Oleg Gordievsky could be considered the Russian equivalent of the notorious British double-agent Kim Philby. Born to parents who were both KGB agents and educated in the finest Soviet institutions, Gordievsky, a sophisticated and astute individual, came to view his country’s communism as both criminal and uninspiring. Joining Russian intelligence in 1968, he eventually rose to become the Soviet Union’s key figure in London. However, from 1973 onward, he was clandestinely working for MI6. Throughout the closing years of the Cold War, Gordievsky played a crucial role in helping the West outmaneuver the KGB. Exposing Russian spies and thwarting numerous intelligence plots, he worked tirelessly as the Soviet leadership, growing increasingly paranoid about the United States’s nuclear capabilities, brought the world perilously close to war. MI6, keen to protect Gordievsky, never disclosed his identity to the CIA. Ironically, the CIA became fixated on uncovering the identity of Britain’s high-level source, and their obsession ultimately led to Gordievsky’s downfall. The CIA officer assigned to identify him was none other than Aldrich Ames, who would later become infamous for covertly spying for the Soviets.
Ben Macintyre unfolds the intriguing three-way gamesmanship among America, Britain, and the Soviet Union. The narrative reaches its climax with the cinematic and tension-filled account of Gordievsky’s harrowing escape from Moscow in 1985. Macintyre’s latest work, akin to the finest novels by John le Carré, immerses readers in a world of treachery and betrayal where the lines blur between the personal and the professional. In this narrative, one man’s disdain for communism holds the potential to reshape the future of nations.