In the New York Review of Books, there is a fascinating quote about a spy who was the most fascinating and efficient of all the British and American spies in the service of the Soviet Union. But at the same time the most unfathomable and least known spy.
He is the KGB's spy star, and George Blake, who created another miracle in the history of espionage after Harold King Philby, who is known as the "best spy of the 20th century". Still, many like to call him a British double agent.
A double agent is one who, on the surface, is still in the service of a country's spy agency, but in fact has long been loyal to the hostile forces and is willing to give everything they have. Such a person is described as a negative undercover agent in mainland terms, and is often used in anti-narcotics.
Despite George's own explanations, it was almost never clear what actually motivated George to work for the Soviet Union for long periods of time. Maybe it's because of the belief in the lofty ideals of communism, or maybe it's because the British and American faces are too ugly.
However, Simon Kuper, who had a close contact with George, has been trying to solve many of the mysteries surrounding him, especially when it comes to his conversion. "I thought it was all so weird. Simon said.
Because judging from the comparison between the strength of Britain and the United States and the national strength of the Soviet Union at that time, the camp of Western countries undoubtedly had the upper hand. However, after working in the Far East to gather intelligence, George took the initiative to become an immortal fighter dedicated to communism.
In this way, what George experienced in the Far East is very remarkable. Perhaps, it was after coming into close proximity to socialism that George realized that the great experiment of socialism might eventually succeed. Therefore, he chose to dedicate himself to his ideals.
All of this was also written by George after his autobiography "No Other Choice" published in 1990. In this autobiography, George carefully recounts his life experiences and his transformation to communism. But he still did not divulge secret information about the KGB.
"The Last Cold War Mole" George Black
In addition to the title of double agent, George Black has another well-known title. This title is "The Last Cold War Mole". I believe that everyone knows the image and habits of the mole very well, that is, the image of a living underground party.
The word mole is undoubtedly the most appropriate description of this spy. The reason why I want to say that he is the last Cold War mole is actually mainly because George has a better ending. George lived in Russia for countless years. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, George was alive and well.
However, the double agent has received great honors. For example, George was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner during the Soviet era. Although the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia, which inherited the mantle of the Soviet Union, has not forgotten this double agent. On the contrary, he was quite kind to him.
Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that George was very strong in his belief in socialism, especially communism. Otherwise, George would not have been able to gain a long-lasting friendship with Russia. Secondly, relations between Russia and the West are not good either. It can even be called an old enemy.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Western countries, represented by Britain, France, and the United States, still did not give up their efforts to peacefully evolve Russia. As a result, Russia still has a lot of rivalry with the Western powers. Developing espionage and supporting espionage is part of that.
Russia and Britain also fell into tensions in 2007 over the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. Finally, Sergei Ivanov, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, spoke highly of George at a special event to celebrate his 85th birthday.
Ivanov said: "The information provided by Blake was always quick, accurate, extremely important and he was loyal to socialist ideals and believed in social justice. It is worth mentioning that George thinks he made the right choice when he recalls his spy career.
Even if he did it again, George would have thrown himself firmly and without hesitation into the embrace of socialism. According to George's public statements, he could have left his intelligence work and joined the Communist Party of Great Britain, or sold the Daily Workers' on a street corner.
But he feels that after putting aside his concerns, he can do more for this cause and make greater contributions. The business here was to become a double agent and provide the Soviets with a steady stream of accurate and dangerous intelligence from the Western world.
Two major contributions of double agent George Black
Why did George receive such an honor and courtesy? In fact, it is mainly due to his two major contributions. First, when George was working at MI6's headquarters in London, he provided the Soviet Union with a list of the general staff and work information of the British Secret Intelligence Service.
In other words, George provided a group of British spies to the KGB of the Soviet Union. And his identity was still not revealed, he was still a British agent! But he handed over all the lists of British spies to the Soviet Union, so that the Soviet Union could guard against them.
In addition, George also reported to the KGB on the details of the construction of the spy network by the British Secret Intelligence Service. It has been learned that the scope of these spy networks once extended to a number of socialist countries in Eastern Europe, and the number of espionage personnel included in them was as high as 400.
