It also helped Americans to understand how limited the Soviets capabilities actually were in the area, so as tensions grew during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy knew how much rope he could give [Soviet Premier Nikita] Khrushchev, as Duns puts it. "Think about going back to life after that intense drama," Cooke says. Wynne literally goes from being a charming businessman heading towards retirement, says the actor, to someone secreting Minox film cartridges in his case as he tos-and-fros to Moscow., He was an ordinary man doing an extraordinary thing. He later died of throat cancer in London. With the foundations laid, Wynne was asked to arrange a meeting with a state committee in Moscow and report back on the conversations he had. Seeking ways to parlay the notoriety he received, he became what Duns calls a rent-a-spokesperson for all kinds of espionage stuff, making appearances in the media about anything related to spycraft, whether or not it was anything he had experience with. The MI6 agent suffered from depression after imprisonment and torture. Alex Palmer is a travel and culture writer who lives in Brooklyn. Greville Wynne, who was 44 at the time, was ordered to serve three of the eight year sentence in prison and five years in a labour camp. Wynne married his second wife, Herma van Buren, in 1970. Shelia Wynne Wife Of British Spy Greville Wynne Here With Son Andrew Wynne 1964. In November 1960, Greville Wynne, a 41-year-old British businessman, sat down for a lunch that would change his life. He was put on trial in Moscow on May 1963 for spying and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. 22:00 GMT 13 Aug 2021 Hes such a nice character. The BBC produced a TV movie based on them. For example, his obituaries in The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times all claim that he did recruit the businessman Greville Wynne, which according to The Independent is false. After his release from prison, he prospered as a property developer. He struggled with dyslexia and left school at 14 to work for an electrical contractor. When it came to writing the screenplay, OConnor laments that the true story of Wynnes experiences may never be known. If you continue to use this site, we will assume that you are happy with this. So we got along a lot.. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Oleg Penkovsky had his sights set on moving to the West and building a better life with his family and, therefore, he was keen to expose some of the Soviets most valuable military secrets. But the chummy interactions between the agents and Penkovskys prolific, even reckless, acquisition of materials grew increasingly perilousand finally caught the KGBs attention. He was senior enough that you could sit down with the agents for hours and explain the entire context of how Soviet intelligence worked.. You, in your own mind, have developed this sense of self-importance, says West. In declining health, he was released roughly two years later on April 22, 1964 in exchange for Soviet spy Konon Molody, who had called himself Gordon Lonsdale while operating in Britain. Greville Maynard Wynne (19 March 1919[2] 28 February 1990) was a British engineer and businessman recruited by MI6 because of his frequent travel to Eastern Europe. Greville Wynne's son is Andrew Wynne. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. In real life, Wynne's wife Sheila divorced him after he was released from the Moscow prison and returned to Britain. These guys were in the foxhole togetherthey each had a secret that only the other man knew, says OConnor. Some of the most advanced and very best spy cameras on the market. Well, his journey as a spy began in November of 1960, at the age 41. -The New York Times. Donald asks the courts to let him tweet.
He just was an ordinary man who got thrust into this just extraordinary, life-altering situation that was going to define his existence forever, says OConnor. The film is out now. In an overcoat, wearing a trilby and carrying a briefcase, middle-aged travelling salesman Greville Wynne looked every inch a rather ordinary, unremarkable family man going about his daily life. This incredible story is the focus of a new movie called The Courier starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Wynne a role that clearly excites him. Explore how the celebrity world connects. KGB chief Vladimir Semichastny later revealed: They led Wynne along the corridor as Penkovsky was approaching in the opposite direction so that both could see that the other had been arrested. Penkovsky either was shot or killed himself in prisonthere are disputing accounts. Johanna Herma van Buren. His name was Konon Molody, but was known in the West as Gordon Lonsdale. In all, Penkovsky had provided Western intelligence with about 140 hours of interviews and 111 exposed rolls of film, contributing to some 10,000 pages of intelligence reports. In February 1990, it was announced Wynne had died of throat cancer at the age of 70 at the Cromwell Hospital, London. Stock Image ID: 1494267a Shelia Wynne Wife Of British Spy Greville Wynne Here With Son Andrew Wynne 1964. After his release, Wynne returned to his business career. Wynne and Penkovsky engage in bland business banter while Wynne's wife (Jessie Buckley) assumes his new secretiveness is to cover up an affair. [6] Wynne and Penkovsky each pleaded guilty on 7 May 1963 and were sentenced four days later. Privacy Statement Later on in his professional life, he became a businessman and often travelled to Eastern Europe. Strange" to Sherlock Holmes. While Angus Wright's