London feared spy George Blake's family would sell his story

The British government suspected the family of famous British double agent George Blake, who died on Saturday, of wanting to profit from his notoriety after his flight to the USSR, declassified documents reveal Wednesday (December 30).

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The British National Archives have declassified a whole series of government documents dating back to 1969, three years after the escape from prison and then the flight to Moscow of the British "mole" who was spying on behalf of the Soviet KGB.

In a secret letter, a senior intelligence official reported that George Blake's family had been approached by the BBC for an interview.

The mother and sister of the spy

,

, explained in this secret missive Edward Peck.

Deprived of copyright

George Blake, who died on Saturday at the age of 98 after living for decades in Russia, had been recruited by the British secret service.

He then offered his services to the Soviets in the 1950s, after witnessing American bombing of civilian populations in Korea.

Denounced by a Polish double agent, this “mole” was sentenced in 1961 to 42 years imprisonment.

But the ex-double agent escaped in 1966 from his London prison, before clandestinely joining the USSR via East Germany.

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In his letter, Edward Peck suggested that a high-ranking diplomat meet

with the BBC and the television regulatory authority in order to dissuade them from carrying out this interview, believing that George Blake should not.

and to profit from his crime and his escape.

In 1996, the British public prosecutor's office had prosecuted the ex-double agent for having published in 1990 his memoirs, entitled

("No other choice").

British justice then deprived George Blake of 90,000 pounds of copyright, which he was able to partially recover later.