Mroz had certainly rendered good service for the French. Thanks to him, the DST were able to make real progress in their fight against eastern espionage.
Unfortunately, the second element that works in his favour is his death. There is no doubt that it was Polish agents who killed him, which consequently posed a real threat. After all, surely the Polish authorities would not have shot a false defector? Mroz was either betrayed or had betrayed himself by making appointments with his contacts at the DST. It is also possible that Polish agents with whom he had always been in touch, now realised that he was under surveillance. As for his protection, it would appear that on that night, he had none. However, it may have been the case that he was finally trusted by the French authorities and no longer needed to be monitored.
A final factor that points towards Mroz being a genuine defector is the smokescreen that appeared after his death. After being informed by the DST, the press revealed that Mroz had been the head of a large network of communist spies, which had recently been uncovered by the French authorities. Several more arrests even took place afterwards. It was only later revealed that these arrests were only ‘small fry' or those who could provide little, or no related information.
In reality, the whole operation was intended to fool the Poles. They needed to believe that Wladyslaw Mroz had never betrayed them and that they had actually betrayed him and assassinated him by mistake. Their aim to was to protect the information that the defector had provided them with; information that at this point, had not yet been fully exploited and which the Poles were completely unaware had been betrayed.
Chapter 6
A tunnel to Berlin
Berlin: the city that best symbolised the constant tension that existed between East and West. Before the construction of the wall in 1961, the two superpowers on each side were still in communication with each other, but when the Iron Curtain went up, a strict separation was imposed between the two worlds.
Twenty years after the wall came down and sixty years after the beginning of the Cold war, it is hard to imagine what life in Berlin during that time must have been like. Unless, of course, you delve between the pages of a John le Carre novel. This was a time when the former capital of the Third Reich was a hotbed of spy activity and betrayal was rife....
Berlin in the 1950s was a world apart. It was a kind of island, with no real borders between the western zones controlled by the United States, Britain and France, and the eastern zones controlled by the Soviets. At the time it was possible to move freely from one sector to the next, and while control points did exist over ground, taking the subway was an easy way to pass through these theoretical boundaries between east and west. This situation meant that Berlin was an ideal hunting ground for spies on both sides. Those from the west were superior in numbers, with American and British agents often being supplemented by West Germans, under the direction of General Gehlen.30 The city was swarming with spies and it was just a matter of poaching members from one side to the other. It was not just agents that were needed though, but also officials, diplomats and soldiers.
It was all extraordinarily complicated and neither side was immune from being infiltrated by the ‘enemy'. What is more, even if it was relatively easy to move from one sector to the other in a physical sense, there were also psychological and economic borders to cross as well. Standing out in a hostile environment was certainly not recommended, as it meant you risked being suspected of espionage. The economic differences were the result of the Western Mark being worth significantly more than the Eastern Mark. This meant that it was difficult for Soviet troops to go shopping in the West, or to have fun in the countless nightclubs over there. After all, Berlin was one gigantic pleasure ground. Unfortunately, it was basically off limits to the Soviets and East Germans as it was just too expensive.
It was this situation that inspired MI6 agents to come up with a strategy to attract and recruit Russian agents. The British knew that western products such as luxury watches and women's lingerie, were the envy of those in the East and with the help of local smugglers, helped to set up various underground shops where such items could be purchased. The operation was very simple; MI6 rented a very nice apartment close to the Soviet zone, where they installed their ‘secret' shop that sold luxury goods at bargain prices. Potential customers were approached by touts, usually prostitutes or landladies who worked in various establishments in the eastern zone. Once they arrived in the clandestine shop, the ‘client' was attended to by the staff, who offered them wonderful deals, often with the option of buying on credit, if necessary. The next time the ‘client' visited, another man would coincidentally be present This man was, of course, a British agent. Now the real work could begin. Before winning his confidence and friendship, the Russian had to be assessed: what were his like and dislikes? What were his vices? These questions had to be answered before he could become an agent for the British.
Unfortunately, this ingenious system did not always produced the desired results. Indeed, the Soviets kept a close eye on the operation, even if they did not fully understand what was going on, meaning that the British strategy was a semi-failure. They did believe they had had one success story when they recruited a rather pretty young Russian woman. Sadly, it turned out that this ‘Russian' was in fact working for the CIA and had been trying to uncover the secrets of this clandestine shop! There was clearly a rivalry even amongst the western allies and their intelligence services.
The story of the ‘spy shop' was short-lived. But the quest for information continued, leading to the spectacular appearance of a quite exceptional character: George Blake. A British spy who had spent years working for Moscow and who was probably one of the most important spies of his generation, and who perhaps caused the most damage to the western powers.
George Blake had had an amazing and for the most part uneventful life. He was born in the Netherlands in the early 1920s to a Dutch mother and his father,Albert Behar, had himself led a fairly adventurous life. The son of a wealthy Jewish merchant from Cairo, Behar was a naturalised British subject and had served in the Foreign Legion and the British Army during the First World War. After being wounded and decorated several times, he settled in the Netherlands after the war, where he would meet is future wife. They had three children together before Behar died in Rotterdam in 1936 at the age of forty-five.
