Source-led reading note · Cold War case study
The Spy and the Traitor
A source-centred Cold War narrative for studying the relationship between personal motivation, trust and operational risk.
Ben Macintyre
Subject and context
A carefully researched narrative of Oleg Gordievsky that makes recruitment, tradecraft and counterintelligence tangible.
Formats & listening
Audio edition verified
Read by Ben Macintyre
Penguin Audio · UK edition · 2018
Start here for a sustained Cold War narrative read by its author. Other editions use different narrators; sample this specific recording before choosing.
Edition details and access conditions can differ by provider and territory. Printed or digital text is useful for checking citations, names and visual evidence even when listening.
Sources & edition details
Continue on this shelf
Agent Zigzag
Eddie Chapman’s double-agent story is a useful case for examining loyalty, deception and the source–service relationship.
Reading note Christopher AndrewThe Defence of the Realm
An authorised history that places individual MI5 cases in their institutional context. Official archival access supports the account but does not make the record complete.
Reading note Keith JefferyMI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909–1949
The first four decades of SIS provide essential context for understanding British foreign intelligence—not a guide to current operations.
Reading note