character, MI6 agent Dickie Franks, was indeed a real person who worked for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, according to his 2008 obituary in The Independent, he had nothing to do with the recruitment of civilian Greville Wynne and the claim that he did is based on incorrect reports in the press. Our complete range of spy cameras. In his role as a British businessman who travelled Eastern Europe, working for British electrical and steel companies, Wynne was perfectly positioned to gain intelligence for MI6. He was 71. Wynne was flown from Hungary to Moscow, where he was brutally tortured before being sentenced to eight years in a Soviet labour camp. Me and him have a really good relationship were really lucky, Keir said. Benedict Cumberbatch: Battled mystery flu, fake crew cut facing Jodie Foster in 'The Mauritanian'. On 23 May 1966, he appeared as himself in an episode of the American television series To Tell the Truth, receiving two of four possible votes. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. He claims that Penkovsky had been questioned probably 100 times before being shot and cremated. Wynne said he was subjected to severe beatings and psychological pressure by the Soviet KGM. They were alone in the world with this incredible burden except for the other man.. MRS SHEILA WYNNE, WIFE OF MR.GREVILLE WYNNE, A BRITISH BUSINESSMAN HELD IN RUSSIA ON AN? But as he began researching Wynnes story, he learned that this ordinary man could also tell some extraordinary lies. After his release he said: They treated me as they thought I should be treated.. He acted as a courier to transport top-secret information to London from Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky. As for Rachel Brosnahan's character, CIA operative Emily Donovan, she is not based on a real person. His first wife, Sheila, was present throughout his Moscow trial but divorced him after his release. 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"The Courier" has compressed the real-life story and changed some facts. Find featured products, our latest blog posts, spy laws, information about the UK's biggest and best spy shop and much more all in one place. Wynne was a well known character on the island in the 1980s and at one stage . This gave American officials a clearer picture of what the Soviets were doing in the region, bringing in medium-range ballistic missiles. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Greville Wynne Interview & Related Videos, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Discover our latest products. But he reportedly committed suicide in a Soviet labor camp. The Courier true story reveals that top KGB officials knew that Penkovsky was a double agent for more than a year, but they wanted to protect their source, a valuable mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). "(Chisholm)played a very important role in the story that we couldn't get into, because it's a whole other movie," Cooke says. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, and is based on the true story of a British businessman who was recruited by the Secret Intelligence Service to be a message conduit with a Russian spy source Oleg Penkovsky (played by Merab Ninidze) in the 1960s. [4], After the Second World War, he traded in electrical equipment, travelling often through Europe and India. Greville Wynne had a wife, Sheila, and a son, Andrew. [9][10][11], Wynne was held at the Lubyanka. Khruschev later backed off and ordered the Soviet missiles returned to the Soviet Union after President John F. Kennedy ordered a naval quarantine of Cuba. Wynne went along, slightly concerned about whether Penkovsky was on the level and concerned about putting himself into a dangerous situation, kicking off what would be one of the most productive clandestine operations in Cold War history. Greville Wynne was a British businessman who had a liking for the drink and the ability to travel between countries without question. He later died of a throat disease in London. This true story is a very interesting, skewed way to telling a ticking time-bomb, spy-thriller.. Wynne returned to his life as a businessman. But, meanwhile, at the height of their greatest coup, Wynne and Penkovsky were facing their own downfall after British double agent George Blake told his KGB controllers that Penkovsky was also passing secrets to a British embassy workers wife. In 1961 and 1962, at the height of the Cold War, disgruntled colonel Oleg Penkovsky (portrayed by Merab Ninidze) became the highest-ranking Soviet military official to spy for the United Kingdom up until that time. The pair went on trial in Moscow in 1963 and Wynne was sentenced to eight years five in a labour camp and three in the citys chilling Lubyanka Prison after pleading guilty to espionage. He was married twice. Usually we get asked to do the same role, so we help each other out with learning the script and we give each other advice.. The couple separated a few years before his death but were still legally married when he died. After his release, Wynne revealed details about his espionage career. Andrew Wynne born 1952, age 69 (approx.) At the time, they were largely accepted at face value and sold well. After that divorce, Wynne took another wife, Herma van Buren. Herma van Buren Bio Details. Data security and recovery solutions. An NSA employee-turned-Soviet Spy named Jack Dunlap revealed Penkovsky's treasonous activities to the KGB, despite the KGB having already known about the betrayal. British spy Greville Wynne owned house in Chelsea during the 1960s He and Soviet