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To Blake's old pals who shared his Korean camp ordeal, the confession was incredible, for Blake's courageous defiance of his Korean captors had earned the admiration of them all. He tried to escape on two occasions, treated his guards with scornful contempt. One fellow inmate, British Journalist Philip Deane, in his book described a beating he and Blake received: "George Blake, who got the worst of this ordeal, smiled throughout, his eyebrows cocked ironically at his guard, his beard aggressively thrust forward." "I find it almost impossible to believe that George Blake could have turned into a traitor," said another fellow inmate.
The super secrecy clamped on the case brought loud demands for a full investigation. Roared the Daily Mirror: "How was it possible for a man in a key British position to be a top Soviet spy for 9½ years without being discovered?"
To all its critics, the government replied with the traditional blank stare accorded all inquiries on such delicate matters as espionage. The case of George Blake was closed.
*In contrast, Gordon Lonsdale was sentenced to 25 years in last month's naval secrets case. Atom Spy Klaus Fuchs got only 14 years.