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. He began working for MI6 in 1960, making contact with Penkovsky. After being arrested by the KGB in 1962 and convicted of spying on May 11, 1963, Wynne was sentenced to eight years in Moscow's Lubyanka prison, where he was held in brutal conditions and subjected to severe beatings and psychological pressure. Yes. Advertising Notice In February 1990, it was announced Wynne had died of throat cancer at the age of 70 at the Cromwell Hospital, London. 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. The article also reveals other information about what happened on the day of sentencing and is well worth a read. He passed away from throat cancer in London in 1990 at age 70. A drink-loving. But a living Wynne was more valuable to the Soviets. 22:00 GMT 13 Aug 2021 The way they put it, I felt there was no possibility and then I suddenly found myself in an aeroplane and I arrived at East Berlin.. Some of the most advanced and very best spy cameras on the market. He preceded this book with The Man from Moscow: The Story Of . Terms of Use We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. His first wife, Sheila, was present throughout his Moscow trial but divorced him after his release. 01:26 GMT 14 Aug 2021. Spy Greville Wynne with his son Andrew and wife Sheila outside of their London home after being released from the Soviet prison in April 1964. [9][10][11], Wynne was held at the Lubyanka. And he certainly didn't want to become one himself. 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. The UK's supply crisis puts extra pressure on Prime Minister Boris. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. This gave American officials a clearer picture of what the Soviets were doing in the region, bringing in medium-range ballistic missiles. Among the materials Penkovsky provided to Wynne were four photocopies of plans for construction sites of missile-launching installations in Cuba. Wynne returned to his life as a businessman. Click to reveal Her Other Children Greville Wynne Bio Details Full name Greville Maynard Wynne Gender Male Age 70 Date of birth Wednesday 19 Mar 1919 Birth place Wrockwardine Wood, Shropshire, Wales, UK Date of death: 28 Feb 1990 Place of death Cromwell Hospital, South Kensington, London, England, UK Cause of death The BBC produced a TV movie based on them. 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. 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. 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. The film seeshim arrested on a plane leaving Moscow and does not delve into his show trial for spying alongside PenkovskyinMay 1963. "The Courier" has compressed the real-life story and changed some facts. In one of his biggest whoppers, Wynne explains that he and Penkovsky took a trip together in a private military jet from the U.K. to Washington, D.C. "He came from a very humble background, but was always trying to better himself," says Cumberbatch. This version is supported by Alexander Zagvozdin, who was the KGB's chief interrogator during the investigation. Wynne was born in Shropshire, England, and raised in Ystrad Mynach, South Wales. Greville Maynard Wynne was a British spy famous for his involvement with, and imprisonment as a result of, the espionage activities of Oleg Penkovsky. After his release, Wynne returned to his business career. Assisting him in his role as "courier" is Oleg Penkovsky ( Merab Ninidze ), a far more experienced Russian agent. He acted as a courier to transport top-secret information to London from Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky. This true story is a very interesting, skewed way to telling a ticking time-bomb, spy-thriller.. This marriage didnt last either and the couple separated several years before Greville Wynnes death in 1990. The U.S. was then able to use U-2 spy planes to take photographs and identify the missile sites (see image below). [3] His father was a foreman in an engineering workshop. Welcome to another edition of spy histories. British officials also never confirmed or denied Wynnes spying claims, and he didnt receive any official recognition for his work. [13] He died of throat cancer at the Cromwell Hospital in London on 28 February 1990, aged 70. Greville passed away on February 28 1990, at age 70. They had one son. In the movie, the title refers to Oleg Penkovsky's codename. 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 In the article, well explore exactly who Greville Wynne was, his spy activity and how his story sparked such wide intrigue. Emma Powell For The Daily Mail Greville Wynne's former partners: . In this edition, we will be focusing on the remarkable life and story of British spy, Greville Wynne. In these books, Wynne claimed to have been recruited by MI5 as early as the Second World War, long before his work with Penkovsky. LONDON (AP) _ Greville Wynne, a British spy who told in his celebrated memoirs how he pried loose some of Moscow's best-kept secrets and who served 18 months in a Soviet prison for espionage, has died. He and his wife Sheila divorced not long after his release. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Wynne himself had earlier stated that Penkovsky had been shot, including during his appearance on the game show To Tell the Truth. On this trip, Penkovsky submitted to hours of interviews with British and American intelligence officials about the Soviet Unions military and political developments. He also wrote two books about his experiences as a British spy, The Man from Moscow (1967) and The Man from Odessa (1981). US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. Despite what hed been through, Wynne head shaved while in prison still managed to joke in an interview that the style was the prisons interpretation of a haircut. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers an appealing, technically tricky performance in "The Courier," in which he plays Greville Wynne, a British salesman who in the 1960s became an improbable player . A famous picture shows Andrew, Greville and Sheila together outside of their London home immediately after Grevilles release from prison. It was pathological with him.. The emaciated Wynne's returntohis middle-class Londonhomewherehis wife and child waited made for a jarring scene in newsreels at the time. Greville passed away. But as he began researching Wynnes story, he learned that this ordinary man could also tell some extraordinary lies. In a later interview Wynne said: It came out in my interrogation in the early days of my imprisonment that they suspected me of black marketeering. He said the double agent also told him Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev had allowed important guidance equipment to be sent with Soviet missiles being installed in Cuba. (March 18), Battled mystery flu, fake crew cut facing Jodie Foster in 'The Mauritanian', Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. 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 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. In 2021 in the UK, Greville Wynne and Oleg Penkovskys story was brought to the big screen, as the film The Courier was released. See the Elon Musk family tree here at FameChain. He is the author of The Santa Claus Man: The Rise and Fall of a Jazz Age Con Man and the Invention of Christmas in New York. When it came to writing the screenplay, OConnor laments that the true story of Wynnes experiences may never be known. 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.. 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. ", Benedict Cumberbatch on 'The Courier' and update on 'Dr. Your IP: But his leaked information on Soviet missile capabilities and played a key role in President Kennedy'sstrong, successful stance duringthe Cuban Missile Crisis. Make way for his amateur,everyman spy Greville Wynne in "The Courier," now on premium VOD6. In 2007, Peter Lindford portrayed Wynne in episode one of the BBC docudrama Nuclear Secrets, titled "The Spy from Moscow.". It was said he had been shot by a firing squad. [Wynne], bless him, for all his wonderful work, was a menace and a fabricator, says Nigel West, who has written numerous books on British and American intelligence organizations, including two books specifically about fabricators in the intelligence arena. 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. Including spy phone software, fully functioning spy phones and more. MRS SHEILA WYNNE, WIFE OF MR.GREVILLE WYNNE, A BRITISH BUSINESSMAN HELD IN RUSSIA ON AN? They separated several years ago. 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. 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. He gave me lots of good advice. They spent so much time together in Moscow, partying and clubbing as well as their secret work, that Wynnes first wife Sheila thought he was having an affair. But that would all change dramatically in November 1960 on the day he met an old acquaintance who had invited him to lunch at a London restaurant. Greville Wynne's son is Andrew Wynne. 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. Konon Molody features in the story of The Ruislip Home That Contained A Soviet Spy Ring, which reveals how he ended up in a British prison. Among the smuggled photographs and documents was evidence of what became the chilling Cuban Missile Crisis in October, 1962, with secret Soviet rocket sites on communist leader Fidel Castros island bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. 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. "He did make a life for himself, but Greville Wynne did pay a big price for his service. Greville Wynne's former in laws: Greville Wynne's former father in law was Gordon Beaton Greville Wynne's former mother in law was Elsie Beaton. 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. The committee was dedicated to developing opportunities for foreigners in science and technology. 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. Wynne set up his own business as an exporter of industrial engineering products in 1950. Never formally acknowledged by the British government, Wynnewrote about his experiences in two self-aggrandizingbooks, "The Man From Moscow" (1967) and "The Man From Odessa" (1981). 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. Strange" to Sherlock Holmes. Greville Wynne had a wife, Sheila, and a son, Andrew. Privacy Statement She had worked as his secretary and interpreter, speaking eight languages. He did make a life for himself, but Greville Wynne did pay a big price for his service. During an interview at Sundance, Brosnahan told The Davis Clipper's Tom Haraldsen, "Emily is a combination of several true-life figures who worked with Benedict's character (Greville Wynne) to help the CIA penetrate the Soviet nuclear program.". 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