Operation Gold
How did a secret tunnel under Berlin change the spy game?
4.1 (23)
63 mins
Explore Operation Gold, a daring CIA and MI6 mission to tap Soviet communications under Berlin. Discover how betrayal and secrecy shaped the operation and exposed the fragile nature of intelligence during the Cold War.
Ep 1:
Berlin, Blindness, and the Birth of a Tunnel
A divided Berlin, a terrified West, and a bold plan to tap Soviet cables underground—except the mole recording it all was already reporting to Moscow.
Ep 2:
Digging Blind Beneath the Iron Curtain
Engineers battle sewage floods, missing grout, and a road full of Soviet trucks to bore nearly 1,500 feet toward enemy cables, unaware the KGB is watching them dig.
Ep 3:
Eleven Months on the Wire
The tap goes live, a heat leak nearly exposes everything, and eleven months of intercepted Soviet chatter raise a haunting question: was any of it real?
Ep 4:
Unmasking the Mole, Weighing the Cost
Moscow stages a dramatic 'discovery,' but the true betrayal—and its staggering cost—only surfaces years later, reshaping how spies would guard their deepest secrets.
Discussions (5)
Maurice
Level 8 · 1 mo agoSaying the intel was 'genuine' because Soviets couldn't control every caller is a stretch. KGB absolutely could have flagged the most sensitive traffic without tipping anyone off.
Regan
Level 2 · 1 mo agothe intel being 'real' is a stretch when KGB controlled the lines
Grover
Level 3 · 1 mo ago50K reels of tape, 40K hours of calls checks out per CIA records
