eyes.

16:27Gordievsky could be worth an approach.

16:35A few weeks later, MI6 headquarters, London. Geoffrey Guskett, an intelligence officer on the Soviet desk, sits opposite a senior colleague. Between them lies an open file stamped with the codename Sunbeam. Puzzling man, buys homosexual magazines in Copenhagen, but shows no sign of interest in the honey traps the Danes set for him, and yet doesn't seem to hold much affection for the wife either. Bromhead didn't think he was queer either, and he'd know, bored in school and all that. Gusskett leafs through Gordievsky's dossier. The Russian comes from a pedigree KGB family. Both his father and brother worked in Soviet intelligence, all of which suggests he's unrecruitable.

17:25Yet the file carries another note. Guskert passes it to his senior officer. This is interesting. When he came over to our side, Standard Kaplan, one of Gordievsky's Czechoslovak KGB colleagues, an old running mate, named him for turning. Said he soured after the Soviets crushed the uprising there. Guskett weighs the contradiction. Family loyalty against ideological fracture. I don't deny it's worth an approach, but he's an unknown quantity. And Bromhead, well, subtlety isn't exactly a strong suit. Then don't rush him. Use a litmus test first. Guskett frowns, pen tapping against the folder. Or what exactly do you have in mind?

18:19A few weeks later. Gordievsky and his wife Yelena are eating another dinner in resentful silence when they're roused from their thoughts by a knock at the door. Gordievsky freezes. He and Yelena exchange a look. They rarely have visitors and never uninvited ones. Gordievsky opens the door and his stomach drops. On the threshold stands Kaplan. Once a comrade, now a defector. Kaplan! Oleg! I was in Copenhagen. Thought I'd better say hello. It's a lie, and both men know it. This is no chance visit. Kaplan has been sent. The question is, by whom?

19:15They sit, wary. Words falter. Yelena watches, her eyes narrowing at the undercurrent. You both look well. Life in Denmark suits you. We manage. What brings you to Copenhagen? Oh, just passing through. Thought it would be pleasant to see an old friend. Yes, we were friends, that's true. You've heard about my defection, I'm sure. Oleg, life in Canada, it's good. I can run without having to look over my shoulder.

19:52Gordievsky struggles to contain his astonishment at his old friend's candour. This is not a reunion. It is a test of loyalties. Kaplan wants to see how Gordievsky will respond, either now or after they bid their goodbyes. Each word must be carefully loaded. Even the silence feels loaded. The trio continue their polite conversation, discussing the weather in Canada and old colleagues. At last, Kaplan rises. Well, good to catch up, Oleg. Perhaps we could meet for lunch later this week. I'm very busy, but I'll check my diary and let you know. Yelena turns to her husband. You must report this. Of course.

20:41But he knows he won't. Kaplan was sent as a signal. Gordievsky knows that someone is interested in him, and he wants to know who they are and what it is that they want. He stands at a crossroads. To misstep now is to risk everything, and the price of error could be fatal.

21:08Later that week, Copenhagen. MI6 officer Richard Bromhead sits hunched in the driver's seat of his wife's car outside a sports centre. He tries to adjust the dial on the heater, but it's already set to maximum. He shivers in the Danish dawn. Oh, the glamour of surveillance work, he thinks to himself. Bloody hell. Bah! Enough of this.

21:42Bromhead enters the building and follows the signs to the badminton court. Through the glass in the door, he spots Oleg Gordievsky finishing a rally. The Russian looks over. He seems calm, almost amused to see Bromhead It's as if he had been expecting him Gordievsky strolls across, towel draped round his neck, eyes steady He addresses Bromhead in German, their shared second language You again? A badminton fan? Or did you come for me? Can't it be both? I had you pegged as more of a rugby man Bromhead smiles This flirting has gone on long enough It's time to make a move The truth is I'd love a private audience with a KGB officer And I believe you might be in a position to help Bromhead waits for outrage, denial, a storm But Gordievsky doesn't flinch So bold Well, your gamble paid off This is a wish I can grant Gordievsky speaks in a calm, matter-of-fact tone as though confessing the weather Good, then perhaps lunch Gordievsky nods Yes, let's After years of testing, circling, waiting at last, the door has opened The crucial meeting is on The question is Who is playing whom?

23:49Transcription by CastingWords Pacific Life, the power of a promise. Pacific Life Insurance Company, Omaha, Nebraska. And in New York, Pacific Life and Annuity, Phoenix, Arizona.

24:05October 22nd, 1974, Copenhagen. Oleg Gordievsky and Richard Bromhead leave the bar where they've spent the past hour. It's taken months to arrange the meeting they agreed on at the badminton court. But now it's finally happened. They've talked like old colleagues enjoying an after-work wind-down. Now they need somewhere more private to discuss the delicate matter they have been circling all evening. Defection. The night is crisp and quiet. They walk through the light snow to a nearby safe house.

24:46Bromhead turns a key in the lock and the two men sit down at the small bare table inside. The atmosphere has shifted. Bromhead no longer holds back. We know you have worked in line N of the first chief directorate, the most secret of all KGB departments, which runs illegals all over the world. Gordievsky does not hide his surprise that London is aware of the Soviet Union's global network of deep cover agents living under false identities. But he says nothing. Tell me, who is the PR line deputy in your section? The person in charge of political intelligence gathering and agent running? After a pause, Gordievsky breaks into a broad grin.

25:32I am. Bromhead is momentarily taken aback. He feels conflicted. Gordievsky seems genuine, a man he can trust. And yet, Bromhead knows better than to swallow a KGB officer's word. Bromhead reaches into his case and spreads out a handful of newspaper clippings about atrocities, gulags and repression in the Soviet Union. I am, in fact, aware of my government's actions. Do you think I'd have come here if I required further convincing that I must work to end my country's criminal regime? Bromhead studies him. Suspicion rises in the back of his mind. Has this all been a bit too easy? Gordievsky catches the Englishman's flicker of concern.

26:25The phone call I made during the Prague Spring. You were listening in, yes? Bromhead looked surprised. Well, not me personally, but... Yes, we heard you. Naturally. I was surprised it took you so long to approach me after that. I really couldn't have made things much clearer. Bromhead nods slowly. He and the Danes totally missed the subtext of that phone call. Is this a power play? Gordievsky's way of showing he's the one in control here. You'll need something to convince London, I expect. Would it help if I told you how the KGB forges identities? The illegals we send abroad. How they live, how they're sustained.