“Fascinating,rich,andprobing...abeguilingandendlesslyinterestingportrait“--TheWallStreetJournalForfansofJohnleCarr矇andBenMacintyre,anexclusivefirst-personaccountofoneoftheColdWar’smostnotoriousspies“Kuperprovidesadifferentandvaluableperspective,humaneandinformative.Ifthedefinitionofapsychopathissomeonewhorefusestoaccepttheconsequencesofhisactions,doesGeorgefitthedefinition?Therehesits,admittingitwasallfornothing,buthasnoregrets.Ordoeshe?“--JohnleCarr矇FewColdWarspystoriesapproachthesheerdaringandtreacheryofGeorgeBlake’s.AfterfightingintheDutchresistanceduringWorldWarII,BlakejoinedtheBritishspyagencyMI6andwasstationedinSeoul.TakenprisoneraftertheNorthKoreanarmyoverranhispostin1950,BlakelaterreturnedtoEnglandtoahero’swelcome,carryingadarksecret:whileinacommunistprisoncampinNorthKorea,hehadsecretlyswitchedsidestotheKGBafterreadingKarlMarx’sDasKapital.AsaSovietdoubleagent,Blakebetrayeduncountedwesternspyingoperations--includingthestoriedBerlinTunnel,themostexpensivecovertprojecteverundertakenbytheCIAandMI6.Blakeexposedhundredsofwesternagents,fortyofwhomwerelikelyexecuted.Afterhisunmaskingandarrest,hereceived,forthattime,thelongestsentenceinmodernBritishhistory--onlytomakeadramaticescapetotheSovietUnionin1966,fiveyearsintohisforty-two-yearsentence.Helefthiswife,threechildren,andastunnedcountrybehind.MuchofBlake’scareerexistedinsidethehallofmirrorsthatwastheColdWar,especiallyfollowinghissensationalescapefromWormwoodScrubsprison.VeteranjournalistSimonKupertrackedBlaketohisdachaoutsideMoscow,wheretheagingspyagreedtobeinterviewedforthisunprecedentedaccountofColdWarespionage.Followingthemasterspy’sdeathinMoscowatageninety-eightonDecember26,2020,Kuperisfinallyabletosettherecordstraight.
