The Spy Who Saved MI5 (Encore) | The Dominoes Fall | 4

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0:16September 24th, 1971. The Foreign Office, London. John Leahy strolls down the corridor towards the press briefing room. Leahy is the Foreign Office's head of news, and this afternoon there's a spring in his step. He greets the civil servant waiting for him outside the briefing room. How's it looking there? Full house? Yes, sir. Slow news day, apparently. Well, let's see if we can't help them out with that.

0:47Leahy strides into the briefing room. The morose bored journalists don't even acknowledge his arrival. Leahy shrugs it off. He knows today's briefing will shake them out of their apathy. He walks to the lectern, opens his folder of notes, and experiences a surge of adrenaline. Hello, gentlemen. My colleague informs me your editors are in search of some headlines. Permit me to assist. At quarter past three this afternoon, the permanent undersecretary handed a list of names to the Soviet-charged affair in London. On that list were the names of 90 Soviet officials, who we have good reason to believe work as Russian intelligence officers.

1:30These men and women must leave the country within the next two weeks. Another 15 Soviet officials who are currently traveling outside the country will be refused re-entry to Britain. Some of the journalists leaned forward in their seats, roused from their stupor. No one expected such drastic action from the British Foreign Office. The Soviets will not be allowed to replace any of those expelled. These men and women are known to have engaged in espionage on British soil. These activities include plotting sabotage operations on critical civilian and military infrastructure. One of the journalists raises his hand.

2:15Is this related to the news of a KGB defector as reported in today's London Evening News? No comment. The journalists take that as a yes. Another hand goes up. Sorry, did you say 19 spies? No. 90. 9-0. As the scale of the British response becomes clear, one of the journalists rises from his chair and runs for the bank of phones set up at the far end of the room. Others follow. Soon the room is filled with urgent conversation as each journalist demands their editor hold the front page. Leahy smiles. After months of planning, Operation Foot is underway. 105 Soviet spies are getting booted out of Britain.

3:06But now Britain's made its move. It must brace for the retaliation. For there's no doubt that the Soviets will respond. The only question is how hard, swift, and damaging their response will be.

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4:29From Wondery, I'm Raza Jaffrey, and this is The Spy Who. On the last episode, Oleg Lelen and Irina Tepliakova defected to Britain. MI5 secured a treasure trove of KGB secrets, and Prime Minister Edward Heath approved Operation Foot, the plan to kick 105 Soviet spies out of Britain. Now, Operation Foot is in motion. But the government and MI5 know it's only a matter of time before the Soviets respond to Britain's decisive strike at the KGB. You're listening to The Spy Who Saved MI5. Episode 4. The Domino's Fall.

5:24Around a cottage at the end of a country road in south-east England, CCTV cameras swivel, and pressure pad alarms lay hidden among the bushes. Behind the green-painted front door, Oleg Lelin comforts his girlfriend, Irina Tepliachova. He's right, Hirushka. You know as well as I that they won't stop until they've found us. Lelin's MI5 handler, Tony Brooks, nods in agreement. Plastic surgery is really the best option here. The news of your defection has leaked. We've announced the expulsion of your former comrades. It's only a matter of time before your names and faces appear on the front pages.

6:09And not to sound indelicate, but we don't want two dead Russians on our hands. Brooke's bluntness shakes Tepliachova from her grief. He leans forward. You don't have to decide today. We strongly recommend plastic surgery, but it's your decision. There are other ways to disappear. Of course. And we can and will support you. We'll provide shoes that make you taller, training on how to move and act differently, vocal work. As for location, we're thinking Bournemouth or Yorkshire, somewhere a good distance from London. Why not London? Seven million people live there. We'd be invisible. The risks are too severe, Oleg.

6:48The Soviet embassy and trade delegation are based there. London is where you're most likely to accidentally bump into someone. How will we afford to live? They will be exactly as we agreed. You'll be a quiet European couple of means. You'll get a generous lump sum plus annual payments for the rest of your life. You can work for pleasure or interest, but you won't have to worry about money. Teplyakova and Lelin look at each other. Their affairs already cost them their country, their families and their children. Now their identities and their faces are going too.

7:30September 24th, Mayfair, London. The evening Operation Foot was announced. In a large room at MI5 headquarters, the team's enjoying a rare celebration. The door of a huge vault filled with bottles of wine and whiskey hangs wide open. In one corner, two MI5 officers trade gossip. So, let me get this straight. Irina wasn't the only one. He had three women on the go, and the rest. Don't know how he managed them all. What a dog. Couldn't manage the admin myself. The expulsion of 105 Soviet spies represents the service's greatest win since the Second World War. It's also a much-needed victory after MI5's failure to prevent former British intelligence officer Kim Philby's defection to Russia in 1963.

