The Spy Game

Part three

 
 

The prosecution said Wynne had acted as a go-between passing on "information about Soviet rockets" provided for him by Penkovsky during secret meetings in London, Paris and Moscow. 

Wynne in fact passed detailed drawings of Concord to Penkovsky, but unknowing to both they were diverted to a go between in MI5 who doctored them before they were passed on.  The finished “Concordsky” as it was dubbed spectacularly crash-landed at the 3rd June 1973 Paris air show killing its crew of 6 and 9 civilians on the ground.

After sentencing, the court also named British and American officials in Moscow who were said to have helped Wynne in his espionage activities. Wynne spent six months in Lubyanka Prison. Oleg Penkovsky was executed by firing squad one week after the trial.

Two days later, the Russians expelled British diplomat Gervase Cowell one of the Britons named in the trial as supporting Wynne in his spying efforts (This was true as Cowell was Penkovsky controller in MI6)

Grevase Cowell was last employed as Special Operations Executive Archivist for a number of years until his death on 26th May2000

 

Taken form various sources including

Files in the The National Archive Kew London T 326/1133  Granting of emigrant status to Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean: implications and public reaction; legacy to Kim Philby  1962 Apr 22-1962 May 15

Books that have been  written and published about MI5/6 are  Greville Wynne, “The man from Odessa”, 

And files in the The National Archive Kew London. FO 369/5635 Arrest and trial of Greville Wynne in Soviet Union and FO 371/182816 Intelligence and publication of Penkovsky papers

 
 
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