Wynne was arrested in Budapest and extradited to the Soviet Union. He described Penkovsky as possibly the Wests most valuable agent. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. Current appointments. Wynnes wife, Sheila, grow suspicious of his constant visits to Russia and voices her concerns about his travels. Use of footage from this site requires a licence. But perhaps none more so than Colonel Oleg Penkovsky of the Soviet Union. Over a period of 14 months Penkovsky passed photographs of 5,000 secret papers to the CIA and MI6. Subscribe to our Spartacus Newsletter and keep up to date with the latest articles. And although Wynne is told that he has to lie to his wife to protect her from the KGB, he expresses his discomfort since he lied to her in the past and hurt her with the deception. Matching is performed only by full name so it's possible that the information refers to more than one person. It's the early 1960s and Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a salesman who represents Western manufacturers in foreign countries. Released in the same week as The Suns revelations about an alleged spy known as David Smith who worked in Britains embassy in Berlin, The Courier tells how the married 41-year-old sales consultant was persuaded by MI6 to deliver secrets from Russian spy Oleg Penkovsky. The unlikely British spy was freed in 1964 in exchange for Soviet spy Konon Molody. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 'The Courier' is currently lived by his son, Andrew as he had already passed away in 1990 at the age of 70. Penkovsky was immediately arrested and it was not long before he gave the name of Wynne as his British contact. [Spoiler Warning] Their efforts are well rewarded, since the information they transported helped stop the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The President of the Court declared Greville Wynne, aged 44, would serve three years in prison and five in a labour camp. A man with multiple bruises and lacerations on his face and body gets shot in the head (we see some blood splatter). Andrew and Sheila lived Greville Maynard Wynne (19 March 1919[1] 28 February 1990) was a British spy famous for his involvement with, and imprisonment as a result of, the espionage activities of Oleg Penkovsky. He was 71. "The Courier" serves up a fascinating chapter of spy history but it may not be the film to send you rushing back to the cinema. There were loud cheers when his sentence was read out. After the war he became a businessman selling electrical equipment. ", This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Courier' fact check: Benedict Cumberbatch's spy Greville Wynne, Battled mystery flu, fake crew cut facing Jodie Foster in 'The Mauritanian', 'The Courier' fact check: Benedict Cumberbatch's spy Greville Wynne, Travis Scott being sought by NYPD after alleged nightclub assault, Zachary Levi talks Shazam! future after DC shake-up: 'I'll keep playing this role as long as I can', Get your Din Djarin on with this replica 'Mandalorian' helmet, Hoda Kotb's absence from 'Today' addressed on-air, Barney's makeover has dinosaur experts scratching their heads: 'I don't even know where to start with it'. Wynne collected rolls of films with the names and activities of hundreds of Soviet agents. It tells the nuclear arms race-era tale of Wynne, a hard-drinking and smoking Mad Men-style businessman with a young wife named Sheila (Jessie Buckley) and 10-year-old son. He never escaped the legacy of the mission, his capture, and the fall out. Wynne later upset MI5 when he published his memoirs, The Man from Moscow and wrote the introduction to The Penkovsky Papers. On 20th October, 1962, Russian intelligence officers raided Penkovsky's apartment and discovered a Minnox camera that had been used to photograph secret documents. After hosting a party for trade delegates, Wynne found himself alone and confronted by four short, thickset men wearing trilby hats, standing in front of two Russian saloon cars. Opposition Labor Party legislator Ted Leadbitter said of Wynne in a statement to reporters Wednesday night: How many secrets has this man taken to his grave?. During the four-day trial, the court heard both men had spied for British and American intelligence. It's not over for Domynique and Mackinley at least not yet. List of aircraft of the Malaysian Armed Forces, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Prisoners and detainees of the Soviet Union, "Greville Wynne, Spy for Britain In the Soviet Bloc, Is Dead at 71", https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/02/obituaries/greville-wynne-spy-for-britain-in-the-soviet-bloc-is-dead-at-71.html, William Durie, "The British Garrison Berlin 1945-1994" 2012. Ryan Wynne, United Kingdom. This is quite shocking, since their countries are nearly at war. And when she isnt being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their nerdoms, which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings. The Caribbean island was Communist-run and just 90 miles from the coast of Florida. They were from different economic backgrounds, political mindsets and career fields. Penkovsky's visits to an adjacent building identified him as a likely source of the leaks. They divorced. See the Elon Musk family tree here at FameChain. However, while working together, something unexpected happens: The two men become friends. There were signs in 1963 of a lessening of tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. Penkovsky either was shot or killed himself in prison there are disputing accounts. So when he sees Krushchev pounding the podium and heating up the Cold War tensions, he becomes so concerned over the dangers of potential nuclear war that he decides to turn secrets over to the West in the hope of avoiding a nuclear armageddon. Sending an American would be a certain death sentence, since the last man the CIA worked with was caught and executed. Wynne