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The Spy Who - Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | Back in the Game | 3

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

After a bust-up with the FBI over Pearl Harbor, Duško Popov finds himself at a crossroads. Does he seek a Hollywood ending with his movie star girlfriend or risk death by returning to Lisbon... to win back the trust of his Nazi spymasters?Listen to The Spy Who on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/the-spy-who/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Wonderry Plus subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy Who early and add free on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. December 1941, New York City. In the FBI field office in the Rockefeller Center, Dushko Popov examines his fingernails. He's here to debrief the, the FBI about his trip to see the Abfair in Rio de Janeiro. But he's still fuming about how they failed to act on his warnings
Starting point is 00:00:37 about a possible attack on Pearl Harbor. FBI field office chief Sam Foxworth presses him again for more details about what happened in Rio. Let's go over this again. The Abver are sending you radio equipment via a steamboat from Rio. That steamboat is going to arrive next month in Toronto and you're going there to collect the equipment. But you don't know anything about its captain.
Starting point is 00:01:05 Not the vaguest description of what he looks like. Popov shrugs. The British want him to withhold that information. MI6 plans to arrest the steamboat captain and turn him into a British agent and it doesn't want the FBI interfering with that plan. Perhaps I can provide that detail when he arrives. Now, I have a question for you.
Starting point is 00:01:29 What happened with Pearl Harbor? Foxworth frowns. It's been a week since Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor forced America into World War II. We got attacked. That's what happened. Pop off scowls. Four months ago, I gave you intelligence
Starting point is 00:01:50 that the Japanese were going to attack. Why wasn't that information acted upon? I don't know how you do things back in Yugoslavia, but you don't come to America and tell the FBI how to do its job. I'm not telling you how to do your job, but you're making it impossible for me to do mine. I need to send information back to the Germans to maintain my cover, and you won't give me any.
Starting point is 00:02:16 You're destroying my whole network while also ignoring the intelligence I'm bringing you. Foxworth crosses his arms. Listen, Popov. I'm telling you to back off. Your job is to bring us information, not to make decisions or to ask questions. You better learn to walk the line. Mr Hoover doesn't like you. Keep pushing and things might start to get dangerous for you.
Starting point is 00:02:42 Popov sits and stews. The FBI has reduced him to an impotent bystander in a war that's far from over. But he can't just quit. His family and his friend, Johnny Yebson, live under Nazi rule. To blow his cover now would put all of them in danger. He must fight on, even if it's no longer just the Germans that stand in his way, but the very people who are meant to be his allies. Grab a coffee and discover Vegas-level excitement with BetMGM Casino.
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Starting point is 00:04:34 No, it was more, don't look back in anger, unless you're looking back very angrily in Paris with fists flying and parentage questioned. As Oasis hits the road again, miraculously, it's the perfect time for British scandal to look back at how it all fell apart in the first place. We're diving into the rise, fall and full-blown chaos of Noel and Liam, Britain's most dysfunctional double act.
Starting point is 00:04:57 It's a story of working-class swagger, tabloid tantrums, and so many parkers. This isn't just rock and roll. It's one of Britain's great love stories, just with more headbots. Follow British Scandal now wherever you listen to podcasts. From Wondery, I'm Indravama and this is a bit of a while. This is a bit of Rwanda. is the spy who. On the last episode, Dushko Popov was sent to America to recruit spies for the Abver, and the British intelligence loaned him out to the FBI.
Starting point is 00:05:35 But his new American spy masters disregarded his warnings of a Japanese plot to attack Pearl Harbor. And now, the trust between Popov and the FBI has hit rock bottom. What you're about to hear are dramatized reconstructions of events based on the information information that's available. But remember, in the shadow realm of the spy, the full story is rarely clear. This is the spy who inspired 007. Episode 3, back in the game.
Starting point is 00:06:14 January 1942, the Rockefeller Center, New York City. In the FBI field office on the 44th floor, Popov settles into his chair. On the other side of the desk sits his FBI handler, Charlie Landman. Popov's still keen to repair relations with the Bureau and return to his role as a double agent, feeding misinformation to the Germans. And Landman called him here with what sounds like promising news. Popov smiles at Landman.
