84. The Man Who Saved The World: A Friendship Shattered (Ep 5)

The Rest Is Classified

Goalhanger

History

4.6 • 732 Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Just as Oleg Gordievsky was moments away from being the KGB’s most senior man in Britain, he is recalled to Moscow. Has his spying been revealed? What can MI6 do? And will he return to his homeland knowing he may never leave again? Listen as David and Gordon continue their series on Oleg Gordievsky by looking at his return to Moscow and the fateful decision it forces him to make. ------------------- Join The Declassified Club: Start your free trial at ⁠⁠therestisclassified.com⁠⁠ - go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, quarterly livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community. To sign up to the free newsletter, go to: ⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up⁠ ⁠ ------------------- Order a signed edition of Gordon's latest book, The Spy in the Archive, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ------------------- Email: [email protected] Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@triclassified⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Senior Producer: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For exclusive interviews, bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to series,
0:09.0	first look at live show tickets, a weekly newsletter, and discounted books.
0:13.1	Join the declassified club at the rest is classified.com.
0:17.3	There are some things you should always check, like the hygiene rating on your local takeaway,
0:23.7	the setting on your razor, and whether the party actually is fancy dress.
0:28.5	The other thing you should check is your Experian credit report, especially if you're looking
0:33.3	to borrow money. It lets you understand what lenders see so you can increase your chances of getting
0:38.7	the best deals. It's dead easy to check it and completely free. See it in seconds. Download
0:45.6	the Experian app today. On the afternoon of Thursday, the 16th of May, the Thunderbolt struck. I was sitting at my desk in the residence office when the cipher clerk brought in a telegram. As I read the handwritten message, I felt sweat break out of my back and for a second or two my vision clouded.
1:12.7	Fighting to control myself, I was dreadfully afraid that the clerk must notice how badly shocked I was.
1:19.1	In order to confirm your appointment as resident, said the cable, please come to Moscow urgently in two days' time for important discussions with comrades Mikhailov and Alyoshen.
1:30.3	Instantly, I sensed that something was badly wrong. Well, welcome to the rest is classified. I am
1:36.8	David McCloskey. And I'm Gordon Carrera. And that, of course, is Oleg Gordievsky, writing years
1:43.7	later in his memoir, Next Stop, execution about this fateful day in May of 1985 when he's really on the cusp of an incredible professional accomplishment becoming the actual, the resident, the KGB resident, the most senior
2:02.9	officer in London while he's spying for the British. Right on the cusp of this achievement,
2:08.9	he is mysteriously and very ominously called back to Moscow for consultations. And now,
2:15.2	Gordon, things are starting to look very dire and very bad for
2:19.7	MI6's most prized spy. That message just come back for urgent consultations, important
2:26.5	discussions in two days' time. I mean, that is a warning sign. You know, it's not something
2:31.8	that had been pre-planned. It's not something he'd expected.
2:35.0	There's not much time to decide. It feels bad. But of course, he doesn't know it's bad.
2:42.1	And so Gordievsky's going to call an emergency meeting with MI6, and he's got only 48 hours
	...

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