0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:04 > 0:00:07- I'm following in the footsteps - of Welsh people...
0:00:07 > 0:00:11- ..who have ventured to foreign - countries over the centuries.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17- The journeys encompass - tragedies, scandals and wars.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21- I'll see - what the countries are like now...
0:00:21 > 0:00:26- ..records of the original journeys - and what remains of their world.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41- From Aberystwyth to Germany
0:00:43 > 0:00:46- This story starts in Aberystwyth - and returns here.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48- It calls in Oxford...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- ..and continues to Germany.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53- It's a story of mystery and scandal.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56- It includes the Nazis, - Communists and real spies.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01- It's the story of Goronwy Rees, - the son of a Methodist minister...
0:01:01 > 0:01:06- ..an Aberystwyth-born Welsh speaker - who turned his back on the language.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09- At the beginning - of the 20th century...
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- ..Goronwy was a happy child - living in Aberystwyth.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- His father, RJ Rees, - was the minister of Tabernacl.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20- Goronwy's father's chapel - has long gone.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22- It would have looked - something like this.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27- Goronwy Rees had vivid descriptions - of being there.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31- One was a happy portrait, sitting - comfortably in the chapel...
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- ..with the sun's rays - shining through the window.
0:01:34 > 0:01:39- Another was full of fear seeing - his father preaching in the pulpit.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42- The tender man - bursting into life during a sermon.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47- One saw before one's eyes - a man quite suddenly transformed...
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- ..into a witch doctor, - demoniac and possessed.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- The hwyl inspired fear in me - and a kind of shuddering...
0:01:55 > 0:01:57- ..from such a bare faced...
0:01:57 > 0:02:01- ..bare-breasted display - of real or simulated emotion...
0:02:01 > 0:02:03- ..and also a kind of alarm.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07- Years later, Goronwy Rees - would compare that to Hitler...
0:02:07 > 0:02:11- ..attacking people with words - until they stopped thinking.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19- By World War I, RJ Rees encouraged - young men to join the war effort...
0:02:19 > 0:02:21- ..which upset a few people.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27- My father and his father - were cousins and once good friends.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- That ended during World War I.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34- He was preaching about the war - and my father walked out.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36- There were some angry exchanges.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43- There was further anger in 1922 - over politics.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47- RJ Rees moved to live in Cardiff - and worked in the Valleys.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- As a result, at the age of 13...
0:02:50 > 0:02:54- ..Goronwy Rees' - Welsh-language upbringing ended.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57- He would later describe it - as leaving paradise.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- He detested the Welsh establishment - for the rest of his life.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07- It's possible that Goronwy, who was - happy as a child in Aberystwyth...
0:03:07 > 0:03:12- ..felt that he was exiled from his - old home when he moved to Cardiff.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- That played a part - in his mindset...
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- ..and his relationship - with Aberystwyth.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- The move from Ceredigion to Cardiff - was major...
0:03:24 > 0:03:29- ..but the next step was greater, - from Wales to New College, Oxford...
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- ..in the autumn of 1928, - when he was 18 years old.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- He was a grammar school boy - and a Welsh speaker.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40- He joined a closed community - which was like a club...
0:03:40 > 0:03:43- ..a club packed with the sons - of great men.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- A club packed with - the privileged and the wealthy...
0:03:47 > 0:03:51- ..a handful of women, but most - were men from boarding schools.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56- For Goronwy Rees, - it felt as unfamiliar as Timbuktu.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- And as unfamiliar - as the upper class families.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- He was asked, - "Do you know the Angleseys?"
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- He replied, "There's only one."
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- At the time, he supported Marxism - and socialism...
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- ..and his accent was different.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13- He decided it was time to grow up.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18- He couldn't do that through an - old-fashioned language like Welsh.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23- Whatever Goronwy Rees said - about not belonging...
0:04:23 > 0:04:26- ..he had created a good impression - on many people.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32- Many spoke about the good-looking, - talented Celt, a great orator...
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- ..the one who attracted the girls - and impressed the men.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- If he sounded like someone who spoke - a second language at the start...
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- ..by the end of his three years, - he'd mastered the accent and style.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- According to - Goronwy Rees' daughter...
0:04:50 > 0:04:54- ..he could adapt his life - to fit in with every situation.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- Strikingly, when we recall - his greatest scandal...
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- ..he saw himself as a spy.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- The role of a spy depended on - submerging one's identity...
0:05:06 > 0:05:10- ..and achieving anonymity which - would allow one to pass unnoticed...
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- ..even in the enemy's - most secret citadels.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20- Fitting into society is an issue - for Oxford's Welsh students today.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26- I was thinking, "Am I going to fit - in? Will I be able to speak Welsh?
0:05:26 > 0:05:32- "Will people think I'm odd because - I'm not from England or London...
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- .."or I didn't attend Eton - or wherever else they went?"
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- After a couple of days, I was happy. - I had friends.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48- There's a stereotype of people - with great wealth and it's not true.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- Most people here are normal.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56- How unusual is it for someone - of your background to attend Oxford?
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- To be a Welsh speaker...
0:05:58 > 0:06:02- ..who didn't attend grammar school - or boarding school...
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- ..there aren't many.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- Recent statistics showed - that 44 students...
0:06:08 > 0:06:12- ..gained a place in Oxford - and Cambridge combined in one year.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- When you tell people - you speak Welsh...
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- ..they don't think - anyone speaks Welsh.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- They usually ask me to pronounce - the name of that long train station.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28- It's almost like a party trick, - that you can speak Welsh.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- According to one of his cousins, - Goronwy felt that the brakes...
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- ..were truly released - when he arrived.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41- He was now a student in