Starting point is 00:06:45 So it's true. You are building the Abvers radio transmitter. Popov's smile isn't returned. Instead, Landman looks subdued, almost uncomfortable. Yeah, it's true. We've assembled it using the blueprints you got in Rio. It's in a safe house in Wading River. That's fantastic!
Starting point is 00:07:06 Popov cuts in, eager to get back in the game. When do we start? Landman raises his hand to slow Popov down. Dushko, I'm sorry, but this is going to be a bureau operation. Orders are that you're not to be involved in the transmissions, or informed of their content. Wait, you're going to use my name to transmit information to the Abver, but you're not even going to tell me what that information is?
Starting point is 00:07:35 Landman looks away, embarrassed. I'm sorry, this comes from the highest level. Jay Edgar Hoover himself. Charlie, if I go back to Europe and my Abver commander asks me about those transmissions, and I don't even know what's in them, They'll know I've turned. You're putting a bullet in the back of my neck. I don't know what to say.
Starting point is 00:07:59 Hoover's got it in for you. There's nothing to be done. Popov's head sinks into his hands. He spent two intense, dangerous years living a triple identity in the midst of war. Now everything's crashing down around him. One month later, the Gold Coast, York State. In a plush bar, Popov nurses a cocktail. Following the FBI's decision to shut him out,
Starting point is 00:08:29 he's trying to party away his frustration in this fashionable haunt of movie stars and celebrities. He stares at the ice bobbing around in his drink, and then hears a familiar voice. Across the room, he sees the French actress, Simone Simone. She and Popov had a brief but intense relationship in Paris before the war. He strides over. Simone. Simon spins around. Her hair's cut fashionably short
Starting point is 00:08:58 and her bright eyes flash in excitement on seeing him. Dushko, what are you doing here? I could ask you the same question. Well, I'm filming. It's a horror movie. I play a wicked tempterist sent by the devil. I'm sure you do. It's so good to see you again.
Starting point is 00:09:17 Do you remember that night at Shee-Josephine in Paris, dancing on the tables? How could I forget? It seems like a different world, doesn't it? War changes everything. Can I tempt you to dance now, though? You can tempt me to anything. Popov takes her hand and leads her towards the dance floor,
Starting point is 00:09:37 both feeling the flame of romance beginning to burn once more between them. It's five months later, and at the ultra-exclusive stalk club in Manhattan, Popoff and his film star, girlfriend are out on the town again. Since his romance with Simone reignited, Popov stepped out of the shadowy world of espionage and into the spotlight. His world is now one of film star glamour, with lavish skiing holidays, trips to Hollywood, and regular tables at the most fashionable celebrity hangouts.
Starting point is 00:10:14 But tonight, Popov's mood is far from celebratory. He holds a copy of that day's newspaper scowling into his drink. Simone looks on, slightly irritated at being upstaged by a newspaper. Darling, I just don't see why it's such a big deal. Popov brandishes the paper at Simone, pointing at the Daily Showbiz gossip column. Walter Winchell mentioned me by name. He is the most popular gossip writer in America. The people I work for are going to see this.
Starting point is 00:10:50 Sweetheart, I'm an actress. If I'm seen with someone, it makes the gossip pages. It's no big deal. It is a big deal. In the column, the writer jokes about Popov and Double Talk. Popov knows that anyone involved in espionage will be able to read between the lines. The newspaper's outing him as a spy. And Popov can only think of one man who would feed this information to the gossip columnist.
Starting point is 00:11:19 FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover. But it's already too late. That article is now running in dozens of newspapers across the United States. And the consequences for his loved ones back in Europe could be dire. Popov throws down the newspaper in despair. He picks up his drink and drains it. Simone reaches out and clasps his hand to try and console him, but Popov just gazes into the distance.
Starting point is 00:11:49 His thoughts are thousands of miles away. One month later, New York. Popov walks through Central Park. By his side is Ian Wilson. He's an MI5 officer who's been sent to New York to extricate Popov from the FBI. Wilson offers Popov his sympathies. I know this isn't easy after all you've done, old boy.
