Peter Lunn
Encyclopedia
Peter Northcote Lunn is a British
alpine skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics
. As a spymaster
in the early Cold War
, he is noted for his resourceful use of telephone tapping
in espionage
.
, he was born in Coventry
and educated at Eton
.
His father first put him on skis in 1916, just before his second birthday. This was at Mürren
, which was the Lunn family's winter home. "I remember endlessly walking up the practice slope, skiing over a large bump and falling over," Lunn said at the age of 95. "My mother picked me up and said, 'Lean forward' — rather good advice."
During the 1930s, Lunn was one of Britain's leading skiers. He was a member of the British international ski team from 1931 to 1937, and its captain from 1934 to 1937. At the 1936 Winter Olympics
at Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, he led the British ski team and finished twelfth in the alpine skiing combined event
, the highest British placing. "I was overawed by the event and skied too carefully," he said later. "It was the only major international downhill
race in which I failed to fall." Lunn and his father, who refereed the slalom
in the 1936 Winter Olympics, cordially detested every form of totalitarianism. Neither marched in the opening procession or attended the lavish banquet given by the Nazis.
As well as two skiing manuals and The Guinness Book of Skiing, Lunn also wrote Evil in High Places, a thriller with a skiing background.
On 24 April 1939, Lunn married the Hon. Antoinette Preston (1912–1976), the daughter of Viscount Gormanston
(1879–1925). They had three sons and three daughters.
Espionage writer Richard C. S. Trahair provides this description of Lunn: "He had a slight build and blue eyes, spoke in a soft voice with a lisp, and appeared to be a quiet gentle fellow. However benign his appearance, he was a forceful man of strong will, hardworking, a devout Roman Catholic, and militant anti-Communist."
In 1939 Peter Lunn entered government service, and in 1941 he joined the Secret Intelligence Service
(SIS). A Royal Artillery
officer, he was seconded to MI6 and supervised secret operations for 30 years. He worked in Malta
(1939–1944), Italy (1944–1945), West Germany (1945–1946), London (1946–1948), Vienna
(1948–1950), Bern (1950–1953), Berlin
(1953–1956), London again (1956-197), Bonn
(1957–1962), Beirut
(1962–1967), and London for a third time (1967–1968). Wherever he went, Lunn seized every opportunity to ski. "We had four weeks in Mürren every Christmas," his son Stephen recalled. "He skied every day from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, and he was furious if he went a day without a big fall, because that meant he wasn't trying hard enough."
As head of the SIS station in Vienna, Lunn discovered that beneath the French and British sectors, there were telephone cables that linked field units and airports of the Russian Army to Soviet headquarters. He got expert advice on tapping these lines, and a private mining consultant agreed to construct a tunnel from the basement of a police post to the main phone cable between the Soviet headquarters in the Imperial Hotel and the Russian military airfield at Schwechat. Operation Conflict, conceived by Lunn, was the first Cold War tunnel operation. It garnered a rich trove of message traffic from 1948 to 1951 and was a forerunner for the more ambitious Berlin Tunnel a few years later.
In 1954 Lunn was SIS head of station in Berlin, and cooperated with his CIA opposite number William King Harvey
to bring about work on the Berlin Tunnel (known as Operation Gold
by the Americans and Operation Stopwatch by the British). The operation was codenamed PBJOINTLY, with the P and B standing for Peter and Bill respectively. Most of the manpower and funds were provided by the Americans, while the technical skills and experience from the Vienna tunnel came from Lunn's officers. Unknown to either the SIS or the CIA, the tunnel was revealed to the Soviets from the beginning by George Blake
, who worked for SIS on the project. In the event, the KGB
was quite happy to let the West snoop on the Red Army, and did not use the tapped lines for disinformation, as that could have led to Blake's exposure. A full account of the operation from a British perspective is given by espionage writer David A. T. Stafford
in his book Spies Beneath Berlin (2002).
Lunn retired from government service in 1986.
In 2008, at a centenary dinner, he became an honorary member of the Alpine Ski Club
, which his father Arnold Lunn
had founded 100 years earlier.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
alpine skier who competed in the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
. As a spymaster
Spymaster
A spymaster is a ring leader of a spy ring, run by a secret service.-Historical spymasters:*Dai Li *Francis Walsingham *James Jesus Angleton *Joseph Peters...
in the early Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, he is noted for his resourceful use of telephone tapping
Telephone tapping
Telephone tapping is the monitoring of telephone and Internet conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connection was an actual electrical tap on the telephone line...
in espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
.
Biography
The son of Arnold LunnArnold Lunn
Sir Arnold Henry Moore Lunn was a famous skier, mountaineer and writer. He was knighted for "services to British Skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations" in 1952.He was born in Madras, India and died in London.-Early life:...
, he was born in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
His father first put him on skis in 1916, just before his second birthday. This was at Mürren
Mürren
Mürren is a traditional Walser mountain village in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, at an elevation of 1,650 m above sea level and unreachable by public road....
, which was the Lunn family's winter home. "I remember endlessly walking up the practice slope, skiing over a large bump and falling over," Lunn said at the age of 95. "My mother picked me up and said, 'Lean forward' — rather good advice."
During the 1930s, Lunn was one of Britain's leading skiers. He was a member of the British international ski team from 1931 to 1937, and its captain from 1934 to 1937. At the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
at Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, he led the British ski team and finished twelfth in the alpine skiing combined event
Alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics - Men's combined
The men's alpine skiing combined event was part of the alpine skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics programme. It was the first appearance of the event...
