Curator’s Corner: The Berlin Tunnel

One of the largest artifacts on display at the International Spy Museum is a piece of the Berlin Tunnel. This rusty relic of a creative intelligence project deserves a closer look. Join Steve Vogel, author of Betrayal in Berlin: The True Story of the Cold War’s Most Audacious Espionage Operation, to hear the remarkable story behind the tunnel’s clandestine construction, its betrayal by the notorious British spy George Blake, and the truth about the effectiveness of this bold project.

International Spy Museum Curator of Special Exhibits Dr. Alexis Albion will drill down on the details with Vogel. They’ll examine the team effort that included the CIA, Britain’s MI6, and U.S. and British Army engineers; the clever concealment of the tunnel construction; and how the KGB struggled to turn the project to its own advantage. They will also discuss the extraordinary life and devastating espionage of Blake, one of the most dangerous spies of the Cold War.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow us:

[WizardOfTheKremlin]

The Berlin tunnel operation of the mid 1950s, actually a huge telephone wiretap-produced literally tons of trivia and gossip, but provided little in the way of high grade secret information that could be used by the agency's intelligence analysts. The operation's true value was the embarrassment it caused the KGB and the favorable publicity it generated for the CIA.

[GalaxyJazzGirl]

I didn't know you guys had a Youtube channel!! ^-^

[phincampbell]

British Intelligence: "ok, so, we need to dig a tunnel under Berlin, through difficult soil, and, unfortunately, through a layer of sewage -saturated earth. So, let us remind ourselves of our firm commitment and proud history of international cooperation, and naturally I'm sure we are all in agreement that our first wish is that we keep up mutual operational involvement with our American cousins, and invite them onboard to participate in this so they can profit equally from any information we get."

"Oh yes, perfectly agree, quite right! Digging through sewage you say!? Well, let me just call the Americans straight away, offer them this opportunity. For sharing in the intelligence, I mean. Hello, CIA!? MI5 here! Now look, first thing, have you boys got a dozen shovels, and several pairs of wellies over there?! You do!? Great! So, anyway, have we got a bargain for you...!"

[GalaxyJazzGirl]

My mom and I used to live in Washington, D.C., then moved to Florida, then moved to Wisconsin.

[davidleach]

I must say that she's one of the worst interviewers to whom I've had to listen. She's so anxious to get her questions in that she never lets Vogel finish his thoughts.

[jstpsgthru]

Gotta say kind of a let down. There have been several books on the tunnel. I didn't hear anything new, today. Nothing but a passing reference to the rest of the Berlin Brigade? The tunnel is a good start to a great story, but there is a lot more to Berlin than Rudow. USASAFS Berlin received an award for intelligence production, long after the tunnel was a weird door to nowhere.