The Rest Is Classified – Episode 82: The Man Who Saved The World: Britain’s Best Ever Agent (Ep 3)

Podcast Date: September 14, 2025
Hosts: David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and novelist; Gordon Corera, veteran security correspondent
Main Theme:
This episode dives deep into the covert life of Oleg Gordievsky, Britain’s most valuable Cold War double agent, tracing his arrival in London, the inner workings of MI6 and KGB in the early 1980s, the characters shaping his story, and how his intelligence transformed British counterespionage. The hosts unravel how Gordievsky, stationed at the heart of the KGB’s London operations, delivered insights that unveiled Soviet contacts, ended a dangerous MI5 mole’s career, and altered the course of Cold War tensions.

I. Oleg Gordievsky Arrives in London: Seeing the "Awful" City (02:46–05:13)

• Setting the Scene: Oleg Gordievsky, after being recruited by MI6 in Denmark and a perilous pause in Moscow, lands in London in 1982 to resume his risky spying career for the British – this time from inside the KGB’s own local headquarters.
  • “Those are the words of Oleg Gordievsky as he lands in one of the truly most awful cities in the world. Gordon. London.” — David McCloskey (02:46)
• First Impressions: Gordievsky describes his new surroundings as "a viper pit… street after street of grimy old houses."
• Historical Context: Britain is in the midst of economic upheaval under Margaret Thatcher, post-Falklands War, with deep social divisions and a not-so-glamorous London.

Notable Quote:
"He signed up for the Brits, and he's never set foot in Britain. And now he finally is arriving. It's the summer of 1982... He's kind of slightly shocked by it." — Gordon Corera (03:33)

II. The KGB London Residentura: Intrigue in a "Viper Pit" (07:13–09:07)

• Contrast with Copenhagen: Unlike his prior relaxed posting, the London KGB station is rife with backstabbing, suspicion, and paranoia among Soviet officers.
• Key Players:
  • Arcadi Guk (KGB Resident): Disdainful of intellectuals, consumes vodka with his counterintelligence chief, plots against his own ambassador.
  • Gordievsky walks fine lines as a young upstart and covert British agent.
• First Secret Contact: Gordievsky, soon after arrival, uses a red phone box to call his memorized MI6 contact. He’s greeted by a recorded message from his former handler, advising him to relax and await instructions.

Memorable Exchange:
"He spends his days in his office with the head of the counterintelligence team, drinking vodka out of tumblers and gossiping and plotting especially against their own ambassador..." — Gordon Corera (07:45)

III. MI6 Tradecraft and Key Handlers: Valerie Petit & John Scarlett (09:41–19:19)

A. The MI6 Safe Flat and Valerie Petit (09:41–14:25)

• Meeting at the Holiday Inn: Gordievsky is picked up by handlers and driven to a MI6 safe flat, where he meets Valerie Petit, the case logistics mastermind.
• Valerie Petit: One of the few senior women in MI6 at the time, described as “genteel, mild-mannered... but steely determination beneath the surface." She’s responsible for the operational safety of the case, including escape planning and coordinating intelligence.
  • "She is tasked with keeping him alive and keeping him safe..." — Gordon Corera (13:25)

B. John Scarlett: Oleg’s MI6 Case Officer (14:25–19:19)

• Transition of Handlers: With Oleg’s previous handler posted abroad, John Scarlett becomes the new case officer, although MI6 never officially confirms it even years later.
• Scarlett’s Profile: Renowned detail man, fluent in Russian, handpicked for elite KGB operations, later rises to head MI6.
• Dynamics: Gordievsky bonds quickly with Scarlett, who combines professional empathy, deep knowledge of Russia, and operational discipline.
• Notes on MI6 Culture: Reference to the “Sov Block Master Race” within MI6—elite handpicked officers for Soviet operations.

Notable Quote:
"He was a first class intelligence officer but you know, full of emotion and sensitivity as the expression goes in Russian. He had a fine structure of soul." — Oleg Gordievsky via Corera (18:13)

IV. Running the Agent: Tradecraft, Secrecy & MI6 Inner Circle (19:19–23:56)

• Tradecraft Details: Lunch hour meetings in a safe house; precise, businesslike handovers of intelligence; everything meticulously documented and reported by the MI6 team.
• Secrecy: Extremely tight circle; only a few upstairs in MI6’s “Russia House” know Gordievsky’s identity to protect him and the operation.
• Gordievsky’s Discipline: Renowned for his emotional control and reliability, in contrast to other notorious agents.
  • "It was like there was someone in the control room of Gordievsky's own head...always this kind of care and discipline..." — Gordon Corera (22:57)

V. Intelligence Goldmine: KGB Operations, British Politics & Confidential Contacts (25:44–34:27)

A. What Oleg Reveals

• KGB in Britain: Gordievsky explains the structure, paranoia, and declining effectiveness of the London KGB residentura.
  • Arcadi Guk is depicted as a cartoonish, vodka-swilling paranoiac, installing bug-jamming devices and suspecting MI5 is hiding behind tube station ads.

