Title:OLEG GORDIEVSKY - BRINK OF APOCALYPSE INTERVIEW RUSHES PART 3 [ALLOCATED TITLE]
Film Number:TV 238X/63
Other titles:1983 - THE BRINK OF APOCALYPSE [ALLOCATED SERIES TITLE]
Summary:Interview rushes with Oleg Gordievsky, Russian KGB (Committee for State Security) officer and double agent for MI6 (British Secret Intelligence Service/SIS). For the 2008 Flashback Television documentary ‘1983 - The Brink of Apocalypse’, a Channel 4/Discovery co-production concentrating on Cold War events in 1983, told from both Western and Russian perspectives, primarily focusing on events surrounding the 1983 ‘Able Archer’ NATO command post exercise. Interview conducted in English language.
Description:Describes the significance of NATO military exercise ‘Able Archer’ as perceived at the time, and with hindsight; discussions with MI6 officer about the exercise; general comparison of size and perception of strength of GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate) and KGB (Soviet Committee for State Security); brief observations around Soviet leadership (Andropov, Gorbachev) and Ministry of Defence of the Soviet Union Dmitry Ustinov; consequences of independent lines of communications for different Soviet departments (GRU, KGB, Embassies, trade delegations); initial GRU handling of communications relating to ‘Able Archer’; explanation of urgent Soviet cables including the ‘flash telegram’; flash telegram received in relation to ‘Able Archer’ around 8/9 November 1983; speculation regarding possibility of the British Intelligence community having another, unidentified, source perhaps informing on the KGB and GRU station staff in London; his opinion of the British Intelligence Service at the time; opinions concerning the ‘folly’ of instructions in early 1980s given to Soviet officers to report on ‘signs’ of western escalation for war (Operation RYAN/RYaN); overview of tensions of whole Cold War period including how East-West nuclear confrontation was avoided; opinions around Soviet military leaders Nikolai Ogarkov and Sergei Akhromeyev; how ‘reasonable doubt’ mitigated risk of escalation towards nuclear war in this period; Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, December 1979; calculations by Soviets regarding Poland in this period; observations made by Soviet leadership as ‘Able Archer’ exercise ended [technical note: footage rewinds around final minute of digitised scan].
Alternative Title:1983 - THE BRINK OF APOCALYPSE [ALLOCATED SERIES TITLE]
