Olag Penkovsky and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Olag Penkovsky was an agent working for the British and the United States to gather information on the Russians in the 1960s. It was largely because of his information that the Cuban Missile Crisis happened. Olag Penkovsky was a GRU officer who defected in order to provide information to the British and the U.S. that would prevent a nuclear war.
In 1961, Olag convinced a British spy Greville Wynne to set up a meeting between him and two British intelligence agents and two American intelligence agents. The British became the main handlers for Penkovsky but they shared pertinent information with the Americans. It was through Penkovsky that the Americans and British learned that the Russian nuclear arsenal was much smaller than was previously thought. He also supplied information that the Soviets did not yet have operational guidance or fueling systems.
In 1962 the Soviets believed that they could hide nuclear weapons in Cuba and that they would not be detected by the Americans until it was too late. However, Penkovsky provided the British and in turn the U.S. with detailed plans and descriptions of the nuclear launch sites in Cuba. It was only because of this information that American U-2 spy planes could get pictures of the launch sites and be able to identify them. Penkovsky was arrested soon after proving the information which kept Kennedy from having inside information during the tense 13-day standoff of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The fate of Penkovsky is unknown. The Russians claim that he was shot and cremated. Others believe that he was a double agent and ended his mission and retired somewhere in Russia. Another account claims that Penkovsky was cremated alive as an example to others. The truth about Penkovsky remains unknown with some believing he was a plant to convince the Americans that the Soviets missile arsenal was not as advanced as it was. Others swear that he was a genuine defector.