00:21I want to put a thesis to you, Toby, about what's been going on.
00:27Let's cast our minds back, say, about 18 months, when Control is still with us.
00:34Percy Alleline wants his job, everyone knows that.
00:37But although Control is sick and past his prime, Percy can't dislodge him.
00:42It's a time of uneasiness in the service.
00:46Morale is low, activity is low, yes?
00:49I remember, George.
00:51Well, Percy's door opens one day and one of our senior men walks in.
00:57We'll call him Gerald.
00:59Well, it's just a name.
01:01And Gerald says,
01:02Percy, I've stumbled on a major source of Russian intelligence.
01:06It could be a gold mine.
01:08Perhaps they take a walk in the park or drive in a car, but whatever, Percy listens.
01:13Because what Gerald goes on to say is music in Percy's ears.
01:19Some of us, Gerald tells him, are worried sick about the state the circus has got into.
01:24I mean, look at our operational losses.
01:26Agents, networks.
01:28He's careful not to suggest there's a traitor inside the circus.
01:35But he emphasizes that slovenliness at the top is leading to failure all round.
01:41That is to say, it's all Control's fault.
01:45My thesis, you understand.
01:48Sure, George.
01:50Another notion is that Percy Alleline was his own Gerald.
01:54That he went out and bought himself a top Russian spy and manned his own boat from then on.
01:58But I don't believe that's what happened.
01:59I think he'd mess it up, don't you?
02:01Sure, George.
02:03So the next thing is for Gerald to say to Percy, I and a little group of like-minded friends want you to be our father figure, Percy.
02:15We are not political men.
02:16We don't know our way in the Whitehall jungle.
02:19But you do.
02:21Did you bring a babysitter, Toby?
02:23George, why should I?
02:25I came to meet Peter and some pearl in the fur trade.
02:29Do you want Faun to go down and have a look?
02:31No, need him here.
02:34Can't take the chance.
02:36Yes, well, Gerald says that if Percy will handle the committees, he and his friends will handle Merlin.
02:45Merlin being the Moscow intelligence source and witchcraft the name of the material he supplies.
02:52And how well it all worked.
02:55Merlin's material proved excellent, as everyone agreed, except Control.
03:00And eventually Control was out and Percy was king.
03:05So what's new, George?
03:07Ever bought a fake picture, Toby?
03:11Sold a couple once.
03:16The more you pay for it, the less inclined you are to doubt its authenticity.
03:21Merlin's price was 20,000 francs a month into a Swiss bank, according to the file.
03:29Oh, yes, Toby, this is official.
03:32There came the day when Gerald admitted Percy to the greatest secret of all.
03:41That the Merlin set up has a London end.
03:45Alexei Alexandrovich Polyakov, cultural attache at the Russian embassy in London.
03:52You're on record as grading him Snow White, Toby, quite untainted with a mischief of espionage.
04:00In fact, he's Merlin's London representative.
04:05That's a start, I should tell you now, of a very clever knot.
04:08Now, everything to do with witchcraft is secret, of course, but inevitably a lot of people are involved.
04:13Transcribers, translators, codists, evaluators, God knows what.
04:18Doesn't worry Gerald, of course.
04:21He likes it.
04:22Because the art of being Gerald is to be one of a crowd.
04:27But when it comes to Polyakov, that's a different story.
04:33Who knows it?
04:35Only you, Roy Bland, Bill Hayden, and Percy.
04:42Three of you, Anne Alleline.
04:45You're the magic circle.
04:52Who meets him, Toby?
04:58For God's sake, let me sweat the bastard.
05:10You all meet him.
05:12How's that?
05:14Percy represents the authoritarian side, asks after his wife, suggests it's time he took a little holiday.
05:21Very paternal Percy would be.
05:23Bill Hayden, I think, would see Polyakov much more often.
05:27Bill's a Russian expert, for one thing, and his good entertainment value.
05:30I'd expect Bill to shine when it comes to the briefings and follow-up sessions, making sure the right messages went back to Moscow.
05:41Roy Bland's good on economics, as well as being top man on the satellite countries, so he'd have plenty to chat about.
05:49Then there's you, Toby.
05:51You'd have your solo sessions with Polyakov, because there's tradecraft to discuss, and all those little snippets about goings-on inside the embassy, which are very much your field.
06:04And if the magic circle wanted Polyakov to do some photography inside the embassy, it would be you who would supply the film.
06:14Replenish his stock from time to time.
06:21Take him.
06:22Little sealed packets.
06:26Toby, you wouldn't be lying, would you?
06:29Did you bring a babysitter?
06:30Cross my heart, George, I swear to you.
