![]() The Courier isn't the only media that tries to tell the true story of Greville Wynne, despite his varying accounts. Wynne tragically faced issues with alcoholism and depression after his imprisonment. His health began to deteriorate during Greville's time in prison, so he was let out after two years. The real story is probably that he was executed in 1963. As for Penkovsky, Wynne reported on different accounts that his spy buddy committed suicide, and that he was shot. However, Penkovsky was captured first, and it was only after his interrogation that Wynne was caught.Īfter his arrest, in real life, Wynne was sentenced to eight years in the Lubyanka Russian prison, where he was subjected to a myriad of beatings and psychological abuse. ![]() Similar to the movie, in real life, both Penkovsky and Greville were tracked down by the KGB. received information from Wynne and Penkovsky that led to finding the missiles' locations, revealing that the Soviet Union was not prepared to fight in a war. Despite the spy lying about his exploits, he and Penkovsky did have a hand in ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. He remarried a woman named Herma van Buren, but they also separated before his death in 1990. ![]() ![]() In real life, his wife Sheila divorced him shortly after his return from prison. While the claim may be false, Greville likely had an affair before working for MI6. In the movie, his wife believes he's having an affair because of a previous one that tainted their marriage. Wynne had little luck with love in real life. However, given what Wynne went through – and what he sacrificed in the hopes of saving lives – it makes sense that the film chose not to dwell on these aspects of Wynne’s life. and back in the amount of time Wynne claims the trip took place. Historians point out several reasons why this couldn’t have happened, namely there were no jets that could travel to Washington D.C. Kennedy, who personally thanked Wynne for his service. In one example, he claims to have flown to the White House where he was allegedly met by President John F. This is well documented in the two memoirs Wynne wrote after his release. What doesn’t get covered in the movie is what happened next: While Wynne was truly the unsung hero portrayed in the film, he was also known to have been a pathological liar who embellished – and sometimes fabricated – information about his time working with MI6. Here’s an answer to the question, "is The Courier a true story?", the information missing from the movie about how this historical endeavor played out, and the way a Soviet intelligence officer and an average, everyday British citizen succeeded in helping to stop a nuclear war.Īfter spending a year and a half in a Soviet prison, the British government negotiated for Wynne’s release and he returned to England in poor health as the film portrays. But in condensing the content into a two-hour feature, there are also a lot of details of the true story that get left out. Examining this moment in Cold War Era history, the film does a good job of remaining historically accurate with a few minor adjustments for dramatic effect. How Penkovsky and Wynne did it, how they were caught, and what happened to them next is the focus of The Courier. In passing along the information stolen by Penkovsky, the two men played a role in deterring an all-out nuclear war. Related: Is The Last Letter From Your Lover Based On A True Story? Starting with his recruitment to join MI6, The Courier follows Greville Wynne as he forges an unlikely friendship with Penkovsky and becomes an unexpected spy for the British and American intelligence agencies. In the letter, he also shares his desire to defect from the Soviet Union and agreed to pass along top secret information from the government. The film begins in the early 1960s, when Penkovsky, a high-ranking member of the Soviet's GRU agency, uses American students to deliver a message to the United States about nuclear operations in the Soviet Union.
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