Wow, just wow. This is the story of Oleg Gordievsky, who for 11years spied for the MI6, deceiving his KBG colleagues. He became the first spy to be recalled to Moscow, and subsequently escape the USSR. The author, Ben Macintyre, does a phenomenal job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, switching between first hand accounts of Gordievsky himself. Macintyre interviewed him extensively, as well as the former officers involved in the case, resulting in an incredible thriller and portrait of high stake espionage. James Bond brought to life, if you will.
The remarkable tale starts with Gordievsky's family - his father is a retired KBG officer, and his elder brother Vitali a KBG 'illegal' (a KBG agent, undercover in a foreign Russian embassy) - which meant that for Gordievsky, enrolment was a natural next step. Gordievsky's education and apt for languages meant he had a bright career ahead of him.
The picture we are painted is that of a man driven by strong ideology. Starting his career in East Berlin, he witnessed first hand the construction of the Berlin Wall, a physical manifestation of the communist regime separating East and West. From there, Gordievsky was posted in Copenhagen as a junior spy - here he was able to open his eyes to western literature, newspapers and a free way of living. All, things that were either prohibited or strongly discouraged in his motherland.
Again, he saw first hand in 1968 how Czechoslovakian's who looked to rebel against the USSR oppressive regime were quickly and violently neutralised - tanks rolled into Prague in the now infamous Prague Spring. We're told a developing story of how these experiences shaped Gordievsky's political ideology, and his growing resentment towards the oppressive USSR regime. As a child, Gordievsky saw his father blindly follow his KGB orders, which he imagines included untold atrocities. All these contribute to Gordievsky's desire to fight the communist regime, but from the inside.
After a second stint in Copenhagen, Gordievsky's name eventually comes across the desk of MI6, who then engage in what seems a ludicrous chase. Both sides paranoid of the other, unwilling to openly express their intentions for fear of rejection & the severe diplomatic fallout that could cause. Eventually, they work together, and Gordievsky would go on to meet his MI6 counterparts monthly. With a Yale-certified memory, Gordievsky passes vast quantities of detail around current & former KBG operations, eventually even pinching microfilms and handing over duplicates.
It seems as if Gordievsky is genuinely driven by ideology - not money, power or ego = so as a reader I develop a genuine empathy for the double life and incredible stress he must have been under. It was at this point that the story takes an intriguing turn - Gordievsky is recalled back to Moscow.
From Moscow, Gordievsky has access to an extensive treasure trove of information to fuel the West's intelligence. However, MI6 remain cautious over making any contact whilst he is in enemy territory, coming up with an almost comical extraction emergency plan, should the need arise. Codenamed PIMLICO, the bizarre plan involved Gordievsky holding a Safeway bag & grey cap, bumping into a MI6 agent eating a KitKat of Mars bar - this being the signal that would mean Gordievsky would be smuggled into a British diplomats car boot, and driven to the Finnish border and Western civilisation.
After a long period of silence, Gordievsky is eventually posted back to London as part of KBG's rezidenta. With a memory-full of KGB's biggest secrets, Gordievsky moved to London and began fuelling MI6 intelligence, even briefing Thatcher before meetings with Gorbachev. In the meantime, Gordievsky kept his KGB career trajectory on the up, as MI6 fed him low-grade intelligence to increase his value within the KGB, whilst also expelling any colleagues who could pose a threat.
Incredibly, we're told the story of Labour leader Michael Foot's (who lost to Thatcher in the 70's) backhanders from the KGB, along with defective British agents such as Michael Bettaney, who threatened to expose the whole operation.
Gordievsky's eventual betrayal came from Aldrich Ames, a CIA agent who tipped off Moscow in exchange for years of backhanders to fuel his wife's extravagant lifestyle. Recalled to Moscow from London, Gordievsky is interrogated by the KGB but never confesses - eventually, the elaborate PIMLICO rescue operation is launched, and incredibly manages to work. I can't do it justice here, but the operation involved the bizarre KitKat/safeway plastic bag signalling, high speed car chases, a stinky baby nappy to ward off sniffer dogs, and more. A perfect end to a wildly engrossing read.
Unfortunately, Gordievsky has to leave his wife & two children behind when he escapes to the West, eventually reuniting six years later, though the marriage doesn't survive.
The author leaves us in no doubt that Gordievsky was one of the most influential spy's of all time, playing a profound role in undermining the Soviet system, exposing the paranoia and gullible thinking of the KGB to western leaders. In Moscow, Gordievsky remains under a death sentence - in London, he lives as a retired pensioner in a small semi in the South London suburbs.