With little money, Blake's mother decided to entrust her son's upbringing to his father's family, who still lived in Egypt. The future spy was taken in by an aunt who was married to a wealthy banker by the name of Curiel.31 This was the father of Henri Curiel, a revolutionary leader who was murdered in France in 1978. It had been falsely claimed that Curiel was a KGB agent, and a huge press campaign had been built up against him before his death. What is true is that Curiel was the founder of the Egyptian Communist Party. It is therefore tempting to suggest that Blake had been recruited by his cousin, the KGB agent. However, he was only fourteen at the time they met; a rather tender age to become a spy. Blake only spent a total of two years in Egypt and the rest of his story proves that he did not need Curiel to help him become a double agent.
Georges Suffert, the journalist who led the press campaign accusing Curiel of being a KGB agent, published a long article on Blake in Le Point magazine, in 1977. He declared that the young Blake was fascinated by his cousin during his stay in Egypt and they would forever after be rivals. He also remarked that Blake's relationship with his cousin was curiously never referred to in his folder held by the British authorities.
Georges Suffert:32
Henri Curiel is the missing piece in the puzzle of George Blake’s betrayal. He is the
key to one of the most formidable cons in the history of intelligence and an enigma
that still exists today. Were George Blake in Moscow and Henri Curiel in Paris always connected? Were they always working together to ‘penetrate’marginal terrorists groups in the western world? Perhaps it is no coincidence that George Blake was helped to
escape by the IRA terrorist Sean Bourke, while Henri Curiel was busying himself with subterfuge in Ireland. It is a bitter paradox all the same: ultimately, it was the man who at fourteen had played the fascinated disciple, who now acted as the case agent. While the former leader [Curiel], now had to be told what to do.The unconventional Blake was in Moscow: living peacefully and being honoured and decorated. He could walk openly in the streets, while Henri Curiel had to remain in the shadows.
When the Second World War broke out, Blake was on holiday with his mother in the Netherlands. As a British subject he was interned by the occupying forces for several weeks. Upon his release he wasted no time and joined the Resistance. This was a brave move considering he was only eighteen and half-Jewish and meant that he was taking far greater risks than some of his other comrades.
Blake travelled through France working with the Resistance and managed to cross the Pyrenees before being arrested by the Spanish police. After many misadventures, he finally managed to reach England. Here he had to undergo various interrogations and fill out a variety of forms before eventually starting officer training with the Navy. Upon becoming an officer, Blake expressed a wish to join the intelligence service, presumably because he wanted to act as a liaison between London and the Dutch resistance. After going though intense paratrooper training, Blake was admitted to MI6. However, he would not get to realise his dream of jumping into Holland, as by the time he finally arrived in his native country to help install an antenna for the secret service, the Netherlands had already been liberated.
After the Allied victory, Blake continued his role in the intelligence service and was sent to occupied Germany. Here he was responsible for setting up an intelligence network designed to spy on Soviets in East Germany. As an MI6 officer, he was required to take Russian lessons at Cambridge, a city that had definitely played a major role in the history of espionage, since its prestigious campus had witnessed the recruitments of Philby and many others.33
George Blake34
I consider the time I spent at Cambridge as a turning point in my life, which opened up new horizons to me. I acquired the key to unlocking the treasures of Russian literature and began to better understand the Russian soul. I took an interest in the Russian people and sympathised with their customs and traditions. Until then I had made little distinction between the concepts of ‘Russian’ and ‘Soviet’; I saw Russians as semibarbarians, oppressed by a ruthless and godless dictatorship that relentlessly persecuted all Christians. During the war I had, of course, watched the Soviet Union with hope. I had admired its fighting spirit and praised its victories, always aware that the fighting on the eastern front would have a decisive influence on the outcome of the war.Yet these feelings were partly mixed with a fear and antipathy towards communism, combined with no particular affection for the Russian people.
It therefore seems that this future double agent - who in 1990 [when his autobiography was published] had no reason to lie - was still far from experiencing his cultural revolution.
Once his training was complete, Blake was sent as a secret agent to Seoul in South Korea. He was obviously under diplomatic cover as his official role was that of viceconsul. Seoul was now one of the world's hotspots: the Korean War had not yet started, but after Mao had seized power in China in 1949, it was expected that northern troops would invade South Korea at any time. In addition, Seoul was not that far away from Vladivostok. One of Blake's missions was therefore to gather information on Russian military installations in its maritime provinces.
