Spy who was left out in the Cold: The Secret History of Agent Goleniewski (178)

May 21, 2021

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We speak with author Tim Tate about his new book the Spy who was left out in the Cold: The Secret History of Agent Goleniewski

Michal Goleniewski remains one of the most important, yet least known and most misunderstood spies of the Cold War. Even his death is shrouded in mystery and he has been written out of the history of Cold War espionage - until now.

Tim Tate draws on a wealth of previously unpublished primary source documents to tell the dramatic true story of the best spy the west ever lost - of how Goleniewski exposed hundreds of KGB agents operating undercover in the West; from George Blake and the 'Portland Spy Ring', to a senior Swedish Air Force and NATO officer and a traitor inside the Israeli government. The information he produced devastated intelligence services on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

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I am delighted to welcome Tim Tate to our Cold War conversation…

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0:00 Introduction

1:08 Discussion on the topic: The Spy Who Was Left Out In the Cold

3:51 Interview with Tim Tate and Goleniewski's importance in the Cold War

14:38 Goliansky's defection and personal life complexities

24:27 The arrest of Soviet spies and Goleniewski's debriefing process

33:36 Goleniewski's trial and his rise in Polish intelligence

38:06 Impact of other defections on Goleniewski's CIA status

46:24 Public revelation of Goleniewski's story and his financial struggles