Starting point is 00:12:17 But the FBI have really done a number. on you. Your cover is almost certainly compromised. It's Hoover. He disapproves of how I live. So much so, he'd rather hurt me than the Germans. Well, after that gossip column and this business with the radio transmitter, the real question is, what now? Popov stops to light a cigarette, deep in thought. I don't know. Honestly, you've done great service. His Majesty's government is incredibly grateful. You can walk away now with honour. Takes him on, go to Hollywood, leave this awful war behind. Popov sighs and starts walking again. He can picture that future before him, a life of peace, safety and Hollywood glamour. But then he sees the Gestapo officer
Starting point is 00:13:10 who interrogated and beat him all those years ago. He imagines the horror of his cousin crucified on a barn door and thinks of his friend Johnny Yebson at the mercy of German intelligence. He lifts his head. No. I'm not walking away. This war isn't over. I'm going back. Dushko, that's brave. But I have to warn you, I put your chances of survival at about 80 to 20 against. They'll interrogate you, and if you don't answer every question right, you'll wish all they do will shoot you. My mind is set. Don't try and scare me
Starting point is 00:13:48 Just give me what I need to win Wilson looks impressed at Popov's courage Okay Well we'll have to cook up a story to explain Why you haven't given the Abver Any decent intelligence for the last year MI5 will gather what scraps of intel we can Here in the US
Starting point is 00:14:05 But I warn you, they will just be scraps As Wilson speaks, Popov nods He can already feel a plan coming together in his mind The odds of success are slim And the price of failure is deadly It will take every ounce of cunning and spycraft he has But he's getting back into the game Navigating family matters can be tough
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Starting point is 00:14:55 That's L-E-R-N-E-R-S-Family Law.C.A. Searching for a romantic summer getaway. Escape with Rich Girl Summer, the new audible original from Lily Chew. The exquisitely talented Philippa Sue, returning to narrate her fifth Lily-Chue title. This time, Philippa is joined by her real-life husband,
Starting point is 00:15:13 Stephen Pasquale, set in Toronto's wealthy cottage country, aka the Hamptons of Canada, Rich Girl Summer follows the story of Valerie, a down-on-her-luck event planner, posing as a socialite's long-lost daughter, while piecing together the secrets surrounding a mysterious family, and falling deeper and deeper in love with the impossibly hard to read and infuriatingly handsome family assistant, Nico. Caught between pretending to belong and unexpectedly finding where she truly fits in, Valerie learns her summer is about to get far more complicated than she ever planned. She's in over her head and head over heels.
Starting point is 00:15:48 Listen to Rich Girl Summer, now on Audible. Go to audible.com slash rich girl summer. It's October 1942, and Popov's back in Lisbon for the first time in over a year. Popov once again sits outside a Lisbon cafe waiting to be picked up by the the Ab-Fair. But this time, Popov knows that he's under suspicion. He has only a few scraps of intelligence from MI-5 to offer the Ab-Fair, and if he falters for even a moment in this interrogation, he's a dead man. A car pulls up. In the passenger seat, he sees Elizabeth, the winking blonde who he met when he first came to Lisbon. She beckons him, and Popov slides
Starting point is 00:16:40 into the back. Once again, both Elizabeth and the driver maintain absolute silence. Gradually, Popov begins to notice that they are not driving the usual route towards the villa in Estoril, but along an entirely new road. Popov has no idea where he is being taken. He feels the panic rising. Are we not going to the villa? No, there's a new location. This lack of detail does nothing to calm Popov's surging anxiety. He struggles to maintain his composure as the car weaves through the Lisbon traffic, wondering if he's being driven to his own execution. The car pulls up next to a nondescript apartment block. Elizabeth motions for Popov to follow. She leads him into one of the flats. Inside, his Abver case officer Ludovico von Kasthof is sitting with a man Popov's never met before. Their faces are stony, unreadable.
Starting point is 00:17:40 Von Kastov gestures to a chair. Popov, sit down. Von Kastov looks Popov up and down. So, what is this crucial intelligence that you couldn't transmit by radio? Popov picks up his bag, opens a secret compartment, and withdraws papers containing the misinformation prepared for him by MI5. You'll see these are photographs of documents. They're mainly concerning the movement of American troops in Britain.
