No Other Choice

George Blake, the infamous traitor, has put out his autobiography. It is detailed and chronological, covering many important events in world history, with particular focus on the Cold War. Mr. Blake wrote this book near his 70th birthday, after living in Moscow for many years. Now comfortably retired, he witnessed the collapse of Soviet Communism. Decades early, George Blake had betrayed Britain by passing intelligence secrets to Soviet agents. Were these efforts now in vain? In addition to describing the details of his life, and how he came to believe in the ideals of Communism, George does indeed try to answer the question, 'was it all worth it'. No doubt, he has had time to reflect. I found this book extremely well-written and interesting. George Blake describes the adventures of his life with excellent recall. He starts from his youth when he was a member of the Dutch Underground fighting Nazi invaders, to later becoming an important member of British Intelligence (MI6), and finally to retiring in Moscow. Along the way, he visits many countries and is exposed to many dangers. He spent some years in different prisons; the worst, no doubt, was the time he spent inprisoned in North Korea. George Blake explains clearly why he eventually became a believer of Communism, and why he made it his life mission to help "The Cause" in any way that he could. Like him or not, agree with him or not, he gives good reasons for how he came to these beliefs. He is an intelligent, likeable fellow, and a family man. He has class, and a good sense of humor. With that said, he is still wrong. Communism does indeed look good on paper. Many people hear about its virtues. But George Blake got to see with his own eyes how it worked in practice! He visited the USSR in the 1950s, where he must have seen terrible repression and poverty. Surely, he must have had doubts that such a system was better? When George was finally caught spying for the Soviets, the British government sentenced him to 42 years in prison. He calls this a harsh sentence. But what punishment would the Soviets meet out to a traitor? Execution, plain and simple! George Blake also insists that nobody was ever killed because of his betrayals. How does he know? He apparently asked his Soviet handlers not to harm any people that he uncovered, and they agreed to his terms. Even if the handlers were sincere, it seems unlikely that the Soviet government would have any need to keep such a promise. A final comment: The Soviet system is gone. It is for this reason only that George Blake was even able to write this book.

The incredible story of George Blake now comes directly from him. After being involved in Dutch underground resistance against the Germans, Blake joined MI6 and was sent to Korea where hs was imprisoned and attempted escape. After divulging information to the USSR about the Berlin Tunnel, Blake was eventually found out and sent to Wormwood Scrubs Prison. Gaining companions in jail, Blake began serving a 42 year prison sentence. After completing one of the greatest escapes in history, Blake travled to Moscow where he lives now. This story is incredible if you enjoy reading about espionage and the Cold War, pick this up, unfourtunately this book is out of print so you'll have to look at a used book store, but it's worth it