50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 435 Agent Swallow
The next morning, after washing up in the basement and eating something, Sun Zhiwei continued to look through the archives.

Just before it was time for work to start, the curator, Vasily Mitrokhin, entered the building looking flustered.

Throughout the day, he saw Mitroshin restless in his office, probably frightened by the missing documents from his home.

Sun Zhiwei ignored him, certain that Mitrokhin wouldn't dare report it to his superiors; otherwise, he would be the first to die, and his family would be implicated.

In the morning, he continued to look through the British section of the database and found a separate box with a hidden lock.

The box contained five sets of personal documents, all of whom were graduates of Cambridge University.

They are Donald McLean, Guy Francis Burgess, Harold King Philby, Anthony Brandt, and John Kerncross.

Sun Zhiwei immediately realized their identities: they were the five most outstanding foreign spies ever recruited by the KGB.

Although they were born into London aristocracy, they were the most steadfast believers.

Guy's father was a naval officer, his mother was the daughter of a wealthy family, and he himself had worked as a BBC radio presenter, an MI6 agent, and a secretary to the British Foreign Secretary.

Donald served as a British diplomat in France, the United States, Egypt, and other countries.

Harold's father was an English earl, but he himself infiltrated the 'Nasty' organization and obtained a lot of important intelligence.

Anthony is a professor of art at Trinity College, Cambridge, a leading authority in the British art world, and also serves as an art advisor to Queen Elizabeth.

The identities of the four individuals mentioned above have been exposed for various reasons, but the identity of the last one, John Kerncross, remains a mystery.

Today, Sun Zhiwei finally became the first person outside the KGB to know his true identity.

John Kerncross joined the British Foreign Office in 1936 and subsequently worked for the Foreign Office, the British Treasury, the private offices of government ministers, the Government Communications Code School, and secret intelligence agencies.

Among the Cambridge Five, his identity was always the most secretive, and he also obtained the most intelligence.

Among the hundreds of thousands of foreign intelligence agents in the KGB, the Cambridge Five's experiences are legendary.

They have worked diligently for decades, providing intelligence to the KGB without receiving a single penny, relying entirely on their unwavering faith.

Having learned the identities of the Five Heroes and satisfied his curiosity, Sun Zhiwei continued to gather useful intelligence, especially training plans for intelligence personnel, something that was most lacking in the country.

Currently, only the Soviet Union and the United States have complete and systematic training programs for intelligence personnel.

Among the tens of thousands of intelligence personnel trained by the KGB, the most special one was a special agent team called "Swallows".

During the thirty years from 50 to 80, they performed exceptionally well in the intelligence war between East and West.

They successfully turned 427 North Y employees to switch sides and obtained more than 2000 highly classified documents from them.

They also personally planned and executed 37 assassinations and subversive operations targeting specific individuals. Basically, anyone they set their sights on rarely escaped their seductive traps.

Of course, such skilled agents are few in number, and their training is extremely difficult.

It is said that the KGB has strict standards for selecting "Swallows," and they are all chosen from among thousands.

First, candidates must have outstanding appearances and possess qualities that attract the target audience.

Height requirements are 168 to 175 cm, weight requirements are 47 to 53 kg, and bust size must be larger than C cup.

These stringent criteria were not set arbitrarily, but rather carefully considered. Such physical attributes ensure they create a strong visual impact on male targets. When carrying out missions, appearance is often their primary means of approaching targets, becoming a key breakthrough in intelligence gathering.

It is particularly worth mentioning that all selected individuals must possess the HLA-27 gene.

Research shows that people carrying the HLA-27 gene have a significant advantage in coping with stress, with their stress resistance being up to three times that of the general population.

In the tense and exciting work of intelligence, strong psychological resilience is a core element for completing the mission.

This innate psychological trait provides important support for the "swallows" to maintain a clear mind and stable emotions in times of crisis.

Secondly, they need to have excellent social skills and language talent, and be able to quickly integrate into various social situations.

The selected person needs to be proficient in more than three languages, and the pronunciation accuracy must be controlled within 0.3 seconds (verified by recording comparison).

Only by meeting such standards can one engage in smooth dialogue with targets in an international environment, thereby obtaining important intelligence.

In addition, these women must be proficient in piano or ballet.

This not only helps them cultivate an elegant and sophisticated social image, but also allows them to attract attention in social situations with their unique artistic charm, thus making it easier for them to approach their target.

The training also places special emphasis on memory tests, requiring trainees to accurately memorize and repeat 120 randomly arranged numbers within 30 seconds.

Most importantly, candidates must be absolutely loyal and willing to sacrifice their personal lives for the national interest.

How can absolute loyalty be guaranteed? First of all, the selection process involves rigorous screening.

The family members must not have any contact with foreign countries for three generations, their mother must be a member of the organization, and at least one of their direct blood relatives must have made meritorious contributions in the war of national defense.

With such rigorous screening, out of 12 applicants nationwide, only 36 people ultimately passed the assessment, resulting in an elimination rate as high as 99.7%.

After rigorous screening, they undergo in-depth training, with a focus on cultivating their sense of national identity and loyalty.

For example, they would watch a series of movies together, mainly about the story of the Bear Hero.

The protagonists in the film were willing to pay the ultimate price for their country and compatriots, demonstrating great courage and unwavering faith.

This repeatedly ignited the patriotism in the hearts of the "swallows," making them understand that the mission they shoulder concerns national security and interests, and is both glorious and of great importance.

The swallows trained in this way are the kind of guardians the KGB needs—those absolutely loyal to the country.

The swallows' training was divided into several stages.

The first stage is basic skills training, including language learning, cultural literacy enhancement, and social etiquette cultivation.

The second phase is professional special agent training, which covers intelligence gathering, code usage, counter-surveillance techniques, and other related content.

The third stage is practical simulation, where trainees need to complete various intelligence missions in a simulated environment.

The entire training cycle typically lasts 2-3 years, with a dropout rate as high as 80%. Note that this is the pass rate after the initial screening and completion of the training.

If calculated from the selection process, the success rate of swallows is approximately 0.06%, a shockingly low percentage.

Therefore, even at its peak, the 'Swallow' special agent team did not exceed 500 people.

(End of this chapter)