8:20Operation Foot has smashed Soviet spy operations in Britain. The MI5 officers stop talking as Director General Martin Furnival-Jones calls the room to attention

8:36Furnival-Jones waits for the chatter to stop and then addresses his troops Ladies and gentlemen, may I be the first to say to you all, congratulations For Furnival-Jones, today has been a long time coming After years of being outplayed by the KGB, Britain's Homeland Security Service has finally managed to deal a blow to Soviet intelligence. Your diligence and hard work has finally paid off. We've succeeded in turning a major Russian asset, and that has given us grounds to expel dozens of KGB officers. We have dealt a profound blow to Soviet intelligence operations in our country and upheld the security of Her Majesty's realm Your work is also making the world safer Our colleagues in France, Germany, America and beyond are sending messages of congratulations and now hope to persuade their governments to follow our example Across the world, the KGB will be feeling the heat Furnival Jones raises his glass into the air So drink, you've earned it But a word of caution No good expulsion goes unpunished The Foreign Secretary will meet the Soviet Foreign Minister in New York tomorrow I think we can all anticipate how that exchange will go The Russians, they take their vengeance like they take their vodka Neat, swift and usually in a series of shots.

10:20Still, that's tomorrow's problem. And tonight, we drink. The party lasts long into the night. But the dawn will bring with it the threat of reprisal.

10:37The next day. In a side room within the United Nations building in New York, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko jabs his finger into the chest of British Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas Hume. Provocatia! Provocatia! Sir Alec feigns ignorance. He's enjoying having the upper hand. Andrei, what exactly is on your mind? You know very well. How dare you expel our people and threaten us? What gives you the rights? My dear man, I am flattered. Do you really think my country can threaten yours? Gromyko scowls. This is no laughing matter. Sir Alex Manor hardens. This is not the first time the pair have addressed the issue of Soviet spies in London.

11:34I have written to you time and again about this problem, and you had every opportunity to deal with this matter privately. Instead, you just ignored my letters. Your claims were entirely fabricated. A mirage of your own making. Another baseless attack against Russia's virtuous name. We have no spies in your little country. Come on now. Seriously? I resent your implication. With the greatest respect, why would we want to spy on England? It's tragic in its way. You will still believe you're this great empire. Such delusion. Gromyko has overstepped the line Sir Alec spots an opportunity to deliver a counterpunch to Gromyko's ego Well then I am glad that we've been able to inform you just how many Soviet officials in Britain work for the KGB Or perhaps you simply lack the necessary security clearance to be informed Gromyko seethes He's caught in a bind This is diplomatic hooliganism.

12:39You bear full responsibility for this provocation. Know this. If you proceed, Anglo-Soviet relations will be forever ruined. And there will be consequences. And if you retaliate by expelling our people from Moscow, we will respond in kind. We know the identities of many other Soviet intelligence officers operating in our country, and won't hesitate to boot them out too, if we must. The two men glare at one another for a moment. Then, with a sharp nod, Sir Alec leaves the room. He just hopes his threat is enough to protect Britain from the Soviets' retaliation. Five days later, outside the Soviet embassy in London Daily Express reporter Roy Blackman watches the door Ready to pounce on any Soviet official that emerges Blackman's editor has dispatched him here to try and get the scoop on the identity of the KGB defector So far, neither the British or Soviets are naming him

13:58Blackman spots Vladimir Pavlov leaving the embassy and rushes over He knows Pavlov is a new arrival Sent in by Moscow to deal with the unfolding chaos in London Mr. Pavlov, Roy Blackman, Daily Express Moment of your time, please What do you want? What is the name of the Soviet who defected to Britain? Pavlov pauses and lights a cigarette He senses that this could be an opportunity to regain control of the situation The British are already arresting the agents Leland knows about Siraj Abdul-Khadir and two others are already facing imprisonment Maybe he can save others from the same fate You understand, I am not permitted to give you his name And if your own government won't help you with your story, why should I?

14:53But he is a spy, that's true, right? I'm as puzzled as you about these claims. He's a man of little importance, and who knows, maybe he'll come back to us, so it would be foolish to brand him. If he is of such minor importance, you won't mind sharing his name then. Pavlinov flicks his cigarette onto the ground and stubs it out with his heel. You know the traitor's name already. You published it in your paper a month ago. Ten lines. How can I put it? He is someone who likes to drink. How does that help? We know he's Russian. And who likes to drive. Pavlinov smiles as the reporter races away. By morning, Leland's name and photo will be known across the world.

15:45Every agent he hasn't already betrayed will have a chance to cover their tracks. And with the fallout from Leland's defection contained, the Soviets can now focus on how to respond to the British expulsions.

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18:35an emergency meeting of the Politburo, the Communist Party committee that runs the Soviet Union. As he enters the lounge, the other members of the Politburo rise to their feet. Sit. Sit. I've cut short my tour and cancelled tonight's banquet with the Prime Minister of India because of this mess in London. Andropov, explain yourself. KGB chief Yuri Andropov calmly adjusts his thick glasses. He knows Brezhnev will want to pin this on him and use it to rein in the KGB's power, and he has no intention of allowing that. The British expulsions are a temporary setback. We still have a strong presence in Britain.

