Codename Hero - Soviet double agent Oleg Penkovsky (175)

Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

Ian Sanders

History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 865 Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2021

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In August 1960, a Soviet colonel called Oleg Penkovsky contacted the West to offer to work as a 'soldier warrior for the free world. MI6 and the CIA ran Penkovsky jointly, in an operation that ran through the showdown over Berlin and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He provided crucial intelligence, including photographs of rocket manuals that helped Kennedy end the Cuba crisis and avert a war. Codenamed HERO, Penkovsky is widely seen as the most important spy of the Cold War, and the CIA-MI6 operation, run as the world stood on the brink of nuclear destruction. We speak with Jeremy Duns, the author of Dead Drop also called Codename Hero in the US which investigates exactly how did the Russians detect Penkovsky, and why did they let him continue his contact with his handlers for months afterwards? Described as thrilling, evocative and hugely controversial, the book blows apart the myths surrounding one of the Cold War's greatest spy operations. Extra info, book details and videos are here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode175/ If you are enjoying the podcast please leave a written review in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help us grow the number of listeners. Now I need help to continue to track down these unknown stories of the Cold war and ensure they are preserved before they are lost. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to pledge a small monthly amount per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you helping preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ I am delighted to welcome Jeremy Duns to our Cold War conversation… If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations 0:00 Introduction and guest - Jeremy Duns 2:33 The story of Soviet Colonel Oleg Penkovsky and his disillusionment with the Soviet Union 10:17 The intelligence Penkovsky provided to MI6 and CIA and its impact 23:30 The lack of satellite cover over the Soviet Union and Penkovsky's methods of passing information 30:06 The complications and aftermath of Penkovsky's discovery and his influence on the Cuban Missile Crisis 36:00 Arrests of Penkovsky and Greville Wynn, Wynn's trial and sentence 42:31 The fate of Oleg Penkovsky and how he was betrayed 45:32 DCode Name Hero: books on Oleg Pankovsky 46:07 Sponsor: Acknowledging patron support 46:58 End of episode and thanks to listeners Chapters powered by PodcastAI✨ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
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0:32.6	And that he would breathe down the phone a number of times.
0:34.9	I think it was three times hang up and then do it again.
0:37.4	And that would be, I've got genuine, actionable intelligence that there is an imminent
0:42.1	nuclear strike. And they did get that call.
0:48.5	This is Cold War Conversations. If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to
0:57.0	first-hand Cold War history accounts. Do you make sure you follow us in your podcast app so that you
1:03.4	don't miss out on future episodes. In August 1960, a Soviet colonel called Oleg Penkovsky contacted the West to offer to work as a soldier warrior for the free world.
1:16.6	MI6 and the CIA ran Penkovsky jointly in an operation that ran through the showdown over Berlin into the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1:28.3	Penkovsky provided crucial intelligence, including photographs of rocket manuals that
1:34.3	help President Kennedy end the Cuban Missile Crisis and avert a war.
1:39.3	Codenamed Hero, Penkovsky is widely seen as one of the most important spies of the Cold War.
1:46.4	We speak with Jeremy Duns, the author of Dead Drop, also called Codename Hero in the US,
1:52.5	which investigates exactly how the Russians detected Penkovsky and why they let him
1:58.5	continue his contact with his handlers for months afterwards.
	...

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