was a middle-class British businessman whose frequent travel to Eastern Europe attracted recruitment by MI-6 to serve as a liaison to high-ranking Soviet official Penkovsky. After his release, Wynne struggled with depression and alcoholism. His co-accused, 43-year-old Soviet scientific official Oleg Penkovsky, was given the death sentence. A meeting between the Russian prisoners, in which Wynne tells Penkovsky of the import of his information, as depicted in the film, is drama. British Born 70 years ago (April 1952) Mr Andrew Greville Wynne 4 Londesborough Place Lymington SO41 8QB. Most of the evidence based on confessions given by the two men. British sources continue to deny Wynne was involved in spying. They did not stop me.. Greville Wynne is a legend in the history books and his family has also benefited from it. Someone uses cigarettes to poison a man. Greville Wynne's son is Andrew Wynne. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to compensate for the growing missile gap between the US and the USSR by placing medium range nuclear missiles in Americas backyard. Wynne died from throat cancer in 1990 at the age of 70 bedevilled by questions around the authenticity of his accounts. A man yells at his son and calls him dense in frustration. Then I was kicked in the kidneys by heavy feet and something metal hit my temple. Wynne was stripped naked and subjected to a metal probe before being put on a plane to Moscow with an armed guard, and taken to the KGBs notorious Lubyanka prison. Welsh-born Wynne was plucked from obscurity by Britains secret services because they needed someone with a plausible cover and Eastern Bloc countries were desperate for the type of state-of-the-art engineering and technical equipment that he sold. 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. Sheila Wynne's son is Andrew Wynne. Doing so may cause your download to be interrupted. Sally Wynne, United Kingdom. Penkovsky, who was tried with him, was sentenced to death for treason. "He did make a life for himself, but Greville Wynne did pay a big price for his service. After the trial, Wynne embraced his wife Sheila in a side room before being driven to the Lubyanka Prison where he has spent the last six months. We also see people drinking heavily to handle stressful situations. Truth be told, he wasnt even aware he was talking to spies when the CIA and MI6 approached him. Penkovsky, described by one intelligence officer as the "best spy in history", was considered so important that a meeting was arranged between him and Sir Dick White, head of MI6. Described as a middle-aged businessman who drinks too much and isnt exactly in top shape, the sales consultant lacked the suave sophistication of spies seen in movies. 2007-2023 DATO CAPITAL LTD United Kingdom (London WC2H 9JQ), Director Report with insolvency check, phone numbers and contact addresses (United Kingdom), the current and past appointments and positions in companies, with relevant data about each company, insolvency search in registers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, addresses and phone numbers (name match search against British Telecom OSIS database), a list of other directors who held positions in the same companies at the same time. The collection is unrivalled in its historical and cultural significance. He's a World War II hero and seems a loyal Soviet citizen. The emaciated Wynne's return to his middle-class London home where his wife and child waited made for a jarring scene in newsreels at the time. Wynne returned to his life as a businessman. He said he acted as the intermediary for Soviet double agent Col. Oleg Penkovsky, a senior military intelligence officer who passed Moscow secrets to MI6 and the CIA. Make way for his amateur, everyman spy Greville Wynne in "The Courier," now on premium VOD6. This information comes from public records and it's show in accordance to Article 6.1 of the GDPR. No question. The film is worth seeing, though, so that we can pay tribute to a pair of rather ordinary men who showed extraordinary courage because they had a genuine sense of human decency and desire to keep the world safe for their children and future generations. 80. Sheila Margaret Wynne Age. MI6 sees him and his international dealings as a perfect cover for smuggling information out of Soviet Russia. Wynne was released in exchange for the spy Gordon Lonsdale in 1964. People drink and smoke throughout the film. What did Greville Wynne do after he was released from the Soviet prison? And the British intelligence agency MI6, though equally invested in preventing war, was unwilling to risk escalating its own tensions with Russia if one of the groups spies got caught. British officials have never officially commented on his accounts. They were on hand for a party when Penkovsky visited Paris in September 1961 using a Soviet trade fair as a cover. Matching is performed only by full name so it's possible that the information refers to more than one person. Greville married Sheila Margaret Wynne (born Beaton) on month day 1946, at age 27. In a TV address, Kennedy called for a strategy of peace that would make the world safe and urged Americans to re-examine Cold War myths. Wynne died of throat cancer in 1990 at a London hospital. LONDON (AP) _ Greville Wynne, who spied on the Soviet Union for Britain during the Cold War and who The Russian told him: Tell my friends that I must come out, soon, very soon. See FameChain's massive Trump family tree. And we later learn that he had an affair once before (thus her suspicion) but that she forgave him afterward. 