Starting point is 00:18:07 The first armored division, the 8th Air Force, The unknown upfair officer gives the papers a cursory glance and raises his eyebrows. This is very thin. Why couldn't you just send this by radio? It wasn't the intelligence that was the problem. It was the radio operator. I was afraid he might have been turned by the Americans. And who was this radio operator?
Starting point is 00:18:29 Popov recites the cover story he has carefully worked out with MI5. He was an Indian fellow. He'd been involved in the independence movement in Delhi but came to New York to study engineering. I was able to recruit him because he despises the British. So what happened? The other upvair officer cuts in aggressively. Why did you suddenly decide he was a risk? Look, I don't know how much work you've done in the field,
Starting point is 00:18:51 but it's different than sitting behind a desk in Lisbon. You have to read people. I just sensed something was wrong, that the Americans had got to him. Okay, but how did you even get this information? There was a naval attaché. He drank too much and liked women, so I found him a chorus girl,
Starting point is 00:19:09 and while they were busy in the bedroom I was able to snap these pictures on the camera you gave me. It was seedy but I did what I had to do. von Kasthof is about to speak again but before he can the other upvair officer slams his fist on the table. Enough of this dancing around!
Starting point is 00:19:25 There are people in Berlin who think you haven't been gathering information for us at all that you've just been swaning around America with film stars and there are some who believe that it's you who is working for the Americans. Pop-off freezes. There it is. the accusation that could lead to his death.
Starting point is 00:19:43 Everything rests on how he reacts in this moment. He scans the faces of the two men opposite and in one split second makes a decision. He discards all his well-rehearsed plans with MI5 and instead of pleading and playing safe, he risks everything. I've been turned! How dare you?
Starting point is 00:20:04 Popov brings his own fist, smashing down on the table. Fondcast off, I told him. you not to send me to America, that I had better contacts in Britain, but you sent me anyway, with no network, no protection from the FBI, and no money. My whole cover is being a man of society, swanning around with film stars, is how I work. I asked you again and again for funds. None ever came. I was reduced to finding chorus girls for naval officers. I have half a mind to write to Berlin myself.
Starting point is 00:20:40 I'll tell them how I was abandoned in New York by my so-called case officers. Popov sees both officers turn pale. He realizes that he's hit on the one thing that truly terrifies them. If he causes a scandal by writing to Berlin, both of them could be punished by being sent to the brutal Eastern Front, where millions of Germans and Soviets have already died. Von Kastov raises his. his own hands in a conciliatory gesture.
Starting point is 00:21:09 Dushko, come, come. No offence was meant. We are all working under pressure. Everyone recognises the sacrifices you have made. Let us smoothings over with Berlin. I'm sure you will be able to work to your full potential when you're back in London and reconnected with your network. These other words Popoff has been waiting to hear.
Starting point is 00:21:31 He immediately feels a surge of relief. Not only will he be safer in Britain, out of reach of the Abver, but it means he's back in the spy game. It's July 1943, and Popov sits with Johnny Yebson in a deserted restaurant in the fishing village of Kashkees, Portugal. It's the first time they've met since Popov's return from America. Popov's regular trips to London have made it hard for the two friends to catch up. But the reunion is tense. Yebson has just arrived from Berlin and carries an urgent warning. The situation in Germany is awful. Since Stalingrad, it's gone insane. The only person who
Starting point is 00:22:14 actually believes the war can still be won is Hitler, but he'll burn the whole country to the ground rather than give up. Is there any hope of an uprising against him? That's what the Nazis are afraid of. They're coming down hard. Anyone who questions them gets sent to a concentration camp. The Ebsen lights a cigarette before continuing. And Dushko, the talk in Berlin, is that you are hiding in Britain and not delivering any useful intelligence. Easy for them to say. This doesn't just concern you, you know. I need you to do more.
Starting point is 00:22:46 I need information to send up the chain of command. I don't care where you get it or who you have to speak to. The two friends look at each other. Popov thinks there's a hidden message in Yebson's words, that maybe Yebson knows he is in contact with British intelligence and that he doesn't care. But Popov knows it's true. too risky to come clean.
Starting point is 00:23:08 They must both maintain the pretense that they are loyal German agents. Popov tries to get clear on what his friend is really saying. Johnny? What's going on? Yebsen leans closer. There were some high-ranking Gestapo officers. They asked me to help them move some currency to Switzerland. It was their insurance for after the war.