Blake was deeply affected by what he witnessed in Seoul: the corruption of the regime and the brutality of the police force. When war broke out, Blake, along with other diplomats, was taken prisoner in Seoul by North Korean troops and despite attempting to escape, he remained at the hands of the communists for three years. Those who represented western imperialism were not exactly treated with kindness in the PoW camps. If indeed Blake had been an eastern agent at the time, it is unlikely he would have been treated too harshly and would most likely have been able to escape such conduct. Blake chose to spend his years in captivity reflecting and reading. He believed that if his captors were ruthless, it was the war that made them so and he lay the entirety of the blame on the United States for starting it.
Was Blake a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, a phenomenon that causes a hostage to eventually feel sympathy for their captors? Or had he been brainwashed? Whatever the case, while he was still a prisoner, Blake passed a letter to the Soviet representatives in North Korea whereby he offered them his services. It was an offer that was readily accepted. Worried that Blake may prove to be a rookie choice, the KGB were careful not to release him too early and risk arousing suspicion with his British employers.
Finally free, George Blake returned to Britain where he was welcomed as a hero. He soon resumed his work with MI6 and was posted to Berlin. It was now 1955 and Blake was now able to use his talents for the benefit of his new employers.
George Blake35
The question I now had to consider was what action to take. In the particular situation I found myself in, there appeared to be three options available. Firstly, I could apply for permission to stay in North Korea to help rebuild the country after the war had ended. Secondly, I could return to England, leave MI6, and register with the Communist Party and sell copies of the Daily Worker, or other such propaganda work. Thirdly, I could use my position with the SIS [Secret Intelligence Service] to pass information to the Soviet Union about the SIS and other western intelligence agencies’ operations against the Soviet bloc and the world revolutionary movement - thereby condemning them to failure... I realised that would be betraying the trust they had place in me, as well as betraying my friends and colleagues. I also knew that I would be betraying a county to whom I owned a great loyalty.After weighing it all up, in the end I believed that I had no choice but to carry this guilt, as heavy as it was.To be in a position whereby I could help a great cause and then not do anything, was even more reprehensible.
An agent can only exist if he provides the right information to his employers. In order to make himself indispensible to the British authorities, Blake had developed a very clever system. If he wanted to remain credible, he had to provide solid information. He spoke to his KGB case officer, who assigned him to a Soviet official based in Berlin - a man who was to become his main source of information. What is extraordinary is that this man, codenamed ‘Boris', was actually a spy who had been unmasked by the KGB but had been left to continue his role in order to misinform the enemy. This ‘Boris' therefore had no idea that he was passing on information to a double agent. This was a real masterstroke, as if he ever decided to defect to the West, Blake could never be suspected of treason. For the Soviets, Blake was a true British agent.
This strange game of manipulation led straight to Operation Gold, the pinnacle of Blake's espionage career. There were already serious studies being carried out into technological and electronic spying methods, as opposed to using human intelligence. A few years earlier, the West had managed to install wiretaps in Soviet communications in Vienna and it was this that led to the development of Operation Gold: the construction of a tunnel under East Berlin. The tunnel was to be 500m long and lead straight to the Soviet military complex at Karlshorst, which was the headquarters for the intelligence service. The aim was to hack into Soviet communications by placing wiretaps on their underground telephone lines. The construction of the tunnel was not without difficulty, as all the work carried out had to be invisible to those on the surface. They had to hide the manufacture of a ‘warehouse' under the guise of building a radar for the US Air Force. However, when work reached the eastern part of Berlin, they had to be very careful not to raise any alarms. Another obstacle was the scale of the operation and the amount of land that had to be removed: more than 1000 cubic metres in total. To do this, the engineers planned to construct an underground warehouse adjacent to the tunnel, in which to dump the rubble. Yet there were still a thous
and other technical problems to solve. For example, the agents who would be working in the listening room would need air conditioning. What's more, as the tunnel was only 2m below the surface, any heat that escaped from it would cause the snow on the surface to melt, thus revealing the alignment of the tunnel network!
The work lasted for almost a year, with the final connections being made and the first recordings taking place in early 1955. The result was hundreds of metres of magnetic tape, so much so that by the time Operation Gold ended , it took nearly two years to decrypt all the amazing material.
The tunnel was built by the British but with the technical and financial assistance of the Americans. Based in Berlin, Blake acted as one of the architects of the construction. Once completed, this extraordinary operation went on for more than a year, involving the hacking of hundreds of Soviet telephone lines and providing the West with a wealth of information. But how reliable was this information? After all, Blake had not failed to inform his KGB case officer of this new way of spying by the British.
According to the official statement from Moscow, one day in April 1956, the Soviets discovered malfunctions on some of their telephone lines at their headquarters in Karlshorst...After carrying out several checks, they discovered the pot of gold: the tunnel and the listening devices that had been strapped onto their phone lines and causing the disruption. After following the tunnel, they realised that it led to the American zone and immediately decided to exploit their new discovery. The Soviets called a press conference and invited journalists to walk along the tunnel themselves. This was a major coup for Soviet propaganda, who had a field day denouncing the covert operations of the CIA!
Great Spies of the 20th Century Page 7