Spybrary Spy Podcast

He Stole the KGB’s Secrets For Years! With Gordon Corera


Listen Later

Gordon Corera makes his Spybrary debut in this riveting episode of the Spybrary podcast. Host Shane Whaley welcomes the former BBC security correspondent, espionage historian and host of The Rest is Classified podcast, Gordon Corera to discuss his latest book, The Spy in the Archive.

The Cold War might be over, but its shadows stretch far into the present. What if one of the Soviet Union’s most overlooked insiders — a quiet KGB archivist — decided to turn against the very institution he once served? How did he smuggle a mountain of secrets out from under Moscow’s nose? And why did the CIA turn him away, only for MI6 to uncover what may be the most valuable intelligence defection of the era?

This is the extraordinary true story of Vasili Mitrokhin — a man whose private rebellion against the KGB became a mission to expose its darkest truths. With deep ideological conviction, he spent years quietly copying thousands of classified files, building a secret archive buried beneath his dacha floorboards. His eventual escape, orchestrated by MI6, and the revelations that followed would reshape our understanding of Soviet espionage forever.

The conversation dives deep into the life and legacy of Vasili Mitrokhin, a former KGB archivist turned dissident who smuggled out a trove of intelligence that would become one of the most important Cold War revelations. Gordon shares the challenges of researching this secretive figure, the personal and ideological motivations behind Mitrokhin’s actions, the drama of his family’s exfiltration by MI6, and how his warnings about the persistence of the KGB mindset still echo today. This episode offers a unique blend of spy history, investigative journalism, and human drama.

  • Gordon Corera's book: The Spy in the Archive
  • Gordon Corera Official Website
  • Join the Spybrary Community

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Spybrary Spy PodcastBy Shane Whaley

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

117 ratings


More shows like Spybrary Spy Podcast

View all
SpyCast by SpyCast

SpyCast

1,511 Listeners

The WW2 Podcast by Angus Wallace

The WW2 Podcast

1,214 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,694 Listeners

Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence by Secrets & Spies

Secrets and Spies Podcast: Current Affairs | Geopolitics | Intelligence

270 Listeners

The Book Club by The Spectator

The Book Club

9 Listeners

Cold War Conversations by Ian Sanders

Cold War Conversations

456 Listeners

WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk by Goalhanger

WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

1,331 Listeners

True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics by SPYSCAPE

True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

1,963 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

13,109 Listeners

SpyTalk by SpyTalk, Jeff Stein

SpyTalk

204 Listeners

SPYCRAFT 101 by Justin Black

SPYCRAFT 101

328 Listeners

The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels by The le Carre Cast

The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels

50 Listeners

Battleground by Goalhanger

Battleground

327 Listeners

The Spy Who by Wondery

The Spy Who

559 Listeners

The Rest Is Classified by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Classified

1,011 Listeners