Starting point is 00:23:31 They're not people you can say no to. Yebsen glances around and then continues, but they were involved in counterfeit money, and now I'm caught between the Gestapo and the up there. That's why I need any information you can get. I need the ab there to consider me a valuable enough source that they will protect me. Popov looks at his friend and then speaks very carefully. Well, there are certain people I could make contact within Britain to increase the flow of information,
Starting point is 00:24:05 and, Johnny, if you want it to, there are ways that you can help. The two men eye one another cagely, until Yebson replies. Contact anyone you need to. I don't care where the information comes from. Popoff and Yebsen share one last meaningful look before Yebson breaks the tension.
Starting point is 00:24:27 Oh, one more thing. You should be careful in London in the coming months. Why? What's happening? We have a new weapon, a bomb that doesn't need a pilot. Hitler hopes this will scare the British into submission. That sounds like Nazi propaganda. No, it's real. Very real. Stay safe, Dushko.
Starting point is 00:24:50 Popov nods. He's more convinced than ever that Yebsen's giving him a coded signal to contact British intelligence. He's also sure that Yebsen's warning about Germany's new weapon is also meant to be passed on too. Right, okay, amazing facts we've learned on our podcast. Once we had a zookeeper on who told us that bananas are bad for monkeys. And a politician who told us all about the pubs in the actual houses of Parliament. Yeah, and what about the astronaut who told us about how to make a curry in space?
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Starting point is 00:25:44 Search for Things People Do wherever you get your podcasts. Ten months since Popov regained the trust of the Abfer. In the sitting room of his house in London, Dusko Popov edges forward in his armchair. He's in a hurry to relate the latest intelligence he's gleaned about the Nazis to his MI5 case officer, Tar Robertson. The Germans have a new weapon, some kind of bomb that doesn't need a pilot. Robertson nods solemnly. Yes, that tallies with what we've been hearing elsewhere. Let's go over the details later.
Starting point is 00:26:29 we have something more important to discuss. What's more important than a secret new weapon they're going to be firing directly at us? Robertson gives Popov a look before replying. I'll tell you what's more important. The invasion of Europe. Robertson gets onto the sitting room floor and unfolds the large map of Western Europe he's brought with him.
Starting point is 00:26:51 Popov kneels next to him. Robertson begins pointing out positions on the map. It's been decided that a joint Allied force, will attack the Germans here in Normandy. Your job is to make the Germans believe that we will be attacking them here at Padukele so that they concentrate their defensive positions there. It takes Popov a moment to absorb what he's just been told.
Starting point is 00:27:14 You hope to fool the entire German military? Wow. But the Abver will need more than my word if they're to buy into this. Yes, we're aware of that. The invasion won't happen until next year. But you and other agents will be. begin feeding the Germans misleading information now. In isolation, the fake intelligence will be partial and unconvincing, but taken together, it will form a convincing picture. Popov stares at the
Starting point is 00:27:43 map as Robertson continues. This will be the most complex amphibious invasion ever attempted. Our soldiers will be jumping into freezing water facing a wall of machine gun fire. You can help make sure they have the best chance of making it to the shore by convincing the Germans that the invasion will start somewhere else. This operation could determine the course of the war. It will be the most important thing either of us ever do.
Starting point is 00:28:09 Popov looks up at the map and thinks of Johnny Yebson trapped in Germany under suspicion from the Gestapo. He turns to Robertson. If I'm going to pull this off, there's someone I need to bring in as an agent. Who? My friend, Johnny Ebson. He's been feeding me information from the Abfair.
Starting point is 00:28:27 I think he's right to be turned into an agent. He's up there. Can you really trust him? I would trust Johnny with my life. He's the one who gave me the intelligence about this new German weapon, but I want him given full protection, both during the war and after. Dushko, you're one of our very best agents.
Starting point is 00:28:47 If you think he is trustworthy and that it's necessary, then we will try and make it happen. As Popov stares at the map of Europe, he feels exhilaration. This is what he returned from America for. The chance to really influence the course of the most crucial battle of the war. A few weeks later, Spain. Johnny Ebson scurries through the streets of Madrid in a state of extreme panic.