double agent Oleg Penkovsky asked MI6 and KGB for a bar Given 500 each but spent most the money on alcohol. It was directed by English director Dominic Cook, who is also known for films such as On Chesil Beach and Follies. He then worked at a telephone factory as an apprentice. He was flown to Moscow, imprisoned, and tried alongside Penkovsky, who it would later be learned had been arrested the week before Wynne entered Hungary. After months of negotiations, the British government was eventually able to arrange a trade of Wynne for the Soviet spy Gordon Lonsdale, whod been arrested the year before and was serving a 25-year sentence in England. The 12-year-old bears an uncanny resemblance to Benedict Cumberbatch, which caught the eye of the casting director on the Hollywood stars latest film. Click to reveal Other unconfirmed claims reckoned he committed suicide in a Soviet labour camp. In 2007, Peter Lindford portrayed Wynne in episode one of the BBC docudrama Nuclear Secrets, titled "The Spy from Moscow.". Find family history information in a whole new way Andrew and Sheila lived in Britain whilst Greville served his prison sentence in Moscow. This marriage didnt last either and the couple separated several years before Greville Wynnes death in 1990. Wynne was a British businessman who, from 1960 and 1962, smuggled thousands of pieces of intel out of Russia before he was captured, imprisoned, and tortured for two years by the KGB. This time it's a true story:Wynne served as an unassuming go-between for British intelligence MI-6 and Russian spyOleg Penkovsky atthe height of the Cold War. On 11th May 1963, a Moscow tribunal ruled that Greville Wynne was to serve an eight year sentence for his role in supplying British and American intelligence officers with Soviet information. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Thus began their fruitful relationship, one that involved Wynne hosting Penkovsky in London, who was visiting under the pretense of cultivate new opportunities in the West. Officials in London had also been aware of Penkovsky since he had approached two British businessmen and gave them his business card in hopes it would reach MI6. An industrial sales consultant who regularly traveled through Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union representing British electrical and steel companies, Wynne was told it would be helpful if on his next trip, he could arrange for a meeting with a state committee in Moscow dedicated to developing opportunities with foreigners in science and technology, and report back on his conversations. The film seeshim arrested on a plane leaving Moscow and does not delve into his show trial for spying alongside PenkovskyinMay 1963. That was what they were working on and they were closely watching anyone I associated with.. Recalling his first day on set, he said: At first I was really nervous, but the cast were all so nice, and I managed to sit next to Benedict for the read-through of the script. Greville Maynard Wynne (19 March 1919 [2] - 28 February 1990) was a British engineer and businessman recruited by MI6 because of his frequent travel to Eastern Europe. This intelligence gave both the United Kingdom and the United States the knowledge necessary to manage the quickly evolving military friction with the Soviet Union. He acted as a courier to transport top-secret information to London from Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky. Penkovsky's real-life codename was HERO. Many Animals, Including the Platypus, Lost Their Stomachs. Historians question this account. Terms of Use Greville Maynard Wynne was a British spy famous for his involvement with, and imprisonment as a result of, the espionage activities of Oleg Penkovsky. As the film alludes, life never returned to normal for Wynne, who battled depression and the psychological after-effects of his incarceration. It involved a lot of foreign travel, including trips to Soviet bloc countries, and thus provided ideal cover for spying. Cookie Policy Your IP: Oleg Penkovsky also provided documents that revealed that the Soviet Union was ill-equipped to fight a war in the area.In addition, Colonel Penkovsky provided Wynne with the names and photographs of roughly 300 East bloc intelligence agents, as well as information about Soviet weapons production and military manpower. Why did Wynne make up so much, when the truths of his 18 months as a spy are already filled with astounding details? By
He was released in a swap at a checkpoint in Berlin in April, 1964, in exchange for Soviet spy Konon Molody, known in Britain as Gordon Lonsdale. However, he was freed in 1964 in exchange for Soviet spy Conon Molody, or Gordon Lonsdale as he called himself in Britain. One of them said quietly, Mr Veen? and I said, Yes, that is my name.. He was asked to bring back crucial intelligence from a Soviet double agent keen to hand Russias darkest secrets to the West. He appeared on US game show To Tell The Truth. However, Wynne and his wife Sheila split up, after Sheila became suspicious of his frequent trips to Eastern Europe and the Soviet State, thinking that he was having an affair. | READ MORE. In the late 1960s, after he had been imprisoned for his spycraft and could no longer assist MI6 nor the CIA, the amateur spy authored a pair of books: The Man From Moscow: The Story of Wynne and Penkovsky and The Man From Odessa, that were riddled with falsehoods. Wynne died of throat cancer in 1990 at a London hospital. 'The Courier' is currently lived by his son, Andrew, as he died in 1990 at the age of 70. "He came from a very humble background, but was always trying to better himself," says Cumberbatch. Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. See the Elon Musk family tree here at FameChain. The almost universally accepted version of events is that Oleg Penkovsky was executed in 1963 for providing top-secret information to the United Kingdom. If this spy case would have emerged in the modern day, both Andrew and Sheila may have been more of a centre point for the media and their lives could have been followed closely. "Greville Wynne was anordinary mandoing an extraordinary thing," Cumberbatch says. Discover our wide range of tracking devices. Penkovsky gave a huge amount of details about what missiles the Soviets had, how old they were, how there were queues for foodit was an extremely vivid portrait of the country and the people within intelligence, says Duns. Despite having no previous experience in intelligence work, Wynne was being recruited to serve as an MI6 agent. Greville Wynne is a legend in the history books and his family has also benefited from it. The Courier fact-check reveals that, like his father, Penkovsky had become disillusioned with the Soviet system. Strange' sequel, Benedict Cumberbatchs latest film, The Courier, which he also executive produced, tells the true story of an ordinary, British businessman who was recruited to become a hero spy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He and his wife Sheila divorced, and Wynne became estranged from his son and only child, Andrew. It was on this day that Wynne was captured by the Soviets and flown over to Moscow for sentencing. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. [6] Wynne later became an intermediary and courier for Penkovsky, smuggling top-secret Soviet intelligence to London on return from his frequent trips to the USSR. Sentenced toeight years in a labor camp, Wynne spent 18 months in Moscow'sLubyanka Prison, where he was subjected to beatings and torture. After the initial meeting in December 1960, Penkovsky provided Wynne with film of Soviet military documents and later promised more information if an arrangement with British or American intelligence could be made. This led to the publication of his dubious memoirs. I chatted to him not just about the film but his life and it was really interesting. In The Courier movie, Wynne's wife Sheila (Jessie Buckley) becomes suspicious of his trips to the Soviet Union, suspecting that he is having an affair. Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox. The U.S. was then able to use U-2 spy planes to take photographs and identify the missile sites (see image below). He described Penkovsky as possibly the Wests most valuable agent. In November 1960, Greville Wynne, a 41-year-old British businessman, sat down for a lunch that would change his life. They had one son. As mentioned, Greville Wynne had a son named Andrew with his first wife, Sheila. Even though Wynne wasnt exactly a reliable narrator for what he did during his time as a secret agent, the materials he smuggled from behind the Iron Curtain were the real thing. Yes. Like in The Courier movie, a fact-check confirms that KGB surveillance resulted in Greville Wynne and Oleg Penkovsky both being arrested in October 1962, the same month the Cuban Missile Crisis was unfolding. David Calder played Wynne in the 1985 BBC serial Wynne and Penkovsky. They recruited him in November 1960. The wealthy businessman, who wrote The Man From Moscow and The Man From Odessa, worked for Britains MI6 Secret Intelligence Service. The moonlighting spy was arrested on a business trip to Budapest in November 1962 and taken to the Soviet Union. Browse our recording devices. Strange sequel. He returned to his business career, but also tried to cash in on his espionage fame. Penkovsky felt stunted in his career with GRU and expected that by helping the West for a year or two, he and his family could be relocated and build a better life, and that he would personally be showered with recognition and honor. He passed away from throat cancer in London in 1990 at age 70. The affair developed into the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. This kind of psychological game made them easier to handle during interrogations.. He also held the view that leaking this information would bring him a great deal of recognition and a sense of honour. But he said his training with the MI6 was even worse. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Also, see Wynne in his appearance on the American game show To Tell the Truth. Alex Palmer Among the explanations are a desire for money or fame, a ruinous case of alcoholism, or perhaps even psychological scars left by his time in Soviet prison or the shame he felt for publicly turning against British intelligence during the trial. Director Cooke says Donovan is a composite character representing several real-life people, includingJanet Chisholmthewife of a Moscow-based British visa officer whoalso served as a conduit for information passed to the West by Penkovsky. We hope you have enjoyed our insight into the story of British spy Greville Wynne and that you have learned about this Cold War story. Should you have information that conflicts with anything shown please make us aware by email. Mr Andrew Greville Wynne. Your Privacy Rights Liam Daniel, Courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. However, in real life, IRONBARK was the codename for the documents that Soviet double agent Oleg Penkovsky had been passing to the CIA. They separated several years prior to Wynne's death in 1990. Wynne died of throat cancer in London's Cromwell Hospital on Wednesday, the British domestic news agency Press Association reported. Among the materials Penkovsky provided to Wynne were four photocopies of plans for construction sites of missile-launching installations in Cuba. Wynne was then hit over the head and knocked out, bundled into a car and taken to prison where interrogators played out a guessing game to establish the links between him and Penkovsky. But do note that it is not possible to be certain of a person's genealogy without a family's cooperation (and/or DNA testing). In the movie, the title refers to Oleg Penkovsky's codename. This provided a near-perfect cover for spying. 