Memorable Exchange:
"He's so paranoid he orders his staff not to use the underground, the tube, because he said that behind the advertisement panels along the walls of underground stations were glass fronted booths in which sat members of MI5 spying on the KGB." — Gordon Corera (27:35)

B. MI5 and Political Controversies

• Clearing Up Old Spy Cases: Oleg provides intelligence that helps clear (but not definitively solve) mysteries about potential historical KGB agents inside MI5, like the case of Roger Hollis.
• Confidential contacts: The distinction between full agents, developmentals, and “confidential contacts”—many of the latter were essentially frequent lunch contacts, not actual spies.
• Political Sensitivities: High-profile example—claims about Michael Foot (Labour leader), based on old contacts as a journalist, later become a libel case with Foot winning damages. Highlights the political explosiveness and ambiguity of such spy revelations.
  • "There’s no allegation that Michael Foot was a spy or a conscious agent...But...even that claim from Oleg...is super sensitive because it’s 1982, potential political ammunition." — Corera/McCloskey (34:27)
• The incentive system: Both hosts reflect on the prevalence of fake or exaggerated agent reports, driven by case officer pressures.

VI. The MI5 Mole: Michael Bettany and Stopping a Penetration (36:01–48:28)

• The Danger: Oleg warns MI6 that someone inside MI5 is attempting contact with the KGB, handing over sensitive documents about Soviet personnel watched by MI5.
  • "For him, this is terrifying. This is like the nightmare for an agent..." — McCloskey (39:22)
• Mole Hunt Mechanics:
  • Only a very small, “need-to-know” group inside MI5 is aware of Gordievsky’s identity, helping isolate the suspect.
  • Eliza Manningham-Buller (future MI5 head and “friend of the pod”) is part of the tiny trusted mole-hunt team, holding clandestine planning meetings in her mother’s flat for secrecy.
• Identifying Bettany: Michael Bettany—an eccentric and suspicious MI5 officer—is eventually confronted.
  • His odd background (from Hitler speeches at Oxford to Russian icons and Nazi memorabilia at home) singles him out.
  • Although surveillance finds nothing incriminating, overwhelming circumstantial evidence and a lack of response from the KGB lead to his confession after intense questioning.
• Impact: Bettany is convicted, Gordievsky’s warning prevents a new Philby-esque penetration of British intelligence, and the vital operation remains protected.
  • "Thanks to Oleg, he has been vital—as well as Arcadi Guk's incompetence—in preventing, you know, a new Philbe, a new penetration of British intelligence." — Gordon Corera (48:09)

VII. Episode Wrap-up & Looking Forward (48:28–49:17)

• Gordievsky’s Value: The episode closes recognizing Gordievsky’s extraordinary discipline and the impact of his intelligence—saving his own life and, arguably, Britain’s security.
• Teaser: The next episode will cover Gordievsky’s most significant contribution: “turning down the heat of the Cold War.”

Key Quotes & Timestamps

• “He is maybe questioning his decision to spy for the British. I can only imagine the wonderful reaction he may have had to landing in the paradise of Washington D.C. had he decided to offer himself up to the Americans.” — David McCloskey (02:46)
• "The ambassador's residence… beautiful buildings, but they're also slightly dark and ominous and Soviet and slightly gloomy." — Gordon Corera (06:27)
• "If it was Hollywood, you would write the script differently with different looking actors. But it was a deep and personal commitment but totally professional." — Gordon Corera (13:10)
• "[Gordievsky] had a fine structure of soul." — Oleg Gordievsky quoted by Corera (18:13)
• “There are risks otherwise that, you know, their top agent could be compromised.” — Gordon Corera (23:39)
• “The numbers game, I think it's really part of the business." — David McCloskey (32:38)
• "There’s an element in which they’re playing a game…the KGB officers, because they want to make it look like they’re busy…” — Gordon Corera (31:11)
• "One of those in on the secret assigned to work the case, none other than Eliza Manningham BulIer." — Gordon Corera (42:24)
• "Thanks to Oleg...a new Philbe, a new penetration of British intelligence [was prevented].” — Gordon Corera (48:09)

Notable Moments

• The KGB’s paranoia about MI5 hiding inside Tube station adverts (27:35)
• Gordievsky’s coded phone box call and “personal touch” MI6 welcome (08:24–09:09)
• Gordievsky’s “control room of his own head”—extreme discipline (22:57)
• Political explosiveness of Michael Foot’s contacts and the resulting libel case (34:27)
• The oddity of Michael Bettany’s personality and MI5’s vetting failures (44:57–45:47)
• The clandestine meetings run out of Eliza Manningham Buller’s mother’s flat (43:02)
• Wrap-up and warning: “Don’t be an Arcadi Guk; join the declassified club instead!” (48:54–49:17)

This episode expertly combines gripping spy history, dark humor, colorful personalities, and insightful commentary on intelligence tradecraft and Cold War history—making it essential listening for espionage aficionados and those interested in the personalities shaping real-world power struggles.