In 1981, Iran’s revolution had thrown the region into turmoil and the Cold War was entering its final decade. In the middle of this unrest, a KGB officer in Tehran turned to British intelligence with a secret only they could keep quiet. That choice set off one of the most remarkable spy stories of the era.

Join us for a conversation with bestselling author Ben Macintyre about the true story of Vladimir Kuzichkin. Drawing on new archives and firsthand interviews for his new book, Macintyre will discuss how a Soviet double agent worked inside a crumbling regime, how MI6 planned his escape while the KGB and Iranian agents closed in, and what this case reveals about the hidden world of Cold War spycraft.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ben Macintyre is a writer-at-large for The Times (UK) and the author of the upcoming book Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War’s Most Extraordinary Spy. He is the bestselling author of Agent Sonya, The Spy and the Traitor, A Spy Among Friends, Double Cross, Operation Mincemeat, Agent Zigzag, Rogue Heroes, and Prisoners of the Castle, among other books. Macintyre has also written and presented BBC documentaries of his work.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

William Tuttle is the Senior Vice President of External Affairs at Kosmos Energy, responsible for external affairs, government relations, communications, security and sustainability. Before re-joining Kosmos in early 2026, William spent nearly five years as Executive Director of Global Engagement at JPMorganChase, where he led a team providing strategic geopolitical insight and foreign policy analysis to the firm’s global leadership and C-suite-level clients. From 2015-2021, William led political risk and managed global security for Kosmos. Previously, William was Director of Turkish, Greek, and Cypriot Affairs for the National Security Council under President Obama. His time at the NSC was preceded by 15 years at the Central Intelligence Agency and State Department, including assignments abroad in Turkey and the UK.