Harold Wilson, MI5, and the Cold War Business of East-West Trade

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the murky relationship between British intelligence, the Labour government, and the "gentleman capitalists" of the post-war era.

Why was Harold Wilson, the most electorally successful British Prime Minister of the 20th century, targeted by paranoid elements within MI5 as a potential Soviet spy? We delve into Wilson's time at the Board of Trade in the late 1940s, where he forged controversial deals with the Soviet Union to secure timber for Britain’s reconstruction.

From the rise of corrupt tycoons like Robert Maxwell (who began as an intelligence officer in occupied Germany) to the class war between the "modernizing" Labour government and the "grouse moor" establishment, this episode uncovers the seeds of the plot to overthrow Wilson in the 1960s. It’s a story of Cold War intrigue, antisemitism within the British elite, and the clash between a new technological Britain and the old school tie.

Key Topics:

• The Plot Against Wilson: Why MI5 officers like Peter Wright suspected the PM was a KGB agent.
• The Timber Deals: How Wilson negotiated with Stalin’s deputies to rebuild Britain.
• Robert Maxwell: The origins of a media mogul in the intelligence world of post-war Berlin.
• Class Conflict: The "Chapocracy" vs. Wilson's white heat of technology.

Books Mentioned:

• Smear! Wilson and the Secret State by Stephen Dorril and Robin Ramsay
• Thinking the Twentieth Century by Tony Judt
• Spycatcher by Peter Wright

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