2.Spy Histories In April 1961 Penkovsky began passing information about Soviet missile developments, nuclear plans, locations of military headquarters and the identities of KGB officers. Greville Wynne's former father in law was, Greville Wynne's former mother in law was, Herma van Buren's former father in law was, Herma van Buren's former mother in law was, Herma van Buren's former sister in law is. Hospital spokesman Tony Prescott said he was admitted with a well-known pre-existing condition. He would not elaborate. The most controversial claim in the book was that he and Penkovsky were smuggled into the White House and lauded by President Kennedy. The interactions between the two men were designed to take place in plain sight and not involve any danger, and for the bulk of the film thats true, which, as you might suspect, is not exactly riveting cinema. Wynne and Penkovsky engage in bland business banter while Wynnes wife (Jessie Buckley) assumes his new secretiveness is to cover up an affair. The moonlighting spy was arrested on a business trip to Budapest in November 1962 and taken to the Soviet Union. "He came from a very humble background, but was always trying to better himself," says Cumberbatch. After his release, Wynne revealed details about his espionage career. The prosecution said Wynne had acted as a go-between passing on "information about Soviet rockets" provided for him by Penkovsky during secret meetings in London, Paris and Moscow. Start a FameChain Add to my FameChain. The fascinating part is how something that seems so unexciting proves to play a key role in defusing the Cuban Missile Crisis. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. Wynne died from throat cancer in 1990 at the age of 70 bedevilled by questions around the authenticity of his accounts. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. He was put on trial in Moscow on May 1963 for spying and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. Penkovsky knew that, realistically, Russia wasnt capable of wiping out the United States. "And Greville played a big part in that.". After his release from prison, he prospered as a property developer. Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. Today fans divided over Jenna's dress as some viewers say it's 'inappropriate', Ed Sheerans touring partner's son, 16, tragically killed in car wreck, Sister Wives Janelle Brown doesnt approve of Christines new romance, Inside 1000-lb Sisters stars Amy and Michael's secret fights over kids, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Benedict Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne in The Courier, Oleg Penkovsky, centre, and Wynne, left with pipe, Soviet informer Oleg Penkovsky was given a death sentence at a show trial where Wynne was jailed in a labour camp, Unlikely hero, sales consultant Greville Wynne, Germany arrests British embassy staff member suspected of spying for Russia. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev eventually recognised the total devastation of a nuclear war and publicly agreed to a deal. Your download will start shortly, please do not navigate away from this page until the download prompt has appeared. He was recruited by MI5 during the Second World War. This time it's a true story: Wynne served as an unassuming go-between for British intelligence MI-6 and Russian spy Oleg Penkovsky at the height of the Cold War. But his loyalty is not merely to those holding power; it is to something bigger. The wealthy businessman, who described his exploits in two celebrated memoirs - The Man From Moscow and The Man From Odessa - worked for Britains MI6 Secret Intelligence Service. Parents, get practical information from a biblical worldview to help guide media decisions for your kids! Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. But by July 1962, the walls were starting to close in on the pair. It is believed to be correct at the time of inputting and is presented here in good faith. His first wife, Sheila, was present throughout his Moscow trial but divorced him after his release. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. After graduating from Nottingham University he became an electrical engineer. Mostly, Wynne was to carry on business as usual. Wynne states that drinking is his one true gift, and we see him and others drunk on several occasions. WebWynne, a British businessman, he offered his services to British intelligence. But his leaked information on Soviet missile capabilities and played a key role in President Kennedy's strong, successful stance during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Manage Settings Keep up with all the latest news, arts and culture, and TV highlights from KPBS. LIKE the British security guard who The Sun revealed yesterday is suspected of passing secrets to the Russians, Greville Wynne did not seem a typical The irony was that the Cuban missile crisis began in late October, just days before Penkovsky would be secretly arrested, and weeks before Wynne would be seized. On paper, Oleg and Greville shouldnt have worked as friends. Both men pleaded guilty - Wynne "with certain reservations". Penkovsky, in particular, fancied himself as a communist Casanova. 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). A British businessman accused of spying for the West has been sentenced to eight years' detention by a Moscow tribunal. He was an intermediary for the important Soviet spy Oleg Penkovsky, who was engaged in selling arms and weapons secrets to British intelligence. However, when Penkovsky is in danger, both agencies help him attempt to extract his friend despite impossible odds. Both men were patriots (albeit from warring countries) who simply didnt want to see their families and friends, and millions of their countrymen perish because of a few angry political leaders. Wynne initially dislikes the CIA and MI6, because they use fear tactics to manipulate him. Despite working together, the CIA and MI6 dont get along, frequently mocking each other and sometimes purposely making tasks more difficult for the other agency. The affair developed into the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. 'The Courier' Tells Lesser Known Real Life Spy Story. 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