Description
Object description
British officer served with Royal Air Force as Russian interpreter to British Air Attache in Moscow, Soviet Union, 1944-1948
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as officer with Royal Air Force as Russian interpreter in Soviet Union, 8/1947-4/1948: background to gaining and accepting post as interpreter to British Military Air Attaché in Moscow; question of additional training for post; issue of tropical and cold weather kit; clothing worn for work; journey to Moscow; details of British services attaché staff including civilian workers; accommodation in British Embassy mess; details of work including attempts to arrange a visit to an air base; film of air parade viewed at cinema; story of attempts to see film again with Wing Commodore; story of spying visit to a Soviet airfield; story of British Military Attaché Major General Richard Hilton being caught spying including subsequent spoofs of incident; importance and loss of diplomatic status.
REEL 2 Continues: start of Cold War and method of gauging Russian hostility; social life in embassy circles including parties in mess; staff and rations in mess; rations during earlier stay in National Hotel with Field Marshall Montgomery; relationship with Russian civilians; Volga German staff in mess; descriptions of visits to contacts in Moscow demonstrating Russian fear of contact with westerners; details of Russian secretariat in British Embassy; meeting civilians with Max Hayward including story of attendance at student party.
REEL 3 Continues: knowledge of KGB; story of phone calls from and meetings in mess with mysterious woman called Mina including reasons for caution; details of and contact with women married to British servicemen including reunion with Mina.
REEL 4 Continues: further details of women married to British servicemen; question of KGB bugging; restrictions on travel including organisation of visit to Leningrad and story of John Bushell's journey east; details of visit to Leningrad including story of buying an icon; sending of personal items home; cultural life in Soviet Union; publicity of Second World War; health of Joseph Stalin; story of John Bushell's involvement in a Red Square Parade.
REEL 5 Continues: details of Red Square Parade personally witnessed including attention from KGB; earlier visit to Lenin's Mausoleum; events following revaluation of the rouble; story of encounter with Russian tank major during journey to Leningrad; international events occurring during posting; story of linguists in press department of British Embassy becoming pro-Soviet and reaction of chancellery; knowledge of Stalin's campaign against Jewish doctors; reactions on leaving Moscow. Aspects of journey from Moscow, Soviet Union, to GB, 4/1948: reason for need to travel to Riga; details of train journey to Riga; period in Riga including activities with Intourist guide, Olga.
REEL 6 Continues: story of sexual approach from Olga during train journey to Liepaja; taxi journey to hotel; pass through customs and boarding of ship; embarkation; scenes in Stockholm; story from stay in Riga hotel. Aspects of period as civilian in GB from 1948: story of postcard received from East Berlin; opinion of help gained from time in Moscow and process of joining MI5; opinion that Soviets ultimately started Cold War; details of service in Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve including escape and evasion exercises; reaction to end of Cold War; opinion of reasons for collapse of Soviet Union.