According to information released by the British government at the time, 42 loyal British spies were killed due to George's defection. And the British rightfully put this account on George. For this, the British judicial authorities sentenced George to 42 years in prison.
Second, George slapped the face of Western countries led by Britain and the United States in the international community. It's just that it is manifested by revealing the secrets of the "Berlin Tunnel". The Berlin Tunnel refers to a tunnel dug by Western countries from West Berlin to East Berlin.
However, as soon as George learned of this plan, he informed his head of contact in the KGB. As a result, the KGB felt that George's spy was very valuable. In order to protect his identity as a spy, the KGB did not even inform the Soviet government of his existence.
What is very surprising is that the Soviet side is so strange that it has not moved. George was thrilled to find that the Soviets, who had always been known for their domineering and brutality, had changed their tactics. Perhaps the Soviet side's attempt, he believed, was incomparably correct.
Socialism is to expose the ugly face of capitalism in public in order to conform to its sincere and unpretentious character. Sure enough, under the design of the Soviet side, the tunnel was made public. Then, the Soviet side humiliated Britain and the United States in front of the international community.
From hypocritical capitalism to socialism
Through these two masterpieces, it is not difficult to find that George has a particularly prominent and significant characteristic when he is a spy. This characteristic is to go out of their way for the sake of their ideals. George didn't care about his own life, nor did he care about the game between the great powers. George has always been conscientious.
However, George did not come from a family of spies, and was not very interested in espionage in the early days. The main reason why he participated in espionage work was that George had personally experienced the "misdeeds" and consistent ugly features of the US military on the border of North Korea.
George worked in the Far East as a diplomat in Seoul. At that time, South Korea was under the rule of South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee. However, George saw Syngman Rhee as a dictator and that the regime he established in the Republic of Korea was corrupt and brutal.
The war waged by the Korean Communist Party was to overthrow this brutal regime. However, although George thought so, his apparent identity was that of a staff member sent from the Far East by Western countries. In this way, George was captured and then taken to North Korea.
After being escorted to North Korea, George was horrified by the brutality of the U.S. Air Force's wanton bombing of North Korean villages. Subsequently, the North Korean side and the Soviet side began the work of persuading them to surrender. After that, George was first introduced to Marx's Capital.
and Lenin's State and Revolution. Both books are classics expounding socialism. After reading it, George was extremely impressed. According to George's recollections: After a year in captivity, I offered to serve and work in the Soviet Union.
However, the Soviet side did not immediately believe George. Instead, it put him to the test for a year and a half. In the midst of the trial, George endured pain while completing the necessary work of strengthening his faith. Finally, the KGB accepted the warrior who had completed the transformation.
But George's identity was still a British spy. In March 1953, George returned to the UK with Soviet help and worked as an intelligence gathering officer at a MI6 branch. However, all intelligence was first submitted to the KGB of the USSR.
George then came to his final conclusion, which was: "Socialism is a very noble experiment, and it has the possibility of success, and if it succeeds, it means that humanity has taken a great step forward." I am willing to serve the future. ”
After that, George followed his inner beliefs and principles and firmly served the KGB of the Soviet Union. Perhaps, this result was determined when George was first exposed to communism in his youth. It's as if George had an inextricable marriage to Communism.
George, a young man living in Egypt, felt the beauty and charm of communism for the first time, and he eventually went to the arduous process of fighting for communism. Although people have mixed reviews of George. But George himself did not express regret.
In 2004, George Jorge, 82, made a silent confession in a dacha outside Moscow: I was a British agent, but I also gave a lot of important information to the Soviets for free. To this day, I still don't regret my choice.
Bibliography:
RAO Rong. He undermined the post-war British intelligence system, and neither the Nazi concentration camps nor the British prisons could hold him, and he was intimidated by the British spy king: George Blake. 2004(08).
Meng Fei Shu Jiaying.KGB spy British prison break. Global Military. 2005(06).
George Black, My Career as a Spy[M].Institute of International and Political Science, Moscow, Russia.2004.