The Ultimate Cold War Spy Story

The Ultimate Cold War Spy Story

A Soviet double agent at the top of his game, a deadly game of cat and mouse with the KGB and one of the most daring escapes of the Cold War from the very heart of Moscow. In this archive episode, Dan talks to author Ben Macintyre about the life of Oleg Gordievsky and what might be the ultimate Cold War Spy story. Appalled by the brutality of the Soviet regime Gordievsky was recruited by MI6 whilst stationed in Copenhagen during the 1970s. For more than ten years he fed precious secrets to western intelligence agencies whilst rising up the ranks of the KGB eventually become the London station chief. Having been suddenly recalled to Moscow and following his drugging and interrogation it was time for Gordievsky to escape and so operation Operation Pimlico was launched.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(1493)

The Adventuress

The Adventuress

In the 1930s Lady Lucy Houston was one of the richest women in England and a household name, notorious for her virulent criticisms of the government, but politics had been far from her mind when, as y...

12 Feb 202021min

A Very Stable Genius

A Very Stable Genius

Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig are both Pulitzer Prize winning journalists at the Washington Post.They've written a new book with yet more revelations from inside the Trump White House so Dan seized ...

10 Feb 202022min

Dresden. 75 years on.

Dresden. 75 years on.

75 years ago this week Dresden, in Saxony, known as the ‘jewel box’ because of its stunning architecture was obliterated by British and American bombers. The flames reached almost a mile high. Around ...

9 Feb 202035min

The British Republic

The British Republic

Paul Lay, editor of History Today, has written a great book about the rise and fall of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate (1653–1659), England's sole experiment in republican government – and one of the m...

6 Feb 20201h 1min

Flu pandemics. Then and Now.

Flu pandemics. Then and Now.

'We are very very vulnerable' says the brilliant science author and journalist Laura Spinney. Her fantastic book 'Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World' is a shocking accoun...

5 Feb 202029min

Confronting a Nazi past

Confronting a Nazi past

Derek Niemman and Noemie Lopian work together. Two people from very different backgrounds, they tour the world telling people about their family stories.Author and writer Derek Niemann discovered only...

4 Feb 202032min

Night of the Bayonets

Night of the Bayonets

75 years ago this spring a fascinating but forgotten battle was fought in the dying days of the Second World War. A group of Georgians rose up against their German overlords on the Dutch island of Tex...

29 Jan 202024min

Max Eisen: Surviving Auschwitz

Max Eisen: Surviving Auschwitz

Max Eisen was only 15 when he and his family were taken from their Hungarian home to the infamous Auschwitz Concentration Camp during the Second World War. All of his relatives were killed; only Max s...

27 Jan 20201h 17min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
kod-katastrof
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
p3-historia
historiepodden-se
rss-historien-om
olosta-mord
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-seriemordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
rss-massmordarpodden
palmemordet
rss-arkiv-stieg
militarhistoriepodden
nu-blir-det-historia
rss-borgvattnets-hemligheter
rss-folkets-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia