Konon Trofimovich YOUNG, who became the prototype of the main character in the film "Dead Season" directed by Savva KULISH, was born in Canada. In 1932 his family moved to Poland, where he worked underground during World War II. After the victory, he served in the Soviet military administration in Berlin, and in the early 50s, posing as a German, ended up in the United States, where he was engaged in intelligence in favor of the USSR. In 1954, he ended up in England under the name of a successful Canadian businessman Gordon Arnold Lonsdale (his joke is known: “From what income should I pay party dues - from everyone or only from an officer’s salary?”) And organizes a group that obtained secret information about submarines.
He was arrested "red-handed" on January 7, 1961.
On March 13, 1961, the London court of the Old Bailey began to consider the case on charges of espionage of the Canadian businessman Gordon LONSDALE and four of his accomplices, known as the “Queen of Great Britain v. Gordon Lonsdale” trial.
Lonsdale, in which the British suspected a Russian intelligence officer, was sentenced on March 23 to 25 years in prison. However, he did not lose heart. At the same time, another Soviet intelligence officer was in prison, and fate was pleased to bring them together. When they went “for a walk”, Lonsdale told jokes and they laughed a lot. Everyone around was surprised: “What can people who have received a sentence of several decades laugh about?” When one of them was transferred to another place, Lonsdale said to his “colleague”: “See you ... on Red Square on the Day of the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution.” The friend was surprised. After all, they have just begun to serve their terms. But the prediction came true, and they met exactly on Red Square during the parade dedicated to the 50th anniversary of October...
On April 22, 1964, in Berlin, “Canadian businessman Gordon LONSDALE” was exchanged for British agent Greville WINNE (WINN), who was involved in the case of Oleg PENKOVSKY and received 8 years.
He left a mark not only in intelligence - his Chinese textbook is the best and they are still mastering hieroglyphs.
Below you can find some materials about him, taken from various sources. Unfortunately, they contain inaccuracies on dates that have not been corrected by me. Even the dates of birth and death are ambiguous - according to the TSB (1922 - 1970).
YOUNG CONON aka ARTHUR LONSDALE
Probably, many have seen the film “Dead Season”, released in the Soviet Union in 1968, in which Donatas Banionis played the main role in the prime of his talent. The film was watched with great interest, but the most unusual, most striking was the appearance on the screen, before the film, of a real, “live” Soviet intelligence officer (read - spy) Rudolf Abel, who spoke about the reality of many of the events shown there. Earlier, the exchange of Abel for the American spy pilot POWERS was already officially announced, but we did not have to see such a person. Later it became known that his real name was not Abel, but FISHER (Abel was his late friend and colleague; for some reason, Fisher had to change his last name), but that details from the life of a Soviet intelligence officer were used in the film turned out to be true. Only these details were not from the life of Rudolf Ivanovich, but from the life of Konon Trofimovich YOUNG - Gordon Arthur LONSDALE.Lonsdale, a Canadian businessman who owned several vending machine firms in London, was arrested in England in 1961 on charges of spying for the USSR. A certain GOLENEVSKII, a Polish intelligence officer, who, since the beginning of the 50s, became a “double” (with the code name Sniper) and worked for the American CIA, “led” the British intelligence services to him. It was he, among other things, who said that an English officer of the naval department in Portland was handing over secret materials of the submarine fleet to “contact”. The investigation of this case was entrusted to Peter WRIGHT, an employee of the English counter-espionage department (in London MI5), besides, a talented radio engineer who applied the new methods of radio intelligence invented by him. Wright's team was able to determine that this "contact" was a Canadian businessman, Lonsdale, and on further follow-up, his photographic gear and other "special equipment" was identified as Russian. Wright managed to listen to Lonsdale's radio communications with Moscow for almost 2 months (encoded, which the British deciphered).
Yes, he was a Soviet agent, experienced, skillful, and probably of no small rank. Those who followed Lonsdale during this time, unexpectedly for themselves, were imbued with respect and even sympathy for him - in his connection with the "Center" there were not only technical, special information, but also messages about ordinary earthly affairs - about children, who miss him, about his wife... As Wright later wrote in his book: “Lonsdale, for all his professionalism, was some kind of “very human spy”. No, he didn't look like that naval officer, HOUFTON, spying for money. He was not a traitor, he did his job – like us.” The MI5 staff intended to continue spying on Lonsdale: they assumed that he must have other “sources” besides Houghton.
But the matter was confused by Golenevsky, who, suspecting that the Polish authorities already knew about his dual role, decided to flee to the West, after which Lonsdale, warned by Moscow, could “disappear”. Therefore, it was decided to arrest Lonsdale without delay, and also to arrest the Krogers, the owners of an antique shop with whom he often visited in the suburbs, at 45 Cranley Gardens.
The arrests took place in January 1961. It is noteworthy (especially for Soviet citizens who did not know the concept of “open press”) that MI5 asked that there should be no reports of this in the press within 2 days after the arrest: then the special services could eavesdrop on communication with Moscow. But there was a deliberate leak - the "selected" reporters were immediately informed about the "disclosure of a large spy nest." During a 9-day search of the Kroger house, a lot of cleverly hidden spy photographic and radio equipment was found, mostly of a type unknown to the British, as well as a mothballed transmitter.
Houghton and his assistant maid, the Krogers and Lonsdale, appeared on trial. The latter behaved calmly and restrainedly, and Lonsdale claimed at the trial that the Krogers were just his friends, and that all the “spy equipment” found in their house belonged to him. He hid in their house what he considered necessary, without informing anyone about it. The defendants received considerable prison terms; nevertheless, Lonsdale, who did not resist arrest (this detail is also reflected in the film), for this reason, was given a sentence of 10 years less.
About a year later, when the Lonsdale and Krogers were in a Birmingham prison, the British established that Gordon Lonsdale was Konon Trofimovich YOUNG, and the Krogers were Maurice and Lona COGEN, whom the FBI had previously wanted as “participants in the atomic case” ROSENBERG. Lonsdale, after spending about 3 years in an English prison, was in April 1964 exchanged for O. PENKOVSKY's “connector”, an Englishman Greville WINNE, who managed to stay in a Soviet prison for about a year and a half. The Krogers-Kogens were exchanged later.
So Young returned to Moscow, to his wife Galina and two children (the youngest, son Trosha, was already 4 years old). Of course, his "illegal" career came to an end, but he could still be useful to the Center.
About a year later, his book “20 Years in the Soviet Secret Service” was published (in English) in England. The author was listed as Gordon Lonsdale and was told in his book, Lonsdale, biography. In accordance with the legend developed earlier in the center, his parents were Canadians; after some vague moves, the family (mother, her second husband and son Gordon) ended up in the mid-30s in Poland, in Lvov. Gordon joined the left movement as a young man, during the German occupation he was in a partisan detachment; wounded, was treated in a hospital in Moscow (since these war times, the events of his life acquire a very reliable coloring - probably, since then, the main outline of the life of Lonsdale corresponded to the life of Molodoy).
According to this book, after the war, he worked for some time (already a secret Soviet agent) in the United States, and later, in the mid-1950s, he was transferred to England, where he reached through his “native” Canada, having lived there for some time in Vancouver under his named Lonsdale. In England, in London, he first studied at the Chinese department of the university, where he acquired many useful acquaintances for his “main” work. After that, he went into business - and very successfully. The book also said that the USSR at that time was afraid of a nuclear strike from NATO countries (England included), and his main task, Lonsdale, was to obtain information about British military equipment (by the way, naval officer Houghton, passing Lonsdale classified data on submarines, believed that he was working for the Americans).
