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The Spy Who Knew Too Much: Vasili Mitrokhin and the KGB's Secret History, with Gordon Corera
🎧 Spymasters — The Spy Who Knew Too Much: Vasily Mitrokin and the KGB's Secret History
What happens when the keeper of secrets decides to tell the truth?
This episode uncovers the extraordinary story of Vasili Mitrokhin — the KGB archivist who risked everything to smuggle out the Soviet Union’s deepest intelligence secrets. From a disillusioned believer in communism to one of the West’s most valuable defectors, Mitrokin’s journey is a Cold War thriller rooted in truth. Antonia Senior talks to journalist and author Gordon Corera
We explore:
Mitrokin’s quiet rebellion inside the KGB archive
How the Prague Spring shattered his faith in the Soviet system
The years-long process of secretly copying and hiding thousands of classified documents
His dramatic defection — and the West’s initial skepticism
The long-term impact of the Mitrokin Archive on our understanding of Cold War espionage
🔍 Based on A Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera
📘 Get the book here
Vasily Mitrokin was a senior KGB archivist who became deeply disillusioned with Soviet ideology.
Over more than a decade, he secretly copied thousands of classified files detailing Soviet espionage around the world.
His work offers unparalleled insights into KGB operations, agent networks, and Cold War strategies.
The defection was logistically and emotionally complex, hampered by the sheer volume of documents.
Western intelligence agencies were at first hesitant to believe him.
The Mitrokin Archive has transformed the study of Cold War intelligence.
00:00 — Introduction to The Spy in the Archive
02:10 — Mitrokin's Early Life and Ideological Journey
05:04 — Inside the KGB: Belief Turns to Doubt
11:02 — Years in the Archives: The Birth of a Secret Mission
18:37 — From Archivist to Whistleblower
20:30 — The Cost of Telling the Truth
25:10 — Smuggling Out a Secret Empire
28:16 — Facing the Doubters in the West
29:40 — Missed Warnings and Intelligence Oversights
32:01 — The Persistence of the Czechists
34:23 — Opening the Vault: What the Archive Revealed
39:12 — Justice Delayed: Legal and Political Fallout
42:53 — Can We Trust the Archive?
45:40 — Legacy, Lessons, and the Future of Spycraft
48:25 — Outro
Vasily Mitrokin, KGB, Cold War, espionage, intelligence, defection, Soviet Union, Prague Spring, archives, whistleblower, Gordon Corera, MI6, CIA, Western intelligence, Mitrokin Archive, communism, secrets, spycraft
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🎧 Spymasters — The Spy Who Knew Too Much: Vasily Mitrokin and the KGB's Secret History
What happens when the keeper of secrets decides to tell the truth?
This episode uncovers the extraordinary story of Vasili Mitrokhin — the KGB archivist who risked everything to smuggle out the Soviet Union’s deepest intelligence secrets. From a disillusioned believer in communism to one of the West’s most valuable defectors, Mitrokin’s journey is a Cold War thriller rooted in truth. Antonia Senior talks to journalist and author Gordon Corera
We explore:
Mitrokin’s quiet rebellion inside the KGB archive
How the Prague Spring shattered his faith in the Soviet system
The years-long process of secretly copying and hiding thousands of classified documents
His dramatic defection — and the West’s initial skepticism
The long-term impact of the Mitrokin Archive on our understanding of Cold War espionage
🔍 Based on A Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera
📘 Get the book here
Vasily Mitrokin was a senior KGB archivist who became deeply disillusioned with Soviet ideology.
Over more than a decade, he secretly copied thousands of classified files detailing Soviet espionage around the world.
His work offers unparalleled insights into KGB operations, agent networks, and Cold War strategies.
The defection was logistically and emotionally complex, hampered by the sheer volume of documents.
Western intelligence agencies were at first hesitant to believe him.
The Mitrokin Archive has transformed the study of Cold War intelligence.
00:00 — Introduction to The Spy in the Archive
02:10 — Mitrokin's Early Life and Ideological Journey
05:04 — Inside the KGB: Belief Turns to Doubt
11:02 — Years in the Archives: The Birth of a Secret Mission
18:37 — From Archivist to Whistleblower
20:30 — The Cost of Telling the Truth
25:10 — Smuggling Out a Secret Empire
28:16 — Facing the Doubters in the West
29:40 — Missed Warnings and Intelligence Oversights
32:01 — The Persistence of the Czechists
34:23 — Opening the Vault: What the Archive Revealed
39:12 — Justice Delayed: Legal and Political Fallout
42:53 — Can We Trust the Archive?
45:40 — Legacy, Lessons, and the Future of Spycraft
48:25 — Outro
Vasily Mitrokin, KGB, Cold War, espionage, intelligence, defection, Soviet Union, Prague Spring, archives, whistleblower, Gordon Corera, MI6, CIA, Western intelligence, Mitrokin Archive, communism, secrets, spycraft
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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