The librarian who stole KGB secrets

The librarian who stole KGB secrets

When an elderly man with a battered suitcase walked into the British embassy in Vilnius in 1992, few could have guessed what he was about to hand over. Gordon Corera tells the story of Vasili Mitrokhin, an under-the-radar Soviet archivist who copied thousands of classified KGB documents over 12 years. Speaking to Elinor Evans, he reveals how a project that began as a private rebellion against the agency he once served evolved into one of the greatest intelligence coups of the 20th century. (Ad) Gordon Corera is the author of The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB (William Collins, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spy-Archive-Gordon-Corera/dp/0008644799/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(2565)

When did Roman Britain really end?

When did Roman Britain really end?

How did England – and Englishness – emerge from the final days of Roman Britain? And what separated Englishness from Britishness? Emeritus professor Nicholas Higham –whose latest book is How England ...

26 Apr 32min

How the Vikings reshaped Anglo-Saxon England

How the Vikings reshaped Anglo-Saxon England

Alfred the Great’s victory over the Vikings at the battle of Edington brought the campaign of the Great Heathen Army to an end – but it didn't conclude the wider story. In the final episode of our Sun...

25 Apr 35min

Preview: The surprising history of pizza

Preview: The surprising history of pizza

It's now among the world's most popular foods – but what do we know about the origins of pizza? Today on the HistoryExtra podcast, we're bringing you a slice of our new series, History's Greatest Dish...

24 Apr 14min

A short history of running

A short history of running

Why do people run marathons in their thousands these days? Carl Morris, in conversation with Dave Musgrove, traces the origins of running as a sport back to the heyday of 19th-century pedestrianism. T...

23 Apr 35min

Mary Beard on why the classics still matter

Mary Beard on why the classics still matter

What's the role of the classical past in the modern day? In this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, internationally renowned classicist Mary Beard reflects on her long career, and discusses the ongo...

21 Apr 41min

Elizabeth II: life of the week

Elizabeth II: life of the week

This April marks the centenary of the birth of Elizabeth II. In this special episode of our Life of the Week series, historian Kate Williams guides Charlotte Vosper through the late Queen’s life, pick...

20 Apr 49min

Retracing Eleanor of Castile's final journey

Retracing Eleanor of Castile's final journey

At the end of the 13th century, England was gripped by grief as news of the queen's death shook the nation. Eleanor of Castile's funeral procession from Lincoln to London would become one of the most ...

19 Apr 39min

How Alfred the Great saved the Anglo-Saxons from the Vikings

How Alfred the Great saved the Anglo-Saxons from the Vikings

As the Viking Great Heathen Army advanced to the borders of Wessex, the conquest of Anglo-Saxon England appeared all but complete. In the third episode of our Sunday Series on the Viking invasion of A...

18 Apr 33min

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