Melita Norwood
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Melita Norwood, née Sirnis, (25 March 1912 – 2 June 2005) was a British civil servant who, for a period of about 40 years following her recruitment in 1937, supplied the KGB (and its predecessor agencies) with state secrets from her job at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association (a cover for nuclear research), including the schematics for the British atomic bomb in 1945.[1] Her KGB handlers gave her the codename "Hola".[2]
Norwood was born to a Latvian father and a British mother in Pokesdown, Dorset. A convinced communist, she apparently gained no material profit from her actions. When asked about her motives, she explained: "I did what I did not to make money but to help prevent the defeat of a new system which had, at great cost, given ordinary people food and fares which they could afford, a good education and a health service."[1] Her espionage activities were first revealed to the public by Vasili Mitrokhin in 1999. At that time, it was also revealed that the British authorities had known about her status since Mitrokhin's defection in 1992, but had decided not to act to avoid tipping their hand.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Grandmother: I was right to spy", BBC News, 20 September 1999. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ The Mitrokhin Inquiry Report. Intelligence and Security Committee. Retrieved on 27 April 2008.
- ^ "Melita Norwood Timeline", BBC News, 20 December 1999. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
