Dan
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Post by Dan on Feb 14, 2018 13:24:33 GMT
This will seem a little obscure to start with. I hope you'll find this worth following
Diary of Valentine Vivian
Tuesday 14th April 1936
Met with friend of Footman today, Guy Burgess. Devastating wit and intellect, however a raving queer and fond of the bottle. Will meet again as he could have a bright future in D or V ahead of him despite his obvious flaws.
Thursday 16th April 1936
Sat with B. Strange fellow, very observant. Have suggested that keeping it in his trousers and putting down the bottle could be very good for him, feigned ignorance at the former, outrage at the latter. Shame.
Monday 20th April 1938
Apologetic telephone call from B today, seems this may have been his Damascus moment. Will wait and see.
Tuesday 21st April 1938
The truth will out, seems B was caught by the local constabulary a little over the limit. Luckily sensible enough to see the gravity and has sworn off the demon.
Have arranged an appointment for mid May with B, see how he's doing.
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"It is posited that the car crash and subsequent arrest of Guy Burgess in April 1938, had it been handled differently by the local constabulary, may have prevented the penetration of Britain's intelligence services prior to, and during the Second World War, by the Soviet Union.
Indeed Burgess' biographer, Phillip Knightly, (Burgess, A Portrait of Treason - Oxford Press 1999), points out that contrary to Vivian's diary, (pub 1989 Cambridge Press), it was not his exhortations to Burgess to seek treatment for his alcoholism, but those of Arnold Deutsch, his MGB handler that were effective.
There are stories, unsubstantiated it must be said, that Deutsch quite literally held a revolver to Burgess' head until he disposed of every single bottle of alcohol in his flat. The version acknowledged by Knightly though is that Deutsch had offered to help the charges resulting from the accident go away, however such a failure in the future would result in the most dire consequences. Most likely that Deutsch had threatened to 'out' Burgess to the Police at a time when homosexuality was still a criminal offence.
However, whatever the reason, Burgess cleaned himself up and began to behave with more discretion, no longer the 'slob with a taste for the bottle', Burgess' analysis, already highly praised at Cambridge, took on a sharper edge, making his recruitment a logical step for both The Soviets as an agent, and the British as an officer".
From 'The Lion, The Bear and the Eagle - Intelligence Failures of The Cold War'. Clancy, Thomas, (Vauxhall Press, 2012)
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"it is unknown if the recruitment of the Cambridge Ring, and their eventual influence in events was of either accident or design, it is something that nearly every Soviet Leader from Stalin onward has taken credit for, yet there seems little record of the early days with the archives of the Former Soviet Union. This is uncharacteristic of both Yhazov and Beria which indicates that had here been a central plan of any kind, then it began under the watch of Genrikh Yagoda not long prior to his arrest and execution in the first of the Great Purges. Scholars of the Soviet union and it's State Intelligence Apparatus are divided as to whether there was even a plan, however most agree, that the effects of their recruitment were beyond the imagination of all but the most hackneyed spy fiction writers". Peter Snow - Root Of All Evil, Episode 1. BBC Worldwide 2017.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 14, 2018 15:05:55 GMT
This will seem a little obscure to start with. I hope you'll find this worth following I will do my best. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 14, 2018 15:31:25 GMT
Interesting. If Burgess was outed or otherwise made himself unavailable would it stop the rest of the Cambridge traitors being recruited. Or possibly if 'betrayed' by his KGB handler might he be angry enough to betray him and the rest of the group in return? Wondering where you will take this but looking forward to finding out.  |
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Dan
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Post by Dan on Feb 14, 2018 17:56:00 GMT
Interesting. If Burgess was outed or otherwise made himself unavailable would it stop the rest of the Cambridge traitors being recruited. Or possibly if 'betrayed' by his KGB handler might he be angry enough to betray him and the rest of the group in return? Wondering where you will take this but looking forward to finding out. This isn't much of a spoiler, but of the original run, Burgess was the last to be recruited. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Feb 14, 2018 19:15:10 GMT
And so it begins!
