Ühes 1953.a. Rootsi pagulasarutelus tuli kõne alla Oraste perekond: see olla üks imelik seltskond.
„Oras ise Inglismaal õppinud, praegu õppejõud USA-s, üks õde abielus Briti luureohvitseri Giffeyga, kes tegutses meil Eestis ja on praegu suur luurenina Lääne-Berliinis.
Üks õde on siin abielus rootslase Chenoniga, tuntud tööturukomisjoni mees.
Orase vend jäi N. Liitu ja teenis Balti laevastikus.
Ta oli elukutselt laevaehitusinsener ja tõsteti admiraliks.“
Nii on selle vestluse salvestanud Voldemar Kures.
Innustatuna sellest kirjeldusest, uuris Tiina Tamman selle Briti luureohvitseri elulugu ja praeguseks on uurimusest saanud ingliskeelne raamat pealkirjaga „Portrait of a Secret Agent who Knew Kim Philby“.
Et see on inglise keeles, siis on ka tutvustus inglise keeles.
Brian Giffey’s biography is really a book about belonging, loyalty and identity.
Brian wrongly believed that he was Welsh, but his mother was actually Canadian and his father German.
Born illegitimate as Otto Chester Kurt Brian Petersen in London in 1887, he was brought up in Germany.
On his return to Britain he obtained a degree from Oxford and, with the help of an unscrupulous lawyer, a military career became possible.
Brian joined the Worcestershire Regiment in 1911.
His intelligence career with MI6 started in 1928; he served in Tallinn, London and Baghdad.
In 1944, however, he was mysteriously dismissed from the secret service, and in post-war years he represented Britain in Berlin on the denazification committee and, back in London, worked for the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain.
Brian was a specialist in Soviet affairs who knew the notorious Kim Philby.
His biography helps us to understand how the Soviets used the information obtained for them by Philby.
The book is also relevant today as Russia flexes its muscles.
What happened in Crimea in 2014 is reminiscent of the annexation of Estonia in 1939-40 experienced first-hand by Brian.
The book is also an unusual and moving love story. How was it possible for this middle-aged womaniser to fall in love with an inexperienced and immature Estonian girl, Anni Oras, to whom he remained faithful for the rest of his life?
A paperback copy of the book is available from www.ypdbooks.com at £10 plus postage. Also available from the same address is an eBook at £3.99.
And you can find it also from Vaba Eesti Sõna e-store.
