The Irishman who sprang a Russian spy from jail – and got very little thanks for it
George Blake was said to have been responsible for the deaths of 42 British agents – but Sean Bourke helped him escape to Moscow where he lived out the rest of his days.
The recent death of the notorious Soviet spy George Blake has reminded me of a documentary film I made many years ago with Sean Bourke, the Irish man who was responsible for springing Blake from prison.
Bourke had been befriended by Blake when they shared a cell in Wormwood Scrubs. Blake had been a high-ranking officer in MI6 and the information that he passed on to his Soviet handlers had resulted in the deaths of many British agents in Eastern Europe.
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