Oleg Gordievsky was a figure of profound historical importance. No mere defector, he was a long term deep penetration agent inside the KGB and Britain’s most significant double agent during the Cold War. He opened up the inner workings of the KGB to the West at a pivotal juncture in history, revealing not just what they were doing, but also what they were thinking. Prior to receiving Gordievsky’s reports both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher had understood the Cold War in terms of a communist threat against democracy. It was in part thanks to Gordievsky that they came to see the Soviet anxiety might be more dangerous than Soviet aggression.
The Spy and the Traitor reads like a thriller - indeed, at times I would forget I was reading non fiction, it felt more like I was immersed in a John le Carré novel. The section dealing with operation Pimlico ( the plan to exfiltrate Gordievsky out of Russia ) alone is as intense and exciting as any spy fiction.
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook