Russian Roulette: A Deadly Game: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin’s Global Plot by Giles Milton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This slim easy to read volume is all about the foundations of formalised overseas spying by the British. I heard the author being interviewed on radio and this piqued my interest. It’s an intriguing story about resourceful individuals who in some cases gave their lives. Some of it reads like the old Boys Own adventures. Much of the detail is still classified but through a quirk of history some of the files are now under Indian jurisdiction and accessible.
This is certainly a testament to the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction. Livings undercover for months, keeping one step ahead of the Russian secret police are just some of the exploits of these remarkable individuals. The complicated and tenuous courier links to get information back to Britain are astounding.
A great way to learn something about the early days of the Soviet union and how permeable the Iron curtain was in those early days.