Excellent start. Leaves us full of questions but questions wanting to know more.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Feb 14, 2018 21:06:48 GMT
Interesting. If Burgess was outed or otherwise made himself unavailable would it stop the rest of the Cambridge traitors being recruited. Or possibly if 'betrayed' by his KGB handler might he be angry enough to betray him and the rest of the group in return? Wondering where you will take this but looking forward to finding out. This isn't much of a spoiler, but of the original run, Burgess was the last to be recruited. Ok thanks. |
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Dan
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Post by Dan on Feb 15, 2018 8:12:42 GMT
Actually, I'm wrong, he was either the first, or one of the first. There's some discussion over whether Burgess recruited Blunt, or Blunt recruited Burgess.
ITTL I will settle this in the next update.
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James G
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Post by James G on Feb 15, 2018 8:27:33 GMT
Actually, I'm wrong, he was either the first, or one of the first. There's some discussion over whether Burgess recruited Blunt, or Blunt recruited Burgess. ITTL I will settle this in the next update. It's madness trying to figure out that puzzle. I had a look last night and saw contradictory things. They probably wanted it that way to stop someone walking back the cat on the issue. |
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Dan
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Post by Dan on Feb 15, 2018 9:29:58 GMT
"It was clear to me that eyes were possibly already on him, but Guy, whilst an inconsiderate lover at best, possessed a sharp mind and the right politics. His admission to the Apostles seemed to confirm this without doubt. His flaws made him vulnerable which was the only reason I did not persue the matter at the time. I understand that Otto, (Arnold Deutch), had taken me at my word, mind you, and begun investigating him as a possible recruit. I did not believe that this was a wise choice, however, Otto seemed to see something in him and continued".
Blunt took a pause, reached for the glass of water in front of him. He looked into the face of the utterly insufferable prick opposite him. 'No less a traitor than I' he thought, Wright had himself quietly defected to the Americans in 1970, into the waiting arms of James Angleton and the CIA, and now, here he was 10 years later sitting like Ceaser, in front of him. He looked around the room, at the bare walls, the utilitarian table, steel chairs. This was not the 'quiet chat' that would have happened just a few years ago. A few years, a lifetime ago. It had all come unravelled, and rather messily to be fair. He began to unravel the story in his own mind, but was cut short, by the outburst from his interrogator.
"We know about Burgess, tell me about McClean, how did you get him"?
Blunt took another sip of water and sat upright.
"you know, I rather think this is enough for today, these recollections rather take it out of an old man you know" Blunt replied. He placed hs hands on the table, the metal on metal clink of the cuffs stopping on the metal tabletop.
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James G
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Post by James G on Feb 15, 2018 10:52:35 GMT
The plot thickens.
Either Wright has Blunt in his clutches across in the US or Wright has returned as saviour to the UK. Bad news for all traitors or suspected traitors. Once a paranoid is proved right once, usually the paranoid believes that all they believe is true.
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Dan
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Post by Dan on Feb 16, 2018 9:08:29 GMT
November 1946
"Comrade Chairman, what are we celebrating"? Nikita asked. It was rare to see the Boss, even in the Great Patriotic War, with a drink.
"We have had an incredible stroke of luck. It seems that the British have decided to send us not only the plans for a working jet engine, but a number of engines themselves as a 'gesture of peace among the people of Europe'"
Khrushchev looked a little perplexed. "Is there any reason that they wouldn't do that"?
"I'm sure that Attlee would have done something similar, however, it doesn't hurt having a 'freind' as their capitalist in chief". The Chairman downed his drink and looked at the Ukrainian party boss. He'd been a senior NKVD Commissar during the Great Patriotic war and key, some say more so than Zhukov or Chuikov in the defence of Volgograd. He would need watching, but could, for a given value of 'trust', be trusted.
"Then I will drink to that Comrade Chairman".
"Tell me Nikita Sergeyovich, you have a good grasp on military matters, has our friend Georgy Konstantinovich reached the time to retire do you think, or should we leave him facing off against the Chinks".