Starting point is 00:29:19 He's been ordered to return to Berlin to make a report, but his mind is in terror that he's actually being summoned so he can be eliminated by his Gestapo enemies. He turns the corner and rushes into the British embassy, grabbing one of the attachets. My name is Johnny Yebson. MI6 knows who I am. I need immediate evacuation to Britain. The attache overcomes his initial shock at Yebsen's wild entrance, and the mention of
Starting point is 00:29:44 MI6 becomes deadly serious, dropping his voice quiet. Sir, I understand, but I cannot authorise anything here. I will contact the appropriate authorities in London. Tell them to move fast. They'll know who I am. Yebsen turns on his heel and exits the building, leaving the bewildered attache to pick up the phone to London. That evening, Surrey, England. In the oak-panelled library of his country house, MI6 Chief C, listens as MI5 officer Tar Robertson briefs him on what's been happening in Madrid.
Starting point is 00:30:19 Apparently, Yebson burst into the embassy, demanded immediate evacuation and claimed we'll know who he is. See, he raises his eyebrows an alarm. The bloody fool. And the blasted thing is, we know from our ultra intercepts that he's just being recalled to Berlin for a routine report. All this panic is for nothing. Well, you can't tell him that. Or you'll be revealing that Ultra exists.
Starting point is 00:30:43 No individual's life is worth the risk of it becoming known that we can read all of Germany's encrypted messages. Agreed. But we can't have Yebson running around Madrid making scenes like this. C taps his pipe. thoughtfully. Then continues. This Yebson fellow, he's important to Popov, isn't he? Yes, they're very close. Popov trusts him totally. Then the best way to reassure Yebson is through Popov himself. Get Popov to cable him and calm him down before he does something really stupid.
Starting point is 00:31:16 Two months later, Kashkes, Portugal. Popov walks with Yebson along the cliff tops of Bocca de Inferno. Yebsen struggles to light a cigarette in the wind. Popov can see from Yebson's shaking hand just how much of a nervous wreck his friend now is. You need to relax, Johnny. This job we do, it doesn't work if you're on edge. That stunt you pulled in Madrid could have finished us both. Yepsen frowns.
Starting point is 00:31:45 You don't know what it's like in Berlin. The Gestapo are taking over. Anyone they suspect isn't completely loyal to the Nazis gets shot or sent to a camp. But you've protection now. The British will get you out if necessary. And doesn't it feel good to finally be a team again? Yebson gives a wry smile.
Starting point is 00:32:05 He's now a British agent too, and at last the two friends can finally be honest with each other. Sure. Who'd have thought all those years ago we'd both end up working for the British? War changes everything, Johnny. But all we need to do now is keep our cool and do our jobs. With what is coming from the Allies, we need to think about where we'll stand after the war.
Starting point is 00:32:31 I'm glad you can think that far ahead. You've always been more optimistic than me, I suppose. Both men walk along in silence, watching the waves and wondering how they got here. December, 1943, London. Popov's MI5 case officer, Tarr Robertson, sits in a cramped, smoke-filled room and white horse. The walls are covered with huge maps of Europe. With him are MI6 Chief C and the other members of the so-called double-cross committee. The double cross committee is in charge of Allied espionage operations.
Starting point is 00:33:11 They have gathered to make the final preparations for Operation Fortitude, the campaign to mislead the Germans about where the Allied invasion will begin. Robertson leads the discussion. Gentlemen, from what we are observing in German troop movements, our efforts to mislead them are having some effect. But we need to do more. If the landings at Normandy are going to succeed, we need the Germans to move more of their armoured divisions along the coast.
Starting point is 00:33:40 What more do you want? A committee member puffing on a cigar replies. We already have all our double agents feeding information to the Germans. If I may, C interjects. There's only so much we can do to convince the Germans with, letter writing and radio transmissions, ultimately to make them truly believe they're going to need a warm body in the room. Someone who can look them in the eye and make them believe that Calais is the invasion point. Who exactly do you have in mind? We can't just send anyone. If they break
Starting point is 00:34:13 under interrogation, Operation Fortitude will unravel. To my mind, the only double agent who could pull this off is Popov. Robertson, do you think Popov is a quick? for that sort of assignment? We know it's getting ever more dangerous over there. Robertson doesn't hesitate. If anyone can do it, Popov can. The only worry I have about him is his soft spot for this Yebson character.
Starting point is 00:34:37 The cigar puffing committee member nearly chokes. That Yebson is an utter liability. He is certainly unstable. We could extract him to Britain, but that would render him useless as an intelligence asset, and we do need him right now. Besides, he recruited Popov into the Abver. If we extract Yebson, it would make the Abver question Popov's loyalties too.
Starting point is 00:35:00 So you're suggesting we just leave Yebson in the field and hope for the best? Robertson pauses, before proposing his next thought. Well, there's a third option. We could take Yebson out of the game entirely. You mean have him eliminated? The committee members start talking. over each other. See clears his throat, restoring order. Gentlemen, assassinating one's own assets is never a pleasant part of this job, though sometimes it can become necessary. But this
Starting point is 00:35:35 Yebson is important to Popov, and if Popov's to be our warm body, we need him operating at his best. I propose we keep a close eye on Yebson and keep all options on the table. See's words seem to sway the room, but the double cross committee's only priority is ensuring the success of the invasion. And to do that, they're prepared to act with utter ruthlessness, even towards those on their own side. It's Christmas Eve, 1943, and Popov celebrating at von Kastov's country home in Cintra, Portugal. But no amount of decorations, champagne and carols can lift the somber mood. There is a growing sense that Germany will lose the war
Starting point is 00:36:23 and that the Allied invasion is near. von Kastov in particular seems to have had too much to drink. We all know they're going to invade France. But where will it happen? That's what matters. Another Abver officer looks concerned and puts his hand on von Kastov's shoulder. Come, let's talk about something else. Von Kastov shrugs off the man's hand.
Starting point is 00:36:44 Nonsense! It'll be fun. Von Kastov spreads a map of Europe on a table. Let's take bets. Where will the invasion come? I say it'll be around Calais, the shortest route over the channel. As von Kastov draws a circle around Kale on the map, his secretary Elizabeth chimes in. I think they'll be sneaky and come at Sherbourg. Von Kastov turns to Popov. Dusko, you're our man on the ground in Britain? You know them best. What do you think?
Starting point is 00:37:14 Popov considers his options carefully. His mission from MI6, is precisely to persuade the Germans that the invasion will come at Calais, not Normandy, but he also cannot overplay his hand just yet. Well, I'm still getting a read on troop movements in England, but Dover to Calais is the shortest route,
Starting point is 00:37:36 so in a casino, that's where I'd put my money. Well, we all know you are a gambler. Amidst the laughter, Popov scans the faces in the room. These are the exact people he will need to deceive about the D-Day invasion. In this gamble, the stakes could not be higher. And if Pop-off blows it, the whole sham of Operation Fortitude could unravel. Wondery Plus subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy Who early
Starting point is 00:38:15 and add free on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app. Pura Vida means that happiness guides our journeys, that we live in harmony with nature, and everyone is welcome to experience this energy. That's Pura Vida. Join the vibe at visit costarica.com. A quick note about our dialogue. We can't know everything that was said or done behind closed doors,
Starting point is 00:38:45 particularly that far back in history, but our scenes are written using the best available sources. So even if a scene or conversation has been recreated for dramatic effect, it's still based on biographical research. We've used many sources to make this series, including Into the Lion's Mouths by Larry Loftus, codenamed tricycle by Russell Miller, and spy counter spy by Dusko Popov.
Starting point is 00:39:12 The Spy Who is hosted by me in Deeravre of Art. Our show is produced by Vespucci with writing and story editing by Yellow Ant for Wondery. For Yellow Ant, this episode was written by J.S. Rafaeli and researched by Marina Watson and Louise Byrne. Our managing producer is J. Priest. For Vespucci, our senior producer is Thomas Currie and our sound designer is Matt Petey. Matt Willis is the supervising producer. Music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Frisson Sink. Producers for Vespucci are Johnny Galvin and Daniel Turcan. Executive producer for Yellow Ant is Tristan Donovan. Our managing producer for Wonderry is Rachel Sibley.
Starting point is 00:39:56 Executive producers for Wondery are Estelle Doyle, Jessica Radburn and Marshall Louis.

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