Month: September 2020

On this day (September 30th) in 1971: The British Government gave the name of Soviet Defector that just the week before had exposed dozens of Russians spies in the UK. Oleg Lyalin was a senior KGB officer assigned to London in 1967. He defected after being charged with driving while intoxicated. Said the police officer who originally pulled Lyalin over: “Up till this morning I did not know that the man I arrested was a spy – it was only when I read the papers today that I twigged”. To learn more, check out this release titled “Double Agents in a Secret War.”

On this day (September 29th) in 1960: Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev disrupted a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Khrushchev’s outbursts were spurred by his disapproval over manner in which UN forces intervened in the Congo. In a move underscoring the depth of the Cold War mentality in 1960, Khurshchev called for the Secretary General do be replaced by a three-person executive representing the Soviet, the Western, and the neutral camps amongst world nations.