how a real-life Cold War defection became a soothing spy story for anxious Australians
- Written by Melanie Brand, Lecturer in Intelligence Studies, Macquarie University
This year marks 70 years since Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov sensationally defected to Australia shortly before the 1954 election, beginning what came to be known as the “Petrov affair”. The defection itself is interesting – but what’s equally fascinating is how the Australian media covered the Petrov affair.
The story...
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