'Spy mania' was at its height in the early 1960s when a junior clerk in the Admiralty was revealed to be spying for the Soviet Union, after he had been drugged and then secretly photographed by KGB agents in Moscow while being raped by at least two men. 

At a time when sexual relationships between men were illegal, John Vassall was jailed and publicly humiliated, while tabloid newspaper ran stories such as ‘How to Spot a Homo’.

Writer Alex Grant joins Andrew and Phil to discuss his book on John Vassall, and what his life story tells us about both espionage and the social history of the 1960s. 

You can buy Alex's book, and books from the other authors we feature here, in our own Scandal Mongers bookshop - along with thousands more. Andrew’s own book on the spy Guy Burgess is also available here. 

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/sex-spies-and-scandal-the-john-vassall-affair-alex-grant/7392845?aid=12054&ean=9781785907883&

Looking for the perfect gift for a special scandalous someone - or someone you’d like to get scandalous with? We’re here to help.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ScandalMongers

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The Scandal Mongers Podcast is also available to watch on YouTube...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJgy7_rHwpE&t=23s

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Phil Craig

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