An anthology series of spy stories, with an ensemble cast. Three episodes were written by British script-writer Bob Kesten, and three were co-written by Ralph Peterson and Rosamund Waring.
For an episode-by-episode synopsis, see Notes.
List of episodes:
1. The Man with the Soviet Secrets (Bob Kesten) (broadcast 7 January 1964)
At the end of the second world war, with the invention of the atomic bomb, the importance of knowing the secrets of a potential enemy became a vital need of all the major powers. It needed one unknown Russian cipher clerk to emphasize this fact to the West. (Radio Times, 27 February 1964, p.30.)
2. The Man Who Couldn't Make Up His Mind (Rosamund Waring and Ralph Peterson) (broadcast 14 January 1964)
A man turns traitor for many reasons. Gouzenko, the Russian Embassy clerk in Ottawa, surrendered his country's secrets because he believed the ways of the West were ethically right; Klaus Emil Fuchs believed they were ethically wrong. (Radio Times, 5 March 1964, p.34)
3. Never Trust a Russian Spy (Rosamund Waring and Ralph Peterson) (broadcast 21 January 1964)
That Colonel Rudolph Ivanovich Abel was one of the most brilliant postwar agents ever to leave the shores of Soviet Russia was never in any doubt. That the Soviets should have sent someone as utterly stupid as Lieutenant Reino Hayhanen to replace him is a subject for perpetual wonder. (Radio Times, 12 March 1964, p.34.)
4. The Man with the 'Plane on His Back (Bob Kesten) (broadcast 28 January 1964)
Gary Powers was a spy manufactured by the needs of the twentieth century. He felt no animosity towards the Russians. At 80,000 feet above the air space of Russia he was the human part of perhaps the most perfect espionage machine ever devised. (Radio Times, 19 March 1964, p.32.)
5. The Two Who Died (Bob Kesten) (broadcast 4 February 1964)
Some of the devious international aspects of the intricate pattern of espionage were graphically illustrated when the Rosenbergs were arrested in New York during the summer of 1950 as members of one of the most damaging spy networks in history. (Radio Times, 26 March 1964, p.32.)
6. The House in the Suburbs (Rosamund Waring and Ralph Peterson) (broadcast 11 February 1964)
Four years ago the extravagant habits of a clerical officer at Portland attracted the attention of the security officials. This flimsy piece of evidence was to lead to the unmasking of one of the most dangerous spy rings ever to operate in Great Britain. (Radio Times, 2 April 1964, p.30.)
Broadcast on the BBC Light Service between 7 January and 11 February 1964.
Repeated on the BBC Home Service between 3 March and 7 April 1964.
Ensemble cast took on various roles for the individual episodes.
Producer: Alan Burgess.