Lonsdale did not complain about the conditions of his stay in the Birmingham prison (he was treated with respect and even allowed to engage in intellectual work, translate books). He concluded his story about the work of the "agent" as follows: "I sincerely believe that my efforts, my work contributed to maintaining peace on earth."
As it became known later, this biography book was given for editing by Kim FILBY, who was already living in Moscow, quite financially secure, but languishing (and drinking heavily) without a decent job. And he was very happy with this editing. The book was supplied with many photographs of Lonsdale. In England, it was read with interest, but Soviet citizens simply did not know about it.
It should also be added here that in 1968 the spy businessman Winn published a book about his stay in a Soviet prison, about his long-term work for British intelligence since the 50s and about joint work with Penkovsky. So, he wrote that Penkovsky was not executed, but committed suicide in prison. Wynn spent his year and a half in a Vladimir prison (he, among other things, praised the tobacco given out to prisoners there, calling it “mowcopka” - apparently, shag).
Then the already mentioned film by Savva KULISH “Dead Season” was released, where the main character, the Soviet intelligence officer, was called “Konstantin Timofeevich”, and in the “host country” - “Lonsfield”, but Soviet citizens with these names did not have any associations. All attention was paid to the "living Abel" and the adventures of the protagonist.
Time passed, “stagnant” ended, “perestroika” began, and in 1987 I came across a small Ognikov book by journalist Valery AGRANOVSKII, who told about the history of his completely detective meetings (at the Lubyanka, in the late 60s) with a group of Soviet scouts. Among them was Colonel A., and Konon Trofimovich, and others. The journalist was allowed to ask questions about their past work "there", about various psychological - and even territorial! - features of this work. It was not allowed to take notes at the meeting, but Agranovsky, an experienced journalist, when he came home, he wrote down all this, plus his impressions of the meeting, of course. This happened at the initiative of the KGB - obviously, a book was supposed. But just as suddenly the meetings began, just as suddenly they were stopped (the then head of the SEMICHASNY department seemed to have canceled everything).
The meetings ended, but the notes remained. And now, when the “department”, already under GORBACHEV, allowed this very little book to appear, where the amazed reader could read - not about the half-thought-out Mata Hari, not about the feat of the intelligence officer with the handsome Kadochnikov, not about Stirlitz, but about real intelligence officers, about their everyday life, their “contacts”, the peculiarities of their work, about many years “there” ... These scouts appeared in the book (as well as at meetings) under different names, patronymics, only Abel was named by his last name. After the book, there was a feeling that I met smart, difficult people who had many knowledge and talents and had seen a lot of things. Someone “read” this little book from me, but I remember it, it remained in my memory somehow apart - unlike anything else ...
Time passed, and in 2000 a new, supplemented edition of this book by Agranovsky “Profession: Foreigner” appeared, in which the author accompanied his old Ognikov text with a story about how everything really happened, distinguishing between what the author “thought” and what really heard. From the pages of the book now looked at the reader its main character, Konon Trofimovich Molody, who belonged to the generation from which came the ideological fighters for the just country of the future communism. It was a man who said: “I don't want more wars! This idea gave me strength. If you like, she also carried a romantic charge, without which, being a dry rationalist by nature, I would have “sent” at one time an offer to work in intelligence.
Basically, it was not his fault in the failure in England (just as it was not the fault of Abel, who was betrayed by a drunkard and a womanizer sent to him as assistants; as there was no fault of Leo TREPPER, the head of the Red Chapel, to whom the then head of the GRU F. GOLIKOV sent a dispatch from Moscow with almost open three addresses of major “contacts”, like ... - one could continue here). And in the case of Molodoy, how did it happen that Golenevsky, a Polish intelligence officer, became aware of the naval officer Houghton? Which of the Soviet "colleagues" so carelessly rattled?
Upon returning to his homeland, a difficult life came for Molodoy: at first, however, he was busy with the biography of Lonsdale, then, an unnamed one advised the film and translated the book “The Man Who Saved London” into Russian. At first, the authorities sent him to give lectures, sent him to “meetings with the people”, but the last was a meeting at ZIL, where a young, business man with experience (and a successful businessman who, by the way, transferred a large profit of his business to the Soviet state), shocked by the chaos and low labor productivity at the plant, went to the podium and said: “What a mess you have, dear comrades, at the plant! ... Here, give me your factory for just one year, I’ll make candy out of it, put things in order and discipline, well, of course, and I won’t offend anyone with a ruble!”
In order to “give him a plant” and allow him to restore order there, it would be necessary to break the entire “system” ... It is clear that after such a proposal, Konon Trofimovich fell into disgrace. And what was it like for him, active, young (and seeing the shortcomings in his native country, which he so wanted to correct), what was it like for him to be excommunicated - from anyone! – work, stay in “retirement rest”!
In 1974, on a walk in the forest with his family, picking mushrooms, he stooped - and died. He was then about fifty years old. Agranovsky wrote that at one of the last meetings, Konon Trofimovich said: “There are among us, scouts, failed tennis players, surgeons, singers, dancers, mathematicians, pianists, even one boxer, a potential world champion ... In general, all this is quite tragic , given that a person lives not two lives, but one, and such a short one. Who could Konon Trofimovich become in “another life”? Probably, the organizer of a large-scale production, and a scientist, and an actor, but I had to be a scout ...
“He was bound by duty and heart to the cause, to which he gave first his health, and then his life. The memory remains. And a modest grave in a small cemetery at the Donskoy Monastery - this is for those who suddenly want to put a bouquet of wild flowers on a gray slab, which my hero loved so much.
Scouts with microdots
A fit, well-dressed man with an elegant attache case appeared in Royslip, a suburb of London, in the evening twilight. He reached 45 Cranley Drive and rang the doorbell. In the window of the house opposite, a curtain moved - an overly inquisitive neighbor was, as always, "at a military post." She recognized the elegant handsome man. It was a Canadian friend of the Krogers, a prominent man in every respect. He visited them at least once a month. Usually on Saturdays. The old woman looked up from the window and sat down at her knitting: nothing interesting usually happens in Roislip.home comfort
If only she knew what secrets house number 45 hides! In a secret cellar in the kitchen, a high-frequency radio transmitter and a special device were stored that allowed coded messages to be transmitted at a speed of 240 words per minute. There was a powerful receiver in the living room that could receive radio signals from all over the world. There was also a typewriter and a tape recorder with headphones. From the bathroom there was access to a closet that housed equipment for creating and reading microdots, products of a special technology that allows large photographs to be reduced to a dot the size of a pinhead. “Surprises” were everywhere. Light-sensitive cellophane plates were kept between the pages of the Bible to create microdots. There was a microscope in the bedroom to read them. The flat metal flask contained not alcohol at all, but rolls of microfilm. In the powder box on the bathroom shelf is a microdot reader that looks like a miniature spyglass.
Secret Headquarters
The inhabitants of the quiet Royslip did not even suspect that for 6 years a secret foreign intelligence headquarters had been operating in their town, representing a real threat to the security of Great Britain. From 1956 to 1961, house number 45 on Cranley Drive was the headquarters of the Soviet intelligence network, which was led by one of the most prominent intelligence officers of the USSR, Gordon LONSDALE, or - to use his real name - Konon Trofimovich YOUNG. A hero of the last war, fluent in many European languages, Konon the Young was a highly professional intelligence officer, one of the best in the KGB. At the age of 32, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and conducted several brilliant intelligence operations.In 1954, on the eve of his 33rd birthday, Molodoy receives a particularly responsible task from the KGB: to collect information about British and American air bases and obtain information about the latest developments in Great Britain in the field of installation and operation of nuclear engines on submarines.
Outstanding Scout
Disguised as a Canadian businessman, Young arrives in the UK on March 3, 1955. Now he is no longer Conon Young, but Gordon Lonsdale. The cover was impeccable. A Canadian named Gordon Lonsdale did exist. But the real Lonsdale went missing in Finland - presumably murdered - and his passport was now in Young's hands.Women's Favorite
Charming Lonsdale was liked by everyone. He easily got along with people. He had many friends and - thanks to the KGB - money to enjoy his time with his many buddies and girlfriends. Soon Lonsdale was already known by sight in the best London restaurants and nightclubs. And his chic car, very expensive, ordered from America, literally made a splash in the city, devastated by the war and not yet fully recovered. At home, Lonsdale threw noisy parties. Women were simply thrilled by this black-haired swarthy handsome man. He generally enjoyed amazing success with the weaker sex.But Lonsdale was by no means all the time carelessly indulging in amusements. He did business. First, he created a company selling jukeboxes, then a company selling anti-theft devices for cars. Enterprises began to bring in a lot of money. But acquaintances and connections were much more valuable than money. On company business, Lonsdale had to travel all over the country. During these trips, he made useful contacts, including among the military and intelligence organizations.
Ordinary people
Among Lonsdale's most "valuable" acquaintances were the KROGERs at 45 Cranly Drive, Royslip. Like Lonsdale himself, they were illegal Soviet spies living on false papers. They themselves were Americans and at first worked in America, but in 1954 they were almost discovered, and the Kroger spouses fled to England on false passports.Peter Kroger, a quiet, gray-haired man in his fifties, had his own "home" business selling rare books. Helen was not much younger than her husband. The Kroger house contained a warehouse of spy equipment, which gave Lonsdale the opportunity to maintain contact with Moscow. During his many trips around the country - ostensibly for the company, but in fact to collect secret information - Lonsdale met a man named Harry HOUFTON, who became an invaluable source of information for him.
Ready to sell
Houghton served as a clerk at a secret naval base in Portland. He had access to classified information. And what was especially helpful for Lonsdale, Houghton didn't have a completely unblemished past. In 1951, he was appointed to a post in the security service of the British Embassy in Warsaw, but was soon recalled: it turned out that Houghton was doing some kind of illegal trading fraud on the black market. The Polish secret service, who closely monitored Houghton's activities in Warsaw, reported to Moscow that this man was easily bribed. Moscow, in turn, contacted Lonsdale and ordered him to make contact with Houghton without wasting time.Lonsdale introduced himself to Houghton as Commander (a military rank in the US Navy, corresponding to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army) Alex Johnson, an employee of the American embassy. It soon became clear that Houghton was exactly the person he needed. For the sake of money, Houghton was ready for anything. In addition, he had the opportunity to secretly take secret documents from the Portland base: his mistress, a middle-aged woman named Ethel G.I., worked there as an assistant. This was especially valuable. Male employees were checked much more carefully when leaving the territory than female employees.
Spy network
Recruiting Houghton was not difficult. Lonsdale said the Americans wanted certain information from him. There was no need to worry about the law on non-disclosure of classified information - after all, the US and the UK are on the same side. Naturally, he will be well paid for his work. We agreed on the amount. Houghton was pleased. Ethel Gee was to act as the courier. Soon, valuable materials began to arrive from Portland to Lonsdale - for example, detailed maps of British naval bases and detailed descriptions of the structure of ships and submarines. The contents of the documents were transmitted to Moscow from house number 45 on Cranly Drive using high-frequency radio signals, after which the papers were safely returned to Ethel Gee. The spy network is in full swing.First suspicions
Lonsdale paid Houghton in cash. This "extra" money did not affect the state of his bank account. But the routine checks that MI5 periodically conducted among employees of classified organizations revealed that Houghton's expenses far exceeded his income. In 1960 Houghton's official salary was only £714 a month.However, he recently bought a new car, contributed £10,000 towards a new house and was spending £20 a week on booze alone. Where does a humble employee get such money? MI5 agents had to find out.
In July 1960 Houghton and Gee went to London to the theater on the Old Vic. They didn't know they were being followed. At the theatre, they met with Lonsdale, who took the briefcase from them and gave an envelope of some kind in return. Houghton and Gee went outside and took a detour to their car.
A month later, Houghton met Lonsdale again at the Old Vic, and they went to a café together. The MI5 agents sat down at the nearest table and listened in on the conversation.
“First Saturday of every month,” they caught Lonsdale's words. “And especially the first Saturday in October and November.”
It was obvious that they were planning something.
Then Houghton and Lonsdale left the café and went into a telephone booth. However, they did not call. Houghton just handed Lonsdale some papers wrapped in newspaper. They parted, and Lonsdale went to the bank. There he handed over a brown suitcase to the storage room. As soon as Lonsdale left, MI5 opened the suitcase. It contained a Soviet-made camera, a magnifying glass, two rolls of film, and a bunch of keys.
Watching and waiting
Lonsdale left for Europe for 2 months, and when he returned to England, MI5 agents were already waiting for him. They followed him from the bank, where he got his suitcase, to Roislip, where he went afterwards.In the weeks that followed, the picture began to clear up. On the first Saturday of each month, Lonsdale met Houghton in London. They exchanged packages of some kind, and on the same day Lonsdale went to Royslip, to the Krogers. He usually arrived at the beginning of the eighth evening. This went on for 3 months. In the end, MI5 decided that it was time to "take" Lonsdale. Detective George SMITH, superintendent of police (a police rank following the inspector) from the special department of the London criminal investigation department was appointed in charge of the operation.
capture
January 7, 1961 Harry Houghton arrived in London. This time Ethel Gee was with him. At Waterloo Station, at least 15 security agents disguised as passengers and newspaper vendors were waiting for them. Among them was George Smith. The train was 45 minutes late. Maybe because of this delay, maybe because of the terrible cold, Smith's people noticed Houghton and Gee only when they left the station building and headed for the bus stop. Only one disguised policeman managed to jump on the bus, all the rest were hopelessly behind. Luckily for the unlucky cops, it was just a fun sightseeing tour of the city. About an hour later, Houghton and Gee returned to Waterloo station and from there made their way to Old Vic Street. There they were met by Lonsdale. Like a true gentleman, he took the heavy package from Ethel. Smith, who had been following them, rushed to cut them off. “You are all under arrest,” he announced. “I am from the police.”3 cars drove up to them. Lonsdale was shoved into the first, Houghton into the second, Gee into the third. The cars took off and rushed to the station. One of the officers announced on the radio: “The suspects have been detained. We're taking it."
At least play chess
In Gee's package, they found 4 secret documents from Portland and a film of 300 frames, on it were filmed drawings and documentation on the construction of British nuclear-powered submarines. Three detainees were accused of violating the law on non-disclosure of classified information. Everyone reacted in their own way.“What an idiot I was!” exclaimed Harry Houghton.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Ethel Gee.
“Looks like I'll have to spend the night here,” Lonsdale said calmly. “Could you find me a chess partner?”
His request was granted. While Lonsdale was in custody, there was always a man among his guards who played chess well. Smith admired Lonsdale's endurance and treated him with sincere respect. Once he told reporters: “His work was not a gift - just like me or you. But he did great with her. How can I judge a person for doing a good job?”
Complete set of spy equipment
The Krogers were arrested the same day. They acted out holy innocence. However, as they were being taken out of the house, Helen Kroger asked to be allowed to add fuel to the steam boiler so that the fire would not go out overnight. “Of course, of course,” Smith said. "But first I'll see what's in your bag."The bag contained a tape recorder with a recorded cassette, a glass container with three microdots, and a 5-page letter written in Russian in Lonsdale's handwriting. Helen was going to burn it all in the firebox.
Now it's the turn of the forensic experts. A special team searched house number 45 on Cranly Drive for a whole week. We found a radio. Found equipment for the production of microdots. Among Peter Kroger's books were lists of signal codes, broadcast dates, and two New Zealand passports. There were Canadian passports in the writing box. Stacks of money were found everywhere.
A search of Lonsdale's apartment also turned up results. The police found equipment for the production of microdots, another walkie-talkie and a lot of money there. Equally clear evidence was found in Houghton's house: secret documents taken from the Portland naval base, a camera and a box of matches with a double bottom with a miniature map of meeting places in London.
Court
The trial began on March 13, 1961 and lasted 9 days. And finally, the Lord Chief Justice (President of the Queen's Bench of the High Court of Justice, the first senior judge after the Lord Chancellor.) announced the verdict. Houghton and Gee were sentenced to 15 years in prison, the Krogers to 20 years. Gordon Lonsdale faced an even harsher punishment. “Gordon Arnold Lonsdale,” the judge turned to him, “you are, without a doubt, a professional intelligence officer. This is a dangerous trade. And you, of course, should have been aware of what failure would have threatened you with. So I think you're ready to be punished. You are sentenced to 25 years in prison.”Lonsdale just smiled. He knew that in a British prison he would not stay long. During the Cold War, bash-to-bash intelligence exchanges were common. Lonsdale, not without reason, believed that the USSR would try to exchange him for some English intelligence officer who had failed in the Soviet Union. And he turned out to be right. After 3 years, he was exchanged for one English spy, captured in Moscow. Lonsdale was released.
... I went to England (1953), where I was put on a group of our serious sources, which formed the backbone of all incoming information.
- Vasily Alekseevich, if possible, more about this.
- We had interesting contacts in scientific and technical intelligence. Of course, in the military. Political contacts were very good. One of them still goes to my friends - the day before yesterday we drank tea together. This is George Blake.
- This name occupies a worthy place in the history of our intelligence! But it’s clear that you didn’t start working with him ...
- Yes, he was handed over to me in 1958, when he worked in West Berlin, in his residency, and returned to the central office.
- You worked under diplomatic cover, so it was unlikely that a British intelligence officer could meet with you openly ... How did you work with Blake?
- First of all, please note that Georgy Ivanovich - as we called him - is a high-class professional intelligence officer. As an employee of British intelligence, he was trained in all the intricacies of intelligence art. He knew the operational situation in the city, knew how to check from outside surveillance and never took out secret documents from his office. We met one on one in the city in conditions, I would say, of guaranteed security. In places where the appearance of two people and their conversation will not arouse suspicion and no one will pay attention to them ...
- But not all information can be conveyed in words or in an envelope. But what if the material is more voluminous?
- This brings to mind the Portland case, where we gave materials to our Navy. The agent brought blueprints of a submarine to the meeting - the size of this room! - and it was necessary to return them to their place ... The drawings were very interesting for us: the layout of the first nuclear submarines.
- It is clear that here it was impossible to do a walk along the street.
- Yes, in these cases, a meeting was organized using a car. It was necessary to plan everything in such a way as to have time to take, photograph and bring materials while a meeting is being held with the agent, some issues are being discussed, new tasks are being set.
- Vasily Alekseevich, what is this “Portland affair”?
- In Portland there is a base of the British Navy and the Center for Underwater Research, where the development and testing of various types of instruments for submarines, for detecting submarines, designs and layout of new types of nuclear submarines, and much more. Of course, this information was of great interest to our military sailors. At this base, the London residency had 2 agents. The fact is that at one time we “hooked” the cryptographer of the British naval attaché in Warsaw. He drank, he loved women, and he needed money. The money was found, and a certain agreement was concluded with him ... When he returned to England, he was taken to the Underwater Research Center - to the personnel department, where he had access to all classified information. Here we returned to him again - my predecessor worked with him and another agent in the same Center, then handed them over to me. The difficulty of working with these agents was that they worked and lived on the south coast of England, and I - in London. To travel outside the 25-mile zone, it was necessary to send a notification to the Foreign Ministry and obtain permission. You go once or twice to where the naval base and the Center for Underwater Research are, counterintelligence will immediately stop the whole thing. Therefore, meetings with agents were held in London, although their regular trips to the capital could also attract the attention of the special services.
- But you won't say that such a source had to be abandoned ...
- Of course not! At that time, our illegal residency in Lonsdale began to work actively in London. "Ben" - that's his pseudonym - was legalized as a Canadian Lonsdale. Comrade “Ben” was given these agents: he was a free citizen and could go wherever he liked ...
- Lonsdale - the legendary intelligence officer Konon Trofimovich YOUNG. Please tell us more about it.
- It is very difficult to make it short - after all, books have been written about “Ben”, he served as a prototype for the hero of the most popular film “Dead Season”. In his family, the men were traditionally physicists and the women were doctors. During the Great Patriotic War, Konon served in military intelligence, more than once went to the German rear for "languages" and after the Victory returned with a whole iconostasis of orders and medals. Then, after graduating from the Institute of Foreign Trade, Young began to serve in foreign intelligence. He was covered as a businessman, but he was not just "legendary" as a businessman - he lived this life. Created a company for the operation of slot machines. Then another one: for the production of some tricky locks. This castle of his received a gold medal at the Brussels Exhibition. If at the beginning of his work he was, so to speak, supported by the state, then later he fully provided for himself, became securely encrypted. A bank account, everything can be checked ... “Ben” was amazing in that, being in an illegal position, he felt at home. There was no doubt that it was dangerous, not dangerous. But later he told me: “You know, I still thought that there could be a failure. In theory. This thought was needed to always remember what I should do in case of failure: A, B, C ... So that I don’t lose my mobilization.” And I thought that he did not think about it at all.
- Did you also meet him on the streets of London?
- It is also the alpha and omega of organizing meetings. But only the Center set a condition that the conversations were conducted in English. I told him this, but he replied: “No, no, no, it can’t be like that!” He wrote to the Center: “Do you want me to forget the Russian language?” And the Center agreed that we should speak Russian, but warned: “Be careful!” As if we didn't know! He was, I would say, greedy for work. I remember, we are waiting for him from vacation - he must signal that he has returned. I go home for lunch and there is nothing. I'm coming from lunch - there is a signal. Doesn't miss a day, ready to go! I always thought that he was by nature so cheerful and fearless - but the very fact that he died at 48 years old says that the hardships of this life have done their job. And that his everlasting smile, cheerfulness is a predetermined line of behavior that he kept, I would say. She became part of himself, this line. He was such a wonderful person ... Konon Trofimovich knew how to win over people, so he established good relations with the agents he got in touch with. More interesting information began to come from them. I remember that for our military sailors, submarine detection devices were of great interest. Information from Ben's illegal residency placed the Navy of the Soviet Union in an advantageous position over the British Navy. Subsequently, the British responded about the results of his work as follows: “there are no important secrets left in the British Admiralty.”
- I’ll say a banality: you can’t predict everything in intelligence ...
- Especially in intelligence! “Ben” worked great, everything went without a hitch, but then some symptoms began to appear that could be regarded as counterintelligence interest. Once “Ben” noticed that someone had been in his apartment (as an illegal, he always looked in what order he left things, how the door was closed), and realized that he had been searched ... Next. He went on vacation and subscribed to a bank safe, put some valuable things there - and again he saw that someone had been there ... There is no need for the director of the bank to climb into the safe. Naturally - counterintelligence. As soon as these facts became known, the Center immediately gave instructions to curtail all business and leave. An illegal immigrant has such an opportunity: he threw away one passport, got another.
- Why didn't he leave?
- “Ben” had agents in touch. In addition, there were two employees of his residency - our people, illegal immigrants from the Union ... He decided that he still had time, that before hiding himself, he needed to get his people out of the blow. He really managed a lot - he held meetings with agents, warned about the termination of work. The last meeting remained - agents from the Center for Underwater Research ... And at this meeting, on February 6, 1961, he was taken under white hands - him and two agents. Counterintelligence took him in the transfer of materials, as they say, red-handed.
- Where were you when Lonsdale was arrested?
- I was in London... All of our legal residency was in shock - when a failure occurs, it is psychologically very difficult to experience. Moreover, we knew who was arrested - our friends. But we had no idea why? Naturally, I was the one who worried the most - after all, it was I who kept in touch with “Ben”. And in our theory, communication is considered the most vulnerable point. Am I missing something somewhere?! It would be easier for me to sit in prison myself - at least I knew why. However, as soon as "Ben" was arrested, I immediately took the suitcase in my hands - and on the plane. It was necessary...
So what is the reason for the failure?
- It soon became clear that the head of the Polish intelligence department, Golenevsky, had fled. For some reason, I went to West Berlin - and went to the Americans ... When our people in Poland recruited a cipher clerk for the naval attache, they could not get around, as we then said, “our friends from intelligence”. Like, it's not respectable for us to engage in intelligence in a friendly country ... And Golenevsky knew about this, and the British became aware that there was such an agent. They quickly went to him, from him they began to look with whom he was connected ... They traced “Ben”, traced his two assistants - this was a radio apartment, a house in the suburbs of London. But when they found the walkie-talkie, “Ben” said that it was he who let his friends down, who did not know anything, did not take part, and he hid the walkie-talkie from them without their knowledge.
- He held this position in court ...
- Yes, the behavior of "Ben" at the trial was just great. When the judge tried to interrogate him, he said: “Don't bother, your grace! All your questions will be answered with “No!” Then he sat down and started chewing gum. And chewed it for 10 days. He asked for a word only at the very end - and took all the blame. On March 23, 1961, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, his assistants to 20, agents from the Underwater Research Center to 15 years in prison. It was a very harsh sentence...
- By the way, who were illegal immigrants - Molodoy's assistants?
- These were the COHEN spouses, who, among other intelligence officers - participants in the solution of the so-called "atomic problem" became Heroes of Russia. And Lonsdale, when he returned, after serving almost 3 years in prison, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. What is interesting - this, of course, was an oversight of the British - in Lonsdale prison he met with Blake. He knew about him from the press. And he felt that he needed to cheer up his comrade. He said, “Cheer up! In 4 years, we will be in Moscow on Red Square to watch a military parade!” Prophetic words! After 3 years, "Ben" will be exchanged for Wynn - Penkovsky's liaison, then Blake will escape from prison and end up in the Soviet Union - and they will indeed watch the parade on Red Square together. And then the Coens were exchanged for the English spy Brook and someone else ...
LONSDALE SPY'S FAVORITE WOMAN |
For a long time it was believed that Galina Petrovna PESHIKOVA was no longer among the living. Since the Soviet intelligence officer Konon YOUNG passed away 30 years ago, whose image was brilliantly recreated in the cinema by Donatos Banionis, nothing was known about the fate of his wife even to close friends of this family. It seemed that the mystery that was shrouded in the life of Lonsdale, forever fenced off with a veil of secrecy and the fate of his beloved woman. However, shortly before the New Year, it suddenly turned out that Galina Petrovna was alive.
At our request for an apartment in which the couple lived in the neighborhood of the famous actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov 3 decades ago, Young, an old friend of Peshikova, Muscovite Galina Borisovna Ivanova, undertook to call. The receiver was picked up by the intelligence officer's grandson, named after his grandfather. He said that “grandmother still lives in this apartment” in a house on Frunzenskaya embankment. But he does not go outside and does not talk to anyone on the phone. This has been the case many years ago. The era of great residents and big names in intelligence, which has gone with the past century, unexpectedly echoed the continuation of a long-standing love story, which few people know about. Once upon a time, the whole world spoke about the Soviet intelligence officer Konon Molodoy. It's all about him - the front pages of leading British newspapers, the trial in London, known as "the Queen of Great Britain against Gordon Lonsdale", the film "Dead Season" directed by Savva Kulish ... One event remained behind the scenes, which happened a few weeks after of how in 1961 a Soviet intelligence officer in England was sentenced to 25 years in the Royal Prison.
An inconspicuous gray "Volga" model "GAZ-21", having left Dzerzhinsky Square, rushed to the area of the Theater of the Soviet Army. Behind the former CSKA park, where the pre-war barracks that had not yet been demolished were located, the car parked at a nondescript one-story house. Soon, representatives of the leadership of the department “C” (illegal intelligence) of the PGU KGB of the USSR were already sitting at a table in a small room, the mistress of which, according to the lists of the zhek, was Peshikova Galina Petrovna. In the passport of citizen Peshikova, there was a seal of the registry office about marriage to citizen Molody - the very one who was known in England as Gordon Lonsdale. Having told the intelligence officer's wife about the trial in London, Lonsdale's colleagues presented Galina Petrovna with a massive gold ring with aquamarine. On the ring, a thin engraving was inscribed: "For the ability to wait." Then no one knew how many years the wife of Conon the Young would have to wait and how the fate of the scout and his beloved woman would turn out ...
And now 39 years have passed since then. Lonsdale and those barracks behind the theater of the Soviet Army are long gone. And even the place where the ashes of the scout were allegedly buried is not known for certain. It seemed that the last flimsy footbridges from our days to those distant events shrouded in mystery had been burned. But it is not for nothing that there is a place in Moscow where milestones of the past and the present converge. Near the old house on Bersenevskaya embankment, built according to the project of the architect Iofan, the love story of Konon the Young and Galina Peshikova began. In the 19th entrance of this house famous throughout the capital, exactly above the apartment of Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva, lived a friend of Peshikova's youth, Galina Borisovna Ivanova, who still remembers well the day when she introduced the scout and primary school teacher.
“It was shortly after the war,” recalls Galina Borisovna. - Galina and I studied together, in English courses. Classes ended late in the evening, and it was a long way for my friend to get home. Therefore, she often spent the night with us. And then one day we stopped at an ice cream cart that stood in the same place all the time - at the entrance to the Udarnik cinema. And then my friends Yura Chernevsky and his friend Konon Molody, who was called Kony in our youth company, came up. He studied at the Chinese department of the Military Institute of Foreign Languages...
The Ivanov family at that time occupied 2 rooms in one of the apartments in the government building. The tenant of the communal apartment was the father of Galina Ivanova - the head of Glavkhlebmuka, an old Bolshevik who had once served Turukhansk exile along with Stalin himself. Student companies often gathered at the Ivanovs: they danced the foxtrot, chasing teas. Konon also liked to come here. According to Galina Borisovna, although he took part in the general reckless fun, he remained restrained, as if always ready to get up from the table and start serious work.
- Konon went on a business trip abroad shortly after they got married, - continues Galina Borisovna. “For all of us, including those closest to us and even my wife, his home was China. Konon was fluent in several languages - in addition to Chinese, also English, German, French. When he came on short vacations and he and Galina came to visit us, my father, an old Bolshevik, meticulously tortured him: “Well, where do you work?” And Konya answered evasively: “Yes, I teach at the institute.” The father pressed again: “For what profile, from which ministry?” Konon patiently explained: "From the social sciences" ...
Galina Peshikova brought letters to her friend that Konon wrote to her. Postmarks always had Chinese characters. Even the souvenirs Konon sent were Chinese. Intelligence has legitimized the resident with the secret pseudonym Ben thoroughly. No one knew that in fact Conon the Young was first sent to Canada, and then, under the guise of a Canadian businessman, naturalized in England, where he monitored the testing of bacteriological and underwater weapons. Founded by successful Canadian-born entrepreneur Gordon Lonsdale, the vending machine business expanded rapidly. Within a few years, Lonsdale managed to become a successful businessman.
- He was arrested in England on January 7, 1961, - says Galina Borisovna. “But we found out about it a few months later. I remember well how one day Galina rushed to me all disheveled, in tears, and from the threshold she stunned me with this news:
“He was condemned for many, many years!..” And the hysteria began. In the Committee, Galina was encouraged: everything would be fine, attempts were being made to release: And in the winter of 1963, she received a note miraculously sent by him from prison, in which Konon wrote that sooner or later she and Galina would be together again ...
From the book “Gordon Lonsdale: “My profession is a scout”:
“... Then, in accordance with the rules of English legal proceedings, Superintendent Smith was supposed to speak:
We have not been able to establish his true identity. But, in my opinion, he is Russian ... A career Soviet intelligence officer ...
I was third on the list of defendants. But it was with me that Chief Justice Lord Parker began his sentence.
- You, Londsdale, are clearly a career intelligence officer. This is a dangerous profession, and one who belongs to it must be prepared to suffer serious harm if discovered ... You will go to prison for 25 years!
Hall gasped. Lord Parker was triumphant. These were the moments of his glory: together with Gordon Lonsdale, he entered the history of English justice.”
The Lonsdale trial was covered by more than 200 journalists. The front page of the English Daily Sketch featured a picture of Conon sitting on a bench in Goyde Park. Below is a caption in large type: “But who is he?”
On a warm spring day in 1964, the same gray Volga drove into the courtyard of the Moscow Institute of Traumatology, where Galina Petrovna Peshikova then worked as a secretary, as 3 years ago. Two men in gray suits found Konon's wife and asked to go with them, briefly explaining: "All questions later." Galina Petrovna managed only to take off her white hospital gown. And a few hours later I was already ... in Berlin.
From the book "Gordon Lonsdale: My profession is a scout":
“April 9, 1964, I understood: the decision to exchange was made. You could count the days. But it didn't take long to count. On the morning of April 21, prisoner 5399 was taken to the bathhouse. In the waiting room, the clothes in which I was arrested were waiting for me: a dark raincoat, a gray suit with a green tint, black shoes, a white shirt, a tie ... transport aviation. We landed at the Goth air base in the English sector of West Berlin ... Finally we got out onto the highway leading to Hamburg. We passed the West Berlin checkpoint, without stopping, drove into the neutral zone. Exactly 30 seconds before the appointed time, a barrier went up on the side of the GDR. A car drove out from there. A man got out of the car. I immediately recognized him - he was my old friend and colleague. He approached the Mercedes and smiled. I smiled back too. We didn’t say a word to each other…”
When the British intelligence officer Greville Wynn was caught in the USSR and an exchange was planned, the English spy showed himself to be a practical person. Upon learning that he was being taken to be exchanged for Lonsdale and at the same time the Soviet money confiscated during his arrest was being returned, Wynn said: “Why do I need them? After all, I will go without customs inspection. So buy black caviar for the full amount ... ”After that, in his homeland they will call him “sprat”, which the Russians so profitably exchanged for their “shark”.
When Konon and Galina returned to Moscow, they immediately, according to tradition, visited the Ivanovs. They set the table. Konon smiled, stroked his wife's hand and felt, as he admitted, the happiest person in the world. At the table, he said that in England he had 8 cars of various troubles, which he filled with gasoline with an octane rating of 100 - and this is no less than as much as 5 shillings per gallon. Lonsdale had a villa in the suburbs of London, as well as several rooms in expensive hotels, rented on a permanent basis. Shortly before his arrest, the Queen of Great Britain, who acted as a plaintiff in the process against Lonsdale, granted him the title of sir - "for great success in developing business for the benefit of the United Kingdom."
In Moscow, Konon, Galina and two children were given a two-room apartment. The scout also became the owner of a brand new Volga and a lifelong pension of 400 rubles. Once, at a country picnic, where the Young spouses liked to go in their car, Konon confessed to his wife: “I would go on the same business trip again.” But, seeing Galina's frightened eyes, he grinned and hastened to reassure: "Alas, all the police departments of the world now have my fingerprints."
On October 15, 1970, during the same country walk in a forest near Moscow, Konon the Young suddenly had a heart attack. For his wife Galina, this was the worst blow.
“A few months later I saw a completely gray-haired woman,” recalls Galina Borisovna Ivanova. - The grief was so great that Galina did not even try to resist the tragic circumstances ...
The last time they saw each other was in 1980. After that, according to Galina Borisovna, Lonsdale's wife chose the fate of a recluse for herself.
September 9 marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Conan the Young, the famous Soviet intelligence officer, the man on the basis of whose biography the script for the film "Dead Season" was created.
Konon Trofimovich Young, also known as Canadian businessman Gordon Lonsdeil, was born on January 17, 1922 in Moscow into a family of scientists. His father taught at the Moscow State University and the Moscow Power Engineering Institute, and also headed the sector of scientific periodicals at the State Publishing House. Mother was a professor at the Central Research Institute of Prosthetics, during the Great Patriotic War she was a military surgeon.
Konon the Young spoke English from childhood, read and wrote in German and French.
In 1932, with the permission of the Soviet government, he went to the United States, where he studied at a high school in San Francisco. He lived with an aunt who moved to this country back in 1914.
In 1938 Young returned to Moscow and continued his studies at the 36th Moscow secondary school, which he graduated in 1940. In October of the same year he was drafted into the army and went through the entire Great Patriotic War in front-line intelligence. In the position of assistant chief of staff of a separate reconnaissance battalion, Lieutenant Molody repeatedly went to the rear of the enemy, took "tongues", obtained the information necessary for the command.
After demobilization from the army in August 1946 Konon entered the law faculty of the Moscow Institute of Foreign Trade. I studied Chinese at the institute.
In 1951 After graduating from the institute, Molodoy remained in it as a teacher of Chinese, as a co-author he took part in the creation of a Chinese textbook.
At the end of 1951 Konon the Young went to work in the foreign intelligence of the state security agencies.
In 1955, on instructions from the management, he left for the UK on the passport of a Canadian businessman Gordon Lonsdale and began to perform assignments as the head of an illegal residency. In London, he entered the School of African and Asian Studies at the University of London, and also went into business, creating a company selling and servicing slot machines. All this gave him the opportunity, without arousing suspicion, to make various trips around the country.
At the end of 1955 Lonsdale became a partner of the owner of a gum vending machine factory. As a businessman, he traveled extensively throughout Europe. Officially, his trips were connected with the conclusion of contracts for the sale of machine guns, but in reality he created a widely branched agent network.
In 1960 the factory went bankrupt and Lonsdale moved to a firm that made anti-theft devices for cars.
Ben's residency (such was the operational pseudonym of Konon the Young) for five years successfully obtained a large amount of very valuable secret documentary information from the British Admiralty and NATO naval forces, relating, in particular, to British weapons development programs, including missile weapons, highly appreciated by Soviet specialists.
In 1961 As a result of the betrayal of Polish intelligence officer Mikhail Golenevsky, who defected to the United States, the CIA reported to the British intelligence services received from the traitor information on agents of Ben's illegal residency, who worked at the naval base in Portland. In January 1961 Young was arrested at a meeting with agents at the time he received documented classified information.
March 23, 1961 In London, in the famous criminal court of higher jurisdiction, the Old Bailey, the trial of the so-called "Portland case" ended, the main protagonist of which was the Canadian businessman Gordon Lonsdale. His name then did not leave the front pages of English and American newspapers. But only many years later it became known that in reality this man's name was Konon the Young and he was a career Soviet intelligence officer.
The court sentenced Konon Trofimovich to 25 years in prison, of which he was in prison for only 3 years. In 1964 Young was exchanged for an agent of the British intelligence services Vin, who was arrested in Moscow. After returning to his homeland, he worked in the central apparatus of foreign intelligence.
For great services to the Motherland, Colonel Konon Trofimovich Molody was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees, the Red Star, the medals "For Courage" and "For Military Merit", as well as the honorary badge of soldier's prowess "Excellent Scout" and the badge " Honorary Security Officer.
September 9, 1970 Colonel Konon Trofimovich Molody died of a stroke. He was buried at the Donskoy cemetery in Moscow.
The events of Molodoy's biography formed the basis of the feature film "Dead Season" (1968) by film director Savva Kulish, in which Donatas Banionis played the main role of the Soviet intelligence officer. In 1990, a book by a group of authors entitled "Gordon Lonsdale: My Profession is an Intelligence Officer" dedicated to Molodoy was published.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
Personnel Soviet intelligence officer during the Cold War. Colonel Young took a direct part in the Great Patriotic War.
Colonel Young took a direct part in the Great Patriotic War.
In the state security agencies since 1951. An exceptionally capable and courageous intelligence officer. It was legalized in the UK in March 1955 under the guise of Canadian businessman Gordon Lonsdale, who came to the English capital allegedly to continue his education. The legend was impeccable: the real Lonsdale really existed, but died under unclear circumstances around 1943. On the instructions of the Foreign Intelligence Directorate of the KGB of the USSR, "Ben" (Lonsdale's pseudonym) was to infiltrate British military circles and collect information about British and American air bases, as well as to obtain information about the latest developments of Great Britain in the field of operation of nuclear reactors on submarines and the creation of bacteriological weapons.
Thanks to his sociable nature, as well as some special instinct, Lonsdale soon becomes a successful businessman: with the money of the KGB, he opens a company selling vending machines, then an enterprise for the production and sale of car anti-theft devices. Bank accounts are replenished daily, and soon Lonsdale becomes a millionaire. An electronic lock, invented at one of the Lonsdale enterprises, received a gold medal at an exhibition in Brussels in 1960. In London, the Soviet agent leads a secular lifestyle, he is known in the best London clubs. Allegedly, on the business of the company, he travels a lot around the country and makes the necessary connections. Of the most valuable was the meeting with the Kroger spouses - Soviet illegal intelligence agents of American origin who lived in England and became "Ben's" contacts.
The most successful acquaintance for Lonsdale happened in Portland - with Harry Houghton, a clerk at a secret naval base. Houghton had access to classified documents. Within a few years, he was selling secrets to Lonsdale that would later save the USSR several billion dollars in the development of weapons systems. According to one version, Houghton, whom Lonsdale paid in cash, disposed of money thoughtlessly: he bought an expensive car, walked in expensive restaurants, and he was monitored, and it was already a matter of technology to reveal his involvement in the information leak.
According to the official version, the failure was due to the betrayal of a Polish intelligence officer, Mikhail Golenevsky, who defected to the United States. The CIA reported to the British intelligence services received from the defector information on agents of the illegal residency "Ben" who worked at the naval base in Portland.
On January 7, 1961, Houghton and Lonsdale were arrested while handing over classified documents. The court was never able to prove Lonsdale's involvement in Soviet intelligence. Houghton, to the last, thought that he was selling secrets to an American officer.
In England, Lonsdale had several cars, a country villa, luxurious rooms in the best hotels in London. All this he bought with the money earned by the business. Shortly before his arrest, the Queen of Great Britain granted Lonsdale the title of sir "for great success in developing business for the good of the United Kingdom." But fate decreed that the career intelligence officer Lonsdale had to return to his homeland. After serving three years in Her Majesty's Prison, Gordon Lonsdale is released. Greville Wynn, an English spy and Penkovsky's liaison exposed in the USSR, was needed by British intelligence. And the British authorities are going to exchange: Gordon Lonsdale - Greville Wynne.
An outstanding intelligence officer died on September 9, 1970, at the age of 48. During one of the country walks, his heart suddenly stopped. The ashes of "Sir Gordon" rest at the Donskoy Cemetery in Moscow. On the marble slab of his grave is engraved in Russian: "Konon Trofimovich the Young, Colonel."
His feats of arms at the front and heroic service in the state security agencies were marked by many government awards.
In 1961, a high-profile criminal trial ended in Britain. In the dock was Gordon Lonsdale - a successful businessman, millionaire, playboy, a man of brilliant erudition and a connoisseur of secular manners. And also a Soviet resident, who worked fruitfully in the interests of Moscow for a long time. Many years later, it turned out that not only the image, but also the name was fake - the role of Lonsdale was played by Colonel Konon Trofimovich Molody.
The future super agent was born in 1922 in an intelligent Moscow family. Father is a teacher at Moscow State University, mother is a researcher. The family was far from simple - on the one hand, the Young had emigrant relatives who lived in the United States, on the other hand, connections in the Union extended widely enough to, if necessary, reach the highest representatives of the Soviet state. Therefore, in the early 30s - after the death of his father - the future intelligence officer went to live with his aunt in San Francisco for several years, and the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, Heinrich Yagoda, who was friends with Konon's late parent, personally helped with the departure. One way or another, a youngster with an unusual name grew up across the ocean, and over the years in the USA he managed to master the English language - so much so that he could, if necessary, easily impersonate a native speaker.
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However, Konon was definitely not a golden boy. Already in the States, he decided to return to his homeland and in 1938 he arrived in Moscow with a diplomatic courier. Upon his return to the USSR, he was drafted into the army a few months before the start of the Great Patriotic War. There he had to prove what he was worth - on his own, without regard to rich and influential relatives. Young served in artillery reconnaissance. Sound engineer, then commander of an optical reconnaissance platoon. The position was far from a sinecure, Konon constantly had to be on the front line and go in the battle formations of the infantry or even ahead of it - his platoon burst into some towns first. With composure and audacity, this officer attracted the attention of the command - and, it seems, not only him.
After demobilization, Young entered the Institute of Foreign Trade. The propensity for languages did not disappear - Konon perfectly studied German, French and Chinese. They finally came for him. His biography and abilities simply screamed that this person would be useful in intelligence. Composure, linguistic skills, an adventurous temperament, in addition - which was especially valuable - he lived in the States and imagined the life and customs of the country. By the way, he possessed another feature useful for a scout - discreet charm. His appearance was surprisingly unmemorable, devoid of clear signs, but at the same time he knew how to win over people.
In 1951, Konon the Young graduated from the university - and at the same time joined the state security intelligence service. And in 1953 he left, telling his relatives that he was going to China.
In reality, "China" was in Canada. True, a completely different person went there. Now the newly minted illegal was called Gordon Lonsdale. The real Lonsdale had been lying in the grave for several years, but intelligence managed to get hold of documents in his name. The young man was even able to obtain original documents in exchange for those allegedly lost. However, this was not the only problem. It was necessary to learn the habits of a new place, to imagine not only the language, but also literature, local celebrities, everyday habits. And it was not enough to know the language - it was necessary to think in it, so that even in an acute situation (especially in an acute situation) not to break into Russian. And besides, it was required to learn the manners of Lonsdale, to look at the world through the eyes of a Canadian, to merge with him. By the time he arrived in the West, no lie detector would have suspected that a stranger had come into the country.