06:32What would you use for a job like this?
06:35Cars?
06:36No.
06:37On foot.
06:38Keep walking them through.
06:40How many?
06:41Eight.
06:43Ten, maybe.
06:44What about one man alone?
06:46One?
06:47Never.
06:48Impossible.
06:49I can call Mendel to take a look.
06:51I'm sure Toby's right.
06:55Listen, George.
06:56I know Polyakov works for Moscow Centre.
06:59Of course I do.
07:01We all know.
07:02But come on.
07:04Think how many other operations we've run this way.
07:08We've bought Polyakov, right?
07:11He's a Moscow hood, but he's also our Joe.
07:16Now, he's got to pretend to his own people that he's spying on us.
07:19So we've got to give him one or two goodies now and again.
07:22Sure, I've passed him the odd sealed packet.
07:26Chicken feed.
07:28So he can send them home and Moscow Centre clap him on the back and tell him he's a big man.
07:34It happens all the time.
07:36Now, come on, George.
07:38You know the game.
07:40So are you Polyakov's agent inside the circus?
07:46Someone has to be.
07:47If Polyakov's cover for meeting you people is that he's spying on the circus, then he must have a man on the inside, mustn't he?
07:58And Polyakov can't report back to Moscow Centre after he's picked up a great load of circus chicken feed and just say,
08:04I got this from the boys.
08:07He's got to have a whole history.
08:09How he selected his man.
08:12Courted him.
08:13Bought him.
08:15How they meet.
08:17And where.
08:19The whole paraphernalia of running a double agent.
08:23And all this in Moscow Centre's archives.
08:25You, Toby?
08:31Toby Esterhazy masquerades as a circus traitor in order to keep Polyakov in business.
08:38My hat, Toby.
08:40A dangerous job like that deserves a whole chest full of medals.
08:46You're on a damn long road, George.
08:49What happens to you if you never reach the other end?
08:51With Lacon and the minister behind me.
08:56Why become the little guy?
08:58Why not go for the big ones?
09:01Percy Aliline.
09:02Bill Hayden.
09:04I thought you were a big guy these days.
09:06You're the perfect choice, Toby.
09:08Resentful about slow promotion.
09:11Sharp-witted.
09:13Fond of money.
09:15With you as his agent, Polyakov has a cover story that really sits up and works.
09:19The big three give you the little sealed packets of chicken feed.
09:25And Moscow Centre thinks you're all theirs.
09:29The only problem arises when it turns out you've been handing Polyakov the crown jewels.
09:35And getting Russian chicken feed in return.
09:39If that's the case, Toby, you're going to need some good friends.
09:44Like us.
09:45Gerald, of course, is a Russian mole.
09:50And he's pulled the circus inside out.
09:54But witchcraft material isn't chicken feed.
09:57It's the best.
09:59It was good at first.
10:01Listen, George.
10:03Suppose you're wrong.
10:04Toby.
10:05Who told you to muzzle Jerry Westerby?
10:08The same person who sent you down to Sarat with a thousand pounds for Jim Preeto and the instruction, get lost?
10:15Speak up.
10:17Was it Percy?
10:19I think so.
10:21Maybe it was Bill, though.
10:25Well, listen, it was a big operation.
10:28Sometimes Roy.
10:30It never seemed to come straight from one.
10:33There was a committee.
10:36I took a lot of orders.
10:37You told Preeto to forget about Tinker Tailor.
10:41Where did that come from?
10:43I never knew what that meant.
10:45Now, George, that's the truth.
10:48Poor Toby.
10:52Yes, I do see.
10:54What a dog's life you must have been leading.
10:58Running between them all.
11:02George.
11:04If there's anything I can do of a practical nature...
11:07Now, you know me, George.
11:09My boys are pretty well trained.
11:12Now, if you want to borrow them...
11:15I'd have to speak to Lacon, of course.
11:18But, uh...
11:19Well, you'd expect that.
11:24All I want is for this thing to be cleared up.
11:28For the good of the circus.
11:30I want nothing for myself.
11:34Where's this safe house you keep exclusively for meeting Polyakov?
11:38Five locked gardens at Camden Town.
11:44You're going to be staying here for a night or two.
11:47Fawn will look after you.
11:54Fawn.
11:56You'll have to make appropriate explanations to the circus.
11:59By telephone.
12:01You're having...
12:03Girl trouble, or...
12:05Whatever sort of trouble you're in these days.
12:07Then there's your wife, of course.
12:10Sure, George.
12:12I can handle that.
12:16If he's any bother, Fawn, use your own discretion.
12:20Peter, I want you to watch my back. Will you do that for me?
