How a British millionaire worked for Soviet intelligence, and what came of it

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In 1968, the USSR screened the premiere of the feature film "Dead Season", dedicated to the activities of Soviet intelligence during the Cold War. Millions of viewers empathized with the protagonist and wondered if there was a real person behind him or a fictional, collective image. Many years passed before the veils of secrecy were removed and the truth was revealed: the prototype of Ladeinikov's screen intelligence officer was Konon Trofimovich Molodiy, a Soviet agent known under the pseudonym "Ben".

How Konon Trofimovich Molodiy became a Soviet intelligence agent

The future resident was born in 1922 into a family of Moscow intellectuals. The boy's father, a teacher at Moscow State University, died at the age of 40 from a stroke when his son was only 10. After that, with the consent of his mother, Konon moved to the United States to live with her emigrant sister. Thanks to a wealthy relative, he received a good education and thoroughly mastered the English language. My aunt dreamed of placing her nephew in a prestigious place and making her heir. But the young man crossed out her plans, deciding to return to his homeland, which he did in 1938.

Shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War, Konon was drafted into the army. He served in artillery reconnaissance, repeatedly went to the rear of the Germans, was distinguished by courage, audacity and composure. Received many awards, including the Order of the Red Star. Demobilized, Konon entered the Institute of Foreign Trade. Having an outstanding ability in languages, he mastered German, French and Chinese.

It was at this time that the special services became interested in him. The young man was ideal for work in intelligence: he was adventurous and at the same time cold-blooded, knew several languages, had an idea of the way of life abroad. An important factor was the guy's appearance - charming and inviting, but at the same time unmemorable. After graduating from the university, Konon Molodiy "received a distribution" to the state security intelligence service and after 2 years told his wife that he was going to work in China. In fact, he went to Canada.

Business as a cover, or how Colonel Molody worked in Portland

Canada was not the ultimate goal of the Soviet illegal. From there, his path lay to England. In the Land of the Maple Leaf, Konon Trofimovich Molodoy was transformed into a certain Gordon Lonsdale, who actually existed, but at that time was already a deceased person. Having received the original documents (instead of the allegedly lost ones), the newly minted Lonsdale settled in the UK.

The active "Ben" quickly acquired useful contacts. Communication with the intelligence center was maintained through radio operators, the spouses of Maurice and Leontine Cohen, according to legend - second-hand booksellers. For himself, Lonsdale has chosen an excellent cover - commercial activities. At first, the sale of jukeboxes was sponsored by the Center, but soon the entrepreneur began to receive good income. Then he expanded the business, going into the production of car alarm systems and even received a gold medal at the Brussels exhibition of innovative technology. After such success, the products of Gordon Lonsdale began to be in demand in Europe, which gave the businessman the opportunity to travel around the continent and, without arousing suspicion, engage in espionage. Among his "booty" are samples of military products, over which German scientists, former supporters of Hitler, worked. Of particular importance was Molodoy's connection with the employees of the Portland Marine Research Center, in particular Harry Houghton, thanks to which Moscow received a huge amount of strategic information about the secret developments of the British fleet.

Successfully combining business and intelligence, the young charming entrepreneur became a millionaire, acquired several prestigious cars, a luxurious villa near London and made such profits that he not only lived in grand style, but also transferred currency to the Center.

How Young Lonsdale was exposed and what punishment the scout suffered

The first alarm bell rang at the end of 1960, when Konon Trofimovich noticed traces of strangers in the house. The intruders feigned theft, but an experienced scout was difficult to deceive. He realized that he had come to the attention of the special services, and decided to gradually curtail intelligence activities, with the aim of conspiracy without stopping commercial. But it was not possible to leave from under the "cap".

In January 1961 Young Lonsdale was arrested with a bag of classified British Admiralty documents from his Portland agents. Following this, the Coens were detained. The failure of the Lonsdale group took place through the efforts of the Polish Colonel Mikhail Golenevsky, who offered his services to the CIA. He stated that Harry Houghton was recruited by Polish intelligence. Through the Americans, the information reached the British, they set up surveillance for Houghton and went to Lonsdale. During interrogations, Konon Trofimovich tried to get his assistants out of the blow and took all the blame. The courageous man had enough endurance to stoically accept the sentence - 25 years in prison. The Coens received 20 years each.

What did Molody get from the USSR for his work, and how did his life in his homeland develop?

British counterintelligence made every effort to recruit an experienced Soviet agent. To break the will of the prisoner, he was kept in special conditions: a solitary cell with a light on around the clock, continuous observation. But all attempts were in vain. Konon Trofimovich remained loyal to his homeland and lived with the belief that he would meet the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution on Red Square.

Fate helps the brave: The young man did not have to spend a quarter of a century in dungeons. In April 1964, he was exchanged for the English intelligence officer, Greville Wynn, captured in Hungary. After some time, another exchange took place - the Coen spouses for the British agent Gerald Brook.

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After returning to Moscow, Konon Trofimovich received a comfortable apartment and bought a Volga car. The scout was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and was given an unheard-of pension at that time - 400 rubles. Enjoying a peaceful life with family and friends, Molodiy did not retire: he taught at the intelligence school, advised colleagues if necessary. He showed interest in the Lenfilm studio's proposal and became a consultant for the Dead Season film (also under a pseudonym, this time - Colonel KT Panfilov).

Unfortunately, Konon Molodoy did not have a happy old age. In October 1970, he died suddenly. Doctors diagnosed a massive stroke that left no chance of recovery. Rumors of a violent death immediately spread: the British took revenge on the Soviet resident, or the KGB got rid of an agent who knew too much. However, most likely, the reasons could be both years of dangerous work in constant nervous tension, as well as heredity on the line of his father, who also died very young from a similar disease.

But another Soviet intelligence officer almost eliminated Hitler himself.