QWho was the agent operating the false Mironov for the Soviets ?
AWilson discovers that it is the British operative, Arch Cummings, and he later tells him that he will realize his own, stated, worst fear, that of ending up alone and friendless. The discovery of the true identity of Mironov -- who is, in fact, Modin, as the real Mironov had revealed under extreme and brutal interrogation -- burns into Wilson's consciousness and conscience. He was forced to confront the reality of having had a Soviet double agent on his own payroll for years, and the duplicity of Arch Cummings brings up the entire real-life sordid affair of British moles like Kim Philby, the Queen's art collector Anthony Blount, and operatives Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess. The so-called "Cambridge Dons" were very effective in recruiting young men from prominent families or of high intellect in the 1930s, for the Communist Party. It also brings into question the assassination by the British of the literature professor 'outed' as a supposed German sympathizer by young Wilson when he was at Yale.----------------------No question about the professor. He was explicitly portrayed as running a false recruitment("coat trailing") operation, with the goal of identifying potential or actual axis sympathisers. Such provocations are common. The Russians ran the largest and most successfull one in "The Trust", a supposed counter-revolutionary organization that identified large numbers of russian objectors to the revolution.The script throws another bone to the russians in the London professor termination. They use american homophobia to agitate the allies into killing their own asset. But this is one of the weaker plot arcs in this movie.
QWho had the traitor killed?
AMr. Wilson, the Russians, or the Russians acting for Mr. Wilson?The traitor was not killed: it was Edward's son. But he was going to marry a "former" Soviet spy, and Edward knew that espionage world is full of lies and tricks, and feared that "Ulysses" hint at the fact the Soviets could not trust her was, in fact, an attempt to plant a Soviet mole inside Edward's family. So... Edward was possibly the one who gave the order._______Actually, the implication of the final meeting with Ulysses suggests that the Russians had the woman killed, at Edward's request. In that scene, Edward declines to work with Ulysses. However, Ulysses replies that there will come a time in the future when he may seek a favor from Edward. He then abruptly changes topics to discuss the fact that this woman, whom he earlier noted can be trusted by neither side, is about to join Edward's family. And doesn't Edward want her to join his family? He does not reply.However, later, Ulysses's Russian companion asks if he can borrow a dollar to make a purchase. Edward hands him a single dollar bill, and then says that it would be a cardinal sin to not be generous.At the very beginning of the film, you'll remember that a small boy hands a bill to Edward on the bus. The serial number is later checked against a list--an agent named 'Cardinal' is sending a message to CIA. (In Tom Clancy's novel _The Cardinal of the Kremlin_, 'Cardinal' is the code-name for the CIA's most high-placed agent in the Kremlin.)One implication is that with the simple exchange shown, Ulysses and Edward agree to the following exchange--the KGB will kill the woman in exchange for information regarding a high-placed CIA asset inside the Soviet Union. Alternatively it could be interpreted that actually Ulysees' companion IS Cardinal and that asking Edward for a dollar is his way of saying that he has information he wishes to provide, their remarks to one another and the use of the term 'Cardinal' a pre-arranged code. Possibly this information is concerning Edward's son's lover who Edward is then able to kill as a result.-----------------Actually, the statement being made is that "assets" like the woman in Africa are fungible accounting units, to be discarded at will. Much like the way the former Yale professor was casually killed in London. The question of who "gave the order" is a trivial
accounting concept. The process killed the woman, the way the process disposes of other individuals who are just visiting while the various Bonesmen keep the wars small.Edward's son was not a traitor. He was the chump caught in a Soviet honey pot. This is one
of the workhorse ideas of cold war lore - the russians taking advantage of the recurrent american inability to keep it in their pants. The rather broad assertion being made is that Edward's father fell in the same way, Edward himself got involved in Berlin, and therefore Edward's son was ripe for the plucking.
AWho told the russians about the Bay of Pigs invasion?They got the information from their spy, the young black woman, who later was going to get married to Edward Junior. Ed Jr. told her when they were making love in the (hotel?) room in Kongo-Leo.
The Russians made a film and sound recording through the hole in the wall.----------------------
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