Klop: Britain's most ingenious spy

by Peter Day

Klop Ustinov was Britain's most ingenious secret agent, but he wasn't authorised to kill. Instead, he was authorised to tell tall tales, bemusing and beguiling his enemies into revealing their deepest, darkest secrets. From the Russian Revolution to the Cold War, he bluffed and tricked his way into the confidence of everyone from Soviet commissars to Gestapo Gruppenfuhrer.

In 'Klop: Britain's Most Ingenious Secret Agent,' journalist Peter Day brings to life a man descended from Russian aristocrats and Ethiopian princesses but who fancied himself the perfect Englishman. His codename was U35 but his better-known nickname 'Klop' meant 'bedbug', a name given to him by a very understanding wife on account of his extraordinary capacity to hop from one woman's bed to another in the service of the King.

Frequenting the social gatherings of Europe in the guise of innocent bon viveur, he displayed a showman's talent for entertaining (a trait his son, the actor Peter Ustinov, undoubtedly inherited), holding a captive audience and all the while scavenging secrets from his unsuspecting companions. Klop was masterful at gathering truth by telling a story; this is his

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, Biography

352 pages, Board Book

First published April 10, 2014

Reviews

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life and career of a spy is described in this book.

The man discussed sounds really interesting but I found the writing style in this book too dry and in places I struggled to follow what was happening (or maybe it just wasn’t interesting enough to hold my attention).

I couldn’t help thinking (on a few occasions) that the book was more about the spy’s famous son than the spy.

[David Lowther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klop is an interesting rather than enthralling story. The career of Sir Peter Ustinov's father is meticulously researched and very competently told but there are several confusing passages when the reader is left trying to sort out precisely what's going on.

You are also left wondering why the story was told in the first place. Is it because Klop Ustinov was Britain's most ingenious spy, as the title suggests (probably not) or because he had a more famous son?

Nevertheless there is much to enjoy in the life story of a German married to a Russian who played a significant part in Britain's wartime and post-war intelligence gathering.

David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil (thebluepencil.co.uk)

[Vic · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a brilliant book in here somewhere. I'm not sure if the issue is the author or the editor, but the pace is that of a hotdog eating competition. The information is of mixed relevancy and forced, so much so you find yourself moistening the hotdog buns with water just to choke down the storyline.

[Tomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF...I couldn't follow the story line because the author was so intent on name-dropping! Read more like a Who's Who list than any kind of actual book. Shame, because the book had so much promise- Peter Ustinov's father a spy? Wow!

[Robert Enzenauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written bio about an incredible "character" - who happened to be Peter Ustinov's father. Although only 5 foot 2 inches tall, his exploits were gigantic as a British spy in World War II.

[Ryan La Fleur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it has some interesting information in it, Klop suffers from two major flaws.

The first is the flow of the story. it follows a generally linear technique beginjngnwith Klop and his wife's parents and follows through until there deaths. however, it jumps around in the story telling bits and pieces of the narrative and never strongly connects the pieces.

The second, and more important problem, is that it isn't really about Klop. It's more about the events that happen around Klop. You never really get a true sense of the man. Once the author is done describing him physical and gives you an idea that he is a womanizer and a defender of freedom, you never learn much else. There is no great depth that you learn about anyone in the telling of this story.

So, although there are some interesting tidbits about how the Human and Counterintellignecenwar was fought during World War 2 and the early stages of the Cold War, there is not enough of the story and not enough of the human struggle of Klop to make this more than a good book.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klop was a spy in the Second World War and the Cold War. He was born and raised in the Middle East as Jona Ustinov, the son of a strict pastor. During World War One, he fought for the German army with his brother who later died. After the war, Klop moved to Russia where he met and married Nadia Benois who gave him the nickname Klop. He continued working for the German government as an attache in Britain until the beginning of World War Two when he defected to Britain because he did not like the Nazi policies. He then began to work for MI6, a counter intelligence organization. Klop worked in Lisbon as a courier, London as an interrogator for war criminals and in Switzerland helping break up a spy ring. He also worked during the Cold War until the Cambridge Five scandal and his age forced him to retire. Klop lived in the country until his death in 1962.
This book is wonderful! I enjoyed Klop's dauntless personality and charm. Although Day was rather verbose in describing Klop's origins and family, he perfectly summarized Klop's dealings with German and Soviet defectors.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys World War Two books and mysteries.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very exciting bit of history! Well written historical descriptive biography of a little known but important figure in the Allied gallery in WW2. A page turner of the first water! Hope to fnd more by this author.

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography of Peter Ustinovs father is interesting up to about the end of World War 2,but after that t becomes a bit of a trial to read.There are so many characters that you tend to loose track of them all

[William Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A flurry of poorly-connected ideas with an elusive narrative. I somehow feel less informed about 'Britain's most ingenious spy' than before I picked up the book.

[Anna Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gives an interesting insight into the life of Peter Ustinov’s father and the life he forged for his family during World War II. There was quite a bit of discussion of the different sides of World War II and why certain countries did what they did. I like how much information is available and the incredible detail that each character had: such as physical appearance, mannerisms, and specific jobs performed during the war. If a person was looking to study the secret service of different European countries, this would definitely give insight into all that was going on during this time. If a person wanted a straight-forward story and didn’t want to have to sort through all that was going on in each chapter, this may not be their cup of tea. It was very difficult to remember all of the characters as well as their aliases. I think it would be better not being made into a movie. The writer wrote a biography on Klop Ustinov. And I would not recommend a history teacher or English teacher to use this as a part of their curriculum.

[Larry Van Bibber · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting book but the subject did not appeal to me.

[DKR Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing I like more than well-researched, well-written non-fiction about interesting people who lived through WWII. Klop Ustinov deserves this excellent biography, rich with detail and observations which provide links to many other fascinating individuals on all sides.

[Bob Blecha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not too impressed with the so-called operations of this character