Newly-released files reveal MI5’s concerns about Dirk Bogarde being targeted by Russian spies for a gay entrapment scheme
London: So, it turns out that MI5 had some serious concerns about Dirk Bogarde back in the day. They thought he might be a target for a Russian gay entrapment plot. Crazy, right? Newly released documents show that they were worried enough to investigate him.
According to the files, Bogarde was pretty shaken when he found out his name was on a list of British homosexuals that had been passed to the Russians. Can you imagine? He was interviewed in the south of France, and MI5 figured he was more of a serious, private guy who wouldn’t fall for any KGB tricks.
Even though he never publicly came out as gay, he had a long-term relationship with his manager, Anthony Forwood. Bogarde was known for his roles in films with gay themes, like “Death in Venice,” which made him a bit of a trailblazer in that regard.
Back in 1970, MI5 learned that someone had named him as a gay man to the KGB. This person had been compromised during a trip to Moscow years earlier. Around the same time, a KGB defector hinted that a young British actor was being targeted for recruitment, which made MI5 even more curious about Bogarde.
They couldn’t find any proof that he had ever been to Russia, but they still sent an officer to chat with him at the British consulate in Nice. When they brought up the report about his sexuality, he was understandably upset and confused about how the KGB got that info.
During the interview, he insisted that the whole thing was absurd and that he was a responsible adult. MI5’s officer reassured him that he didn’t seem like a promising target for the KGB, but they wanted to make sure he was aware of the potential risks if he ever visited the Soviet Union.
In the end, they concluded that while there was strong evidence about his sexuality, he didn’t seem like someone who would fall for any traps. It’s wild to think about how much concern there was over someone just living their life.
