It therefore seems that this future double agent - who in 1990 [when his autobiography was published] had no reason to lie - was still far from experiencing his cultural revolution.
Once his training was complete, Blake was sent as a secret agent to Seoul in South Korea. He was obviously under diplomatic cover as his official role was that of viceconsul. Seoul was now one of the world's hotspots: the Korean War had not yet started, but after Mao had seized power in China in 1949, it was expected that northern troops would invade South Korea at any time. In addition, Seoul was not that far away from Vladivostok. One of Blake's missions was therefore to gather information on Russian military installations in its maritime provinces.
Blake was deeply affected by what he witnessed in Seoul: the corruption of the regime and the brutality of the police force. When war broke out, Blake, along with other diplomats, was taken prisoner in Seoul by North Korean troops and despite attempting to escape, he remained at the hands of the communists for three years. Those who represented western imperialism were not exactly treated with kindness in the PoW camps. If indeed Blake had been an eastern agent at the time, it is unlikely he would have been treated too harshly and would most likely have been able to escape such conduct. Blake chose to spend his years in captivity reflecting and reading. He believed that if his captors were ruthless, it was the war that made them so and he lay the entirety of the blame on the United States for starting it.
Was Blake a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, a phenomenon that causes a hostage to eventually feel sympathy for their captors? Or had he been brainwashed? Whatever the case, while he was still a prisoner, Blake passed a letter to the Soviet representatives in North Korea whereby he offered them his services. It was an offer that was readily accepted. Worried that Blake may prove to be a rookie choice, the KGB were careful not to release him too early and risk arousing suspicion with his British employers.
Finally free, George Blake returned to Britain where he was welcomed as a hero. He soon resumed his work with MI6 and was posted to Berlin. It was now 1955 and Blake was now able to use his talents for the benefit of his new employers.
George Blake
35
The question I now had to consider was what action to take. In the particular situation I found myself in, there appeared to be three options available. Firstly, I could apply for permission to stay in North Korea to help rebuild the country after the war had ended. Secondly, I could return to England, leave MI6, and register with the Communist Party and sell copies of the Daily Worker, or other such propaganda work. Thirdly, I could use my position with the SIS [Secret Intelligence Service] to pass information to the Soviet Union about the SIS and other western intelligence agencies’ operations against the Soviet bloc and the world revolutionary movement - thereby condemning them to failure... I realised that would be betraying the trust they had place in me, as well as betraying my friends and colleagues. I also knew that I would be betraying a county to whom I owned a great loyalty.After weighing it all up, in the end I believed that I had no choice but to carry this guilt, as heavy as it was.To be in a position whereby I could help a great cause and then not do anything, was even more reprehensible.
An agent can only exist if he provides the right information to his employers. In order to make himself indispensible to the British authorities, Blake had developed a very clever system. If he wanted to remain credible, he had to provide solid information. He spoke to his KGB case officer, who assigned him to a Soviet official based in Berlin - a man who was to become his main source of information. What is extraordinary is that this man, codenamed ‘Boris', was actually a spy who had been unmasked by the KGB but had been left to continue his role in order to misinform the enemy. This ‘Boris' therefore had no idea that he was passing on information to a double agent. This was a real masterstroke, as if he ever decided to defect to the West, Blake could never be suspected of treason. For the Soviets, Blake was a true British agent.
This strange game of manipulation led straight to Operation Gold, the pinnacle of Blake's espionage career. There were already serious studies being carried out into technological and electronic spying methods, as opposed to using human intelligence. A few years earlier, the West had managed to install wiretaps in Soviet communications in Vienna and it was this that led to the development of Operation Gold: the construction of a tunnel under East Berlin. The tunnel was to be 500m long and lead straight to the Soviet military complex at Karlshorst, which was the headquarters for the intelligence service. The aim was to hack into Soviet communications by placing wiretaps on their underground telephone lines. The construction of