1. Wynne Andrew Greville Download Report Watch this director Reports Positions Charts Business areas History Similar name Reports Director Report with insolvency check, phone numbers and contact addresses (United Kingdom) It includes the current and past appointments and positions in companies, with relevant data about each company Dont call us, well call you in a couple years. When Greville got out of prison, he was not prepared, as people obviously are not in those circumstances, to be ignored.. "In a way, it's a love letter to Penkovsky,"Cumberbatch says. British officials also never confirmed or denied Wynnes spying claims, and he didnt receive any official recognition for his work. Penkovsky, who was tried with him, was sentenced to death for treason. "But you have a responsibility to honor the essence of what happened," says director Dominic Cooke. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. -The New York Times. The MI6 specialist experienced post-arrest sadness and torment. Wynne returned to his life as a businessman. Unaware of Penkovskys arrest, Wynne travelled to Budapest under his cover name of Mr Veen against the advice of his MI6 bosses. Wynne was born in Shropshire, England, and raised in Ystrad Mynach, South Wales. | "He did make a life for himself, but Greville Wynne did pay a big price for his service. Something went wrong, please try again later. In 1985 he was portrayed by actor David Calder in the BBC series Wynne and Penkovsky, and in 2007 by Peter Lindford for BBC drama Nuclear Secrets. , updated [13] He died of throat cancer at the Cromwell Hospital in London on 28 February 1990, aged 70. It quoted unidentified close friends. Penkovsky was arrested first, and after his interrogation, Wynne was apprehended. In The Courier, he plays Andrew, son of Greville Wynne, a real-life businessman who was recruited by MI6 as a spy. February 28, 1990. edit data. He preceded this book with The Man from Moscow: The Story Of . A drink-lovingbon vivante as portrayed onscreen, Wynne'sreal-life salesmanship and genuine naivet made him perfect for throwing off serious suspicion. Important information Editorial Use Only. Not only was this account widely denied shortly after publication by members of the CIA and Kennedys staff, but it would have been against the way espionage is runkeeping heads of state a safe distance from the details of intelligence work. Despite Greville Wynne being in the spotlight for large parts of his life, Andrew Wynne and Sheila Wynne were seemingly not in the public eye too often. It was said he had been shot by a firing squad. Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter Palma 03/12/2018 09:38. In 1950, engineer Greville Wynne set up his own business as an exporter of industrial engineering products. In honour of the Queen's eldest son, our new king, we have put together this collection of highlights from Charles' earlier years. Greville Wynnefitthe bill simply assomebody who was taking business into Eastern Europe.". [15], Later in life, Wynne wrote two books about his work for British intelligence: The Man from Moscow (1967) and The Man from Odessa (1981). Computer monitoring devices to help you and your loved ones stay protected online. By
Greville Wynne, who spied on the Soviet Union for Britain in the cold war and who spent 18 months in a Moscow prison after being caught, died of throat cancer on Wednesday, hospital officials. It seems likely that Wynne did have an affair in the years prior to becoming a spy for MI6, though we found little evidence to verify this. Geographic restrictions may apply. Wynne was a middle-classBritish businessman whose frequenttravelto Eastern Europe attracted recruitmentby MI-6 to serve as a liaison to high-ranking Soviet official Penkovsky. Greville Wynne had a wife, Sheila, and a son, Andrew. Penkovskys information, and Wynnes help in delivering it to British and American intelligence officers, would produce mountains of material, play a role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and land both men in prison. By a firing squad in 1990 but as he began researching Wynnes story, he plays Andrew son! Naivet made him perfect for throwing off serious suspicion days later intelligence service four. 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Tv movie based on them the U.S. was then able to use this site, we will that., see Wynne in the region, bringing in medium-range ballistic missiles Wynnes experiences May never known! Conon Molody, or Gordon Lonsdale as he called himself in prisonthere disputing... U-2 spy planes to take photographs and identify the missile sites ( see Image below ) what the were. Books and his family has also benefited from it was sentenced to for... Take photographs and identify the missile sites ( see Image below ) Cromwell Hospital, London mandoing! Photocopies of plans for construction sites of missile-launching installations in Cuba was asked to bring back intelligence...