19:21I don't care about the expulsions. Brezhnev cuts in. I care about this traitor, Leland. He knows all about Department V and its plans, knowledge that will undermine my attempts to reduce tensions with the West. Why was this allowed to happen? Leland is a drunk and a womanizer. This much we already knew. But the officer we dispatched to investigate Leland failed to press these concerns with sufficient vigor, causing the risk to be ignored. The officer will be punished for this. Brezhnev bristles at Andropov's maneuvering. None of this helps. Department V has been exposed. This failure has set back our efforts to find a way to counter NATO's military advantage by years.

20:11It will be fixed. It won't. Not by you, at least. I am taking control of this situation. You will dismantle Department V and recall its officers to Moscow. Andropov looks dismayed. Brezhnev's order will risk the lives of his officers and weaken the KGB's presence across the world. That would immediately confirm the recalled agents as spies. They'll be unable to work outside the USSR again. Better ex-spies at home than live spies in enemy hands. The damage must be contained. Andropov seethes. It is clear that Brezhnev is using Lelin's defection as an opportunity to wrest control of the Soviet Union away from the KGB.

20:59Why punish our agents for Lelin's betrayal? There is another way. We respond to the expulsions in kind. We could wipe out the British presence in Moscow. That is no longer your call to make. Comrades. Brezhnev has made his point. It's time to leave. As the meeting breaks up, Andropov pulls aside one of his deputies. What are you waiting for? Find Leland. Kill him. The deputy nods in understanding. The traitor must pay.

21:41Three days later, Marlborough Magistrates Court, London. Order. The magistrate looks around his packed courtroom. So many people turned out to see Oleg Leland stand trial for drink driving that some had to be turned away. Lennon's name has been splashed across the front pages And the world's press want a glimpse of the man the papers call A KGB super spy At 10.30 sharp, the court jailer stands to address the room Remand number one, sir No answer A police sergeant steps into the empty witness box And turns to the magistrate No appearance, sir The magistrate surveys the audience He wonders if any of the people in the gallery are KGB assassins sent in the hope that Leland would make an appearance.

22:35He nods at the police sergeant in the witness box. Very well. Everyone in court looks puzzled at the magistrate's lack of concern at Leland's no-show. But the government's already told him it's too dangerous for Leland to attend court and that it plans to dismiss the charges.

23:04October 1971, MI5 safehouse, southeast England. Sit still, please, Mr. Leland. These photographs are a vital part of the process. In Leland and Tepliachova's heavily guarded countryside hideaway, a plastic surgeon hired by MI5 photographs Oleg Leland's face. All being well, the spy will undergo the first of several operations to alter his appearance the following week. Make sure you get my best side. On that note, you take requests this jawline could do with a tuck. Please, stop moving. It's not like I'll be working in the canteen of the Soviet embassy. At least, permit me to keep my looks. Mr.

23:44Lennon, I'm not here to fix your flaws. I'm here to make you someone else. Turn around, please. How long will the operation take? Operations, Mr. Leland. This will be a multi-stage process. Your wounds should have healed by the spring. The surgeon puts down his camera and uses a pen to mark out lines for incision on Leland's face. Leland holds still as the surgeon draws dotted lines beneath his eyes. And what about my arena? You're doing her too, right? I hope so. You have a steady hand, I can see. By the way, if you need some inspiration for her makeover, I have a few suggestions. I'm surprised you think this is funny, Mr.

24:26Lennon. I'm being serious. As am I. My job is not to flatter you, but help you stay alive. Hold still. The surgeon picks up his camera and takes another reference photo.

24:48October 4th, 1971 Tilbury Docks, Essex Through the autumn fog, more than 200 expelled Soviets and their families watch as dockers load their belongings onto the aging cruise ship Baltica

25:08Yellow stains streak from the ship's porthole, and smoke rises lazily from her chimney stack. A hammer and sickle flag flutters from the stern. At the foot of the gangway, one expelled Russian diplomat barks at the dock workers as they ready his belongings for the crane to lift on board. Careful with that, I will hold you personally responsible for any breakages. Sure thing, Vlad. Send me the invoice when you reach Leningrad. Like many of his colleagues, the diplomat has filled his luggage with luxuries that fetch a high price on the black market back home. Items like Coca-Cola, cigarettes and whiskey.

25:58Bewildered children clutch their teddy bears and watch as a crane lifts their parents' cars into the air and onto the ship.

26:08The diplomat heads up the gangway. He glances at the press photographers peering through their lenses from behind the dock's wire fence. Each of them, hoping to capture the moment, the KGB got the boot. He steps aboard and joins the crush of Soviets lining the ship's decks. All aboard! We're ready to sail! Daskarava, London. As the Baltica sails along the River Thames and out into the North Sea, the diplomats watch London and Britain disappear into the mist. Their mission here has failed. But each man comforts himself that even if they personally won't ever get the opportunity to return, the Soviet Union will surely kick Britain's diplomats out of Moscow in revenge.

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