This 87-Year-Old British Woman Worked as a Soviet Spy for 40 Years
Melita Norwood was a KGB spy who leaked Britain's nuclear secrets during the cold war.
When asked to picture a KGB spy who smuggled nuclear secrets during the heights of the cold war, very few would imagine an 87-year-old great-grandmother. Yet this was exactly the case when it came to Melita Norwood, also known by her spy name as Hola. Let’s take a look into the life of Norwood, a woman that was so good at keeping her profession a secret that it literally shocked her own daughter when she found out.
The Makings Of A Spy
Melita Norwood was born to a British mother and a Latvian father. The family had decided to settle down in the South of England. As she grew, Norwood developed strong sympathies for the left. Indeed, this was something that may have been passed onto her by her parents, who were ardent leftists themselves. In fact, Norwood’s father was the founder of a leftist magazine while her mother was a member of a co-operative. However, Norwood would go a step beyond her parents and offer services to the USSR directly.