The Secret Life of Mr. Lonsdale
Canada was just a way station for Young. His main target was England. In London, the spouses Morris and Leontina Cohen became Molodoy's liaisons, the Soviet agents were Americans. This is how the new residency came about. Along the way, Young acquired new acquaintances, in particular, he joined the Royal Overseas League, a public organization of supporters of the unity of the British Empire. The patron of this organization was the Queen herself. The Coens, meanwhile, had set up a spy nest in London. Their legal cover was second-hand book trade, and in the small mansion acquired by the couple, they equipped a radio bunker. Lonsdale himself did not get bored either. "Overseas League" has become a real storehouse of acquaintances. Thanks to new friends, the gentleman from Canada quietly attended parliamentary debates, and petty politicians, journalists, and aristocrats appeared among his acquaintances. At the same time, Lonsdale threw his fishing rods further: he entered the university at the Faculty of Oriental Languages, where cadres for the diplomatic and intelligence services were secretly trained. In a word, growing into the British society went well. And at that moment, Lonsdale came up with an idea that turned out to be truly brilliant. He decided to become an entrepreneur.
Married Morris and Leontine Cohen.
The energy and ambitions of the scout knew no hold. Commercial activity is a great universal cover. The currency will be useful to the Soviet Union. Finally, business is connections and legal access to technology. Lonsdale started with jukeboxes and gum machines that he installed in bars. For some time, the business brought losses, but soon the entrepreneur went into plus. Business expanded, Lonsdale changed directions, and soon his firm patented a car alarm mechanism. With him, Lonsdale went to Brussels for an exhibition of innovative technology - and received a gold medal there for "the best British exhibit."
It was a real breakthrough: "signals" went around Europe, the company was doing business smartly. Meanwhile, the owner of the company, under the guise of a new status, launched a campaign of industrial espionage, since after success in Brussels, Young was introduced to the Queen and became Sir Lonsdale. No one could have imagined that this charming businessman was a scout.
"Recipes" for high-strength alloys and metalworking technologies were sent to Moscow. Lonsdale, thanks to his business, was at the forefront of European industry and took full advantage of his position for purposes far from commercial. In addition, thanks to the excellent cover, several agents, previously recruited by other officers, locked up on Molodoy. In particular, he kept in touch with workers from the Portland Marine Research Center - Harry Houghton, and later with his mistress Bunty G. The flow of documents to the center did not weaken. In total, during the work of the residency in the USSR, 17 thousand sheets of secret documents on the technical condition of the British fleet, anti-submarine defense, acoustic systems, and cryptography were taken. Cohen's liaisons worked for wear and tear, while the residency, which provided so much useful information, after some time became self-sufficient. Among the places that Young penetrated through his contacts was even the chemical laboratory of Porton Down, which has become so famous in our time. The Cohens and Molodoy were able to describe the center's program in some detail. In a short time, a powerful effective residency settled in London, moreover, consisting of literally a few people. Well, the head of the enterprise rowed honestly earned money with a shovel, lived in a big way and felt excellent. There were no signs of failure.
And the clouds were gathering over the resident. In late 1960, alleged thieves visited Lonsdale's apartment. However, Young discovered that only low-value items had been stolen, and significantly more expensive items were not touched. The intelligence officer decided that he should gradually curtail his main activity, but he was not going to quit commercial activities: if he left the business, this would definitely be a signal for British counterintelligence.
In reality, this is what happened. A Polish intelligence officer who knew Houghton, one of Lonsdale's key agents, defected to the West. The Pole was generally prone to various adventures, they even suspected that he had a mental disorder. Already working for the West, he pretended to be Tsarevich Alexei. The claim, of course, is comical, but the damage done to Soviet intelligence by this extravagant type was far from funny. Houghton fell under the cap, and soon the British exposed Molodoy, and behind him the entire residency. The British were, to put it mildly, dumbfounded by who exactly fell into their hands. A millionaire with a personal box in the Albert Hall and a luxurious villa. The operation to capture him was personally supervised by the director of MI5 - British counterintelligence - Roger Hollis. The British started with Houghton and Gee. They came out to the lovers, without sentimentality outlined the prospects and offered to hand over the resident in exchange for a commutation of the sentence. They agreed.
On January 8, 1961, Young met with his Portland agents and took from Bunty Gee a shopping bag stuffed with Top Secret British Admiralty documents. At that moment, "James Bonds" - a dozen and a half counterintelligence agents - rained down from cars parked nearby. After that, Morris and Leontine Cohen were captured.
Police car outside the home of Morris and Leontina Cohen
Dead Season
There was nowhere to go. A radio station, forged documents, photographic equipment, hiding places were found in the Coen mansion. However, during interrogations, the Coens behaved completely differently than the Portlanders. They did not confess to anything and did not betray anyone. Lonsdale behaved defiantly calmly and took all the blame, removing the agents from under the blow. The young one played the last but very important card. He, a citizen of the USSR, had somewhere to retreat, but the fate of the Coens could be the most deplorable. There was not only spiritual nobility here, but also a sober calculation: the process was widely publicized, and potential agents would have known that Soviet intelligence would pull its own to the end.
Spy equipment found at the Cohens' home
The jury found all five defendants guilty. Lonsdale was given 25 years in prison. He accepted his sentence stoically, literally with a smile, although the term was extremely harsh. The Coens received 20 years each, Houghton and Gee, who hoped to get off cheaply, 15 each.
However, the matter did not end there.
In conclusion, Young was on a special regime. Single camera, 24/7 light, continuous surveillance. In prison, during permitted walks, he met another famous Soviet agent - George Blake. In prison, Young announced that they would celebrate the half-century anniversary of the October Revolution together. Surprisingly, this prediction came true. Blake soon managed to escape and move to the USSR. The young one, too, as it turned out, would not spend the rest of his life in prison. He was recognized as a Soviet citizen and work began on his release.
Agent George Blake.
In 1962, an English intelligence officer, Greville Wynne, was captured in Budapest. Negotiations for his release were conducted in secret and lasted several months. Of course, the Russians demanded their resident instead. On April 21, 1964, the warden came to Molodoy and took him to the office of the head of the prison. Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were already sitting there. A few hours later he was flying to Berlin. The next day, at the Staaken checkpoint in Berlin, without any noise or excesses, the Soviet and British intelligence officers returned to their own.
The Coens also managed to bail out, although much later. In 1969, they were also exchanged for three Englishmen and solemnly received in Moscow. Later they lived quietly on the Patriarchs. In a sense, this story ended well even for the failed Houghton: he and Gee got out of prison in 1970 and got married some time later.
Chairman of the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR Vladimir Semichastny (1st from left) receives Soviet intelligence officers Rudolf Abel (2nd from left) and Konan Molodoy (2nd from right), 1964.
Conon the Young returned home to his family. Later, he enthusiastically described his adventures and his business. He worked in the intelligence apparatus, taught. For obvious reasons, he could no longer engage in operational work. However, a long, calm old age did not work out: in 1970, he suddenly died. True, during his life in Moscow, Molodoy managed to leave a mark on history in a rather unexpected way: he advised the film crew of the film Dead Season. On the set, he met the lead actor Donatas Banionis. The actor noticed that Young is too plain and does not look like a scout at all. The latter laughed and remarked that it was wonderful: the scout should look like that.
