Publisher's Synopsis
In 1955, Operation STOPWATCH/GOLD ran a tunnel, 800 metres long, under the Russian sector of Cold War Berlin to tune into Red Army intelligence transmissions. This was an audacious trick: apart from the technical wizardry, any noise or vibration could have given the game away. When snow fell, panic measures were suddenly needed to prevent it thawing in a tell-tale line leading to the target building. Trust, even between allies, was dangerous at this time but the Americans decided to co-operate and it became a joint MI6/CIA project. But there was a mole in the British secret services, and the KGB knew about the tunnel even before it was built. If the Red Army trusted the KGB, though, it too was mistaken. Why the KGB kept the secret to itself is one of the many questions that Stafford explores. He is the first to tell the whole, puzzling story, drawing on eye-witness interviews and a full range of sources.