, the highest British placing. "I was overawed by the event and skied too carefully," he said later. "It was the only major international downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
race in which I failed to fall." Lunn and his father, who refereed the slalom
Slalom
To slalom is to zigzag between obstacles. It can refer to:Sports:*Alpine Slalom skiing*Whitewater slalom/kayaking*Freestyle slalom skating*Slalom skateboarding*Slalom water skiing*Slalom ice skating*Slalom windsurfing...
in the 1936 Winter Olympics, cordially detested every form of totalitarianism. Neither marched in the opening procession or attended the lavish banquet given by the Nazis.
As well as two skiing manuals and The Guinness Book of Skiing, Lunn also wrote Evil in High Places, a thriller with a skiing background.
On 24 April 1939, Lunn married the Hon. Antoinette Preston (1912–1976), the daughter of Viscount Gormanston
Viscount Gormanston
Viscount Gormanston is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Preston family. It was created in 1478. The holder is the senior Viscount of Ireland, as well as the bearer of the oldest vicomital title in either Britain or Ireland. The Preston family descends from Sir Robert...
(1879–1925). They had three sons and three daughters.
Espionage writer Richard C. S. Trahair provides this description of Lunn: "He had a slight build and blue eyes, spoke in a soft voice with a lisp, and appeared to be a quiet gentle fellow. However benign his appearance, he was a forceful man of strong will, hardworking, a devout Roman Catholic, and militant anti-Communist."
In 1939 Peter Lunn entered government service, and in 1941 he joined the Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
(SIS). A Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
officer, he was seconded to MI6 and supervised secret operations for 30 years. He worked in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
(1939–1944), Italy (1944–1945), West Germany (1945–1946), London (1946–1948), Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(1948–1950), Bern (1950–1953), Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(1953–1956), London again (1956-197), Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
(1957–1962), Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
(1962–1967), and London for a third time (1967–1968). Wherever he went, Lunn seized every opportunity to ski. "We had four weeks in Mürren every Christmas," his son Stephen recalled. "He skied every day from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, and he was furious if he went a day without a big fall, because that meant he wasn't trying hard enough."
As head of the SIS station in Vienna, Lunn discovered that beneath the French and British sectors, there were telephone cables that linked field units and airports of the Russian Army to Soviet headquarters. He got expert advice on tapping these lines, and a private mining consultant agreed to construct a tunnel from the basement of a police post to the main phone cable between the Soviet headquarters in the Imperial Hotel and the Russian military airfield at Schwechat. Operation Conflict, conceived by Lunn, was the first Cold War tunnel operation. It garnered a rich trove of message traffic from 1948 to 1951 and was a forerunner for the more ambitious Berlin Tunnel a few years later.
In 1954 Lunn was SIS head of station in Berlin, and cooperated with his CIA opposite number William King Harvey
William King Harvey
William King "Bill" Harvey was a Central Intelligence Agency officer, best known for his role in Operation Mongoose. He was known as "America's James Bond."...
to bring about work on the Berlin Tunnel (known as Operation Gold
Operation Gold
Operation Gold was a joint operation conducted by the American CIA and the British Secret Intelligence Service in the 1950s to tap into landline communication of the Soviet Army headquarters in Berlin using a tunnel into the Soviet-occupied zone...
by the Americans and Operation Stopwatch by the British). The operation was codenamed PBJOINTLY, with the P and B standing for Peter and Bill respectively. Most of the manpower and funds were provided by the Americans, while the technical skills and experience from the Vienna tunnel came from Lunn's officers. Unknown to either the SIS or the CIA, the tunnel was revealed to the Soviets from the beginning by George Blake
George Blake
George Blake is a former British spy known for having been a double agent in the service of the Soviet Union. Discovered in 1961 and sentenced to 42 years in prison, he escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in 1966 and fled to the USSR...
, who worked for SIS on the project. In the event, the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
was quite happy to let the West snoop on the Red Army, and did not use the tapped lines for disinformation, as that could have led to Blake's exposure. A full account of the operation from a British perspective is given by espionage writer David A. T. Stafford
David A. T. Stafford
David Stafford , full name David Alexander Tetlow Stafford, is projects director at Edinburgh University's Centre for the Study of the Two World Wars and Leverhulme Emeritus Professor in the University's School of History, Classics, and Archaeology.Stafford took his B.A. at Cambridge University in...
in his book Spies Beneath Berlin (2002).
Lunn retired from government service in 1986.
In 2008, at a centenary dinner, he became an honorary member of the Alpine Ski Club
Alpine Ski Club
- The Alpine Ski Club :The Alpine Ski Club is an active club of ski mountaineers based in the UK and the first ski mountaineering club in Great Britain.The objectives of the club are to:# Promote mountaineering on skis...
, which his father Arnold Lunn
Arnold Lunn
Sir Arnold Henry Moore Lunn was a famous skier, mountaineer and writer. He was knighted for "services to British Skiing and Anglo-Swiss relations" in 1952.He was born in Madras, India and died in London.-Early life:...
had founded 100 years earlier.
Publications
- High-Speed Skiing (1935)
- Evil in High Places (1947)
- A Ski-ing Primer (1948)
- The Guinness Book of Skiing (1983)