On 10 February 1962, Gary Powers, the American pilot whose U2 spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace, was released on “The Bridge in Spies” in Berlin by his captors in exchange for one Colonel Rudolf Abel, aka Vilyam Fisher - one of the most extraordinary characters in the history of the Cold War.

Born plain William Fisher in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the UK this British grammar schoolboy was the child of revolutionary parents who had fled tsarist oppression in Russia. Their son returned to his spiritual homeland, the newly formed Soviet Union, and became a spy, embarking on a mission to New York, where he ran the network that stole America's atomic secrets.

In 1957, Willie's luck ran out and he was arrested and sentenced to thirty years in prison. Five years later, the USSR's regard for his talents was proven when they insisted on swapping him for Gary Powers.

I speak with Vin Arthey, the author of “Abel. The true story of the spy they traded for Gary Powers” Vin Arthey has traced Willie's tale from the most unlikely of beginnings in Newcastle, to Moscow, the streets of New York, and back again, a story of Cold War espionage to rival anything in fiction.

0:00 Introduction and discussion about Willie Fisher's spy work

10:26 Willie Fisher's upbringing and education in England

18:49 Fisher's move to Russia and his early years in Soviet society

25:33 Fisher's entry and rise in the intelligence services

38:41 Fisher's significant operations during the Great Patriotic War

42:52 Fisher's training and espionage work in the US

57:42 Fisher's capture, trial, and the role of his defense lawyer, Jim Donovan

1:08:26 The spy exchange, Fisher's imprisonment, and contact with his family

1:14:23 Fisher's life post-exchange in the Soviet Union and his role in the KGB

1:19:15 Fisher's final moments and the KGB's surveillance of him

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Episodes mentioned

The Rosenberg’s https://coldwarconversations.com/episode184/

Portland Spy Ring https://coldwarconversations.com/episode138/ https://coldwarconversations.com/episode139/

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The Bridge of Spies spy (273)