Secrets & Spies - A Nuclear Game

Episode
Episode 2 - Traitors
Broadcast Info
2024 (59 mins)
Description
With Gordievsky’s help, Britain identifies Mikhail Gorbachev as a possible new contender for Soviet leader; he could be the ticket to better relations between East and West. But fragile steps towards diplomacy are threatened by the vested interests of other spies still stuck in the oldworld order. The CIA is set on knowing who Britain’s superspy is, but their head of Soviet counterintelligence, Aldrich Ames, is getting disillusioned. He turns traitor for a paltry sum, and shortly afterwards Gordievsky is summoned back to Russia to almost certain danger. It’s winter 1983 and in Washington DC, CIA Agent Aldrich Ames is making a new start: he has recently moved to the city for a new job as head of the CIA’s counter-intelligence desk, protecting America’s Soviet informers. The Soviet desk is a much-coveted job and he has a new relationship; life is looking up. In London, MI6’s prize double agent Oleg Gordievsky is focused on educating the British on the Soviet mindset. Through his intel the British are now aware how close the Abel Archer exercise brought the world to nuclear war. A decision is made to inform the White House about their highlevel double agent but his identity remains a guarded secret; neither Thatcher nor Reagan knows his name. Impressed with the level of intelligence revealed by the double agent and terrified by a TV movie about a nuclear attack, Reagan considers a softer stance towards the USSR. He makes a speech imagining the humanity of ordinary Russians meeting ordinary Americans and pledges to seek ways towards peace. But this olive branch means little because within 3 weeks Soviet leader Andropov dies, creating uncertainty. In an unexpected move Margaret Thatcher decides to offer her own olive branch to the Soviets and attend Andropov’s funeral. It is Gordievsky’s intel that prompts this change of tack, and he helps her prepare, advising on body language and manner. The visit is a success, but she is disappointed by the new leader Chernenko, who is elderly and just as hard-line as his predecessors. Gordievsky identifies a new contender on the horizon called Mikhail Gorbachev. Whilst global leaders tiptoe towards peace, hostilities simmer beneath the surface with spies on both sides still locked into the old cat and mouse games. Aldrich Ames and his colleagues are now successfully managing around 20 Soviet double agents. But his CIA bosses don’t appear to engage with his reports on the Russians and he is feeling overlooked and is growing disillusioned with what has turned out to be a mundane desk job. He’s also in a lot of debt; life isn’t turning out as he expected. In London, Gordievsky’s MI6 handlers make a bold move, they expel Gordievsky’s boss, creating an opening for him to potentially get the top job, but in doing so they spark suspicion amongst his KGB peers. Then, in December 1984, Mikhail Gorbachev accepts an invitation to meet Thatcher in London. It is an incredible opportunity for double agent Gordievsky to really impact the course of the Cold War. With Gordievsky able to brief both leaders on what the other is planning and expecting from the meeting. After being so well prepared, the meeting is a great success, and Thatcher declares the Soviet politician is someone she can ‘do business with’. She immediately shares the news with Reagan. At the CIA, Aldrich Ames is aware that Britain is feeding intel directly to the White House and they must have a double agent to give such good insights. Ames wants to uncover who the double agent really is. He and his colleagues manage to piece together the clues that lead them to discover that Oleg Gordievsky is the secret high ranking double agent informing Mi6. With his identity now known in two different agencies, how long will it be until the KGB learn Gordievsky’s treacherous secret. After just 11 months in power, Soviet leader Chernenko dies, and Mikhail Gorbachev becomes leader: great news for Thatcher and a potential turning point in world relations. As global politicians begin to hope for an end to hostilities, the spies in the shadows have never been more unstable. Aldrich Ames, with a thwarted career and a lifestyle he can’t afford to pay for is turning his head towards betrayal. He approaches the KGB, offering names of two Russian double agents he oversees in return for $50,000. Once the Soviets know these agents are traitors, they will be brought back to Moscow to be tried and executed. The very next day Gordievsky receives a summons from Moscow, ordering him home for an urgent meeting. Is this a run of the mill request from his superiors or has his cover been blown? Gordievsky must decide whether to stay in London and defy his KGB masters or return home and risk his life. The episode includes exclusive audio recordings of Aldrich Ames, audio interviews from Oleg Gordievsky, interviews with former KGB, FBI, CIA and MI6 officers, some of whom have never spoken before, as well as colleagues of Thatcher and Reagan.
Genre
History

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Secrets & Spies - A Nuclear Game". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/249307 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)