Khrushchev cleared his throat before speaking. "Comrade Chairman, The Chinese seem to think that Korea should be there playground despite us putting the Mongolian mannequin into power there. If the fool decides that he must drive south as he threatens to do, we will be forced to support him, at least materially. Zhukov is the right man to stay up there and ensure the successful delivery of supplies to the Koreans to sweep out the capitalists".
"And after that Comrade Commissar"?
"After that Comrade Chairman, a medal, a quiet retirement in a countryside dacha with 'reliable' bodyguards I think".
"A wise choice for a man about to take over as Chairman of the MGB. Serve your country well Nikita Sergeyovich"
Khrushchev stammered out a thanks, and left the room.
And to think, while he will lead them, they will always answer to me.
Iosef smiled as he was left alone with his thoughts. He wondered if one day his schemes and ploys would go too far, that would be tomorrow's problem. He had enough to deal with today, tomorrow could wait.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 16, 2018 9:27:19 GMT
November 1946 "We have had an incredible stroke of luck. It seems that the British have decided to send us not only the plans for a working jet engine, but a number of engines themselves as a 'gesture of peace among the people of Europe'" Khrushchev looked a little perplexed. "Is there any reason that they wouldn't do that"? Did the British really do this, helping the soviet Jet engine program. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Feb 16, 2018 9:35:54 GMT
November 1946 "We have had an incredible stroke of luck. It seems that the British have decided to send us not only the plans for a working jet engine, but a number of engines themselves as a 'gesture of peace among the people of Europe'" Khrushchev looked a little perplexed. "Is there any reason that they wouldn't do that"? Did the British really do this, helping the soviet Jet engine program. Yep. Stupidity it was. |
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Feb 16, 2018 9:37:57 GMT
November 1946 "Comrade Chairman, what are we celebrating"? Nikita asked. It was rare to see the Boss, even when under the old boss, with a drink. "We have had an incredible stroke of luck. It seems that the British have decided to send us not only the plans for a working jet engine, but a number of engines themselves as a 'gesture of peace among the people of Europe'" Khrushchev looked a little perplexed. "Is there any reason that they wouldn't do that"? "I'm sure that Attlee would have done something similar, however, it doesn't hurt having a 'freind' as their capitalist in chief". The Chairman downed his drink and looked at the Ukrainian party boss. He'd been a senior NKVD Commissar during the Great Patriotic war and key, some say more so than Zhukov or Chuikov in the defence of Volgograd. He would need watching, but could, for a given value of 'trust', be trusted. "Then I will drink to that Comrade Chairman". "Tell me Nikita Sergeyovich, you have a good grasp on military matters, has our friend Georgy Konstantinovich reached the time to retire do you think, or should we leave him facing off against the Chinks". Khrushchev cleared his throat before speaking. "Comrade Chairman, The Chinese seem to think that Korea should be there playground despite us putting the Mongolian mannequin into power there. If the fool decides that he must drive south as he threatens to do, we will be forced to support him, at least materially. Zhukov is the right man to stay up there and ensure the successful delivery of supplies to the Koreans to sweep out the capitalists". "And after that Comrade Commissar"? "After that Comrade Chairman, a medal, a quiet retirement in a countryside dacha with 'reliable' bodyguards I think". "A wise choice for a man about to take over as Chairman of the KGB. Serve your country well Nikita Sergeyovich" Khrushchev stammered out a thanks, and left the room. And to think, while he will lead them, they will always answer to me. Lavrentiy Pavlovich smiled as he was left alone with his thoughts. Stalin always joked that Beria's 'fun and games' would be the death of him, yet it turned out that the rather 'extensive interrogation' he had enjoyed had actually been the making of him. And now, it would be the making of the Soviet Union and a Socialist Europe. Now begs the question as to which friend of the NKVD has become UK Prime Minister. |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Feb 16, 2018 9:38:35 GMT
Did the British really do this, helping the soviet Jet engine program. Yep. Stupidity it was. Where the Germans scientist and material not enough then for the Soviets, seems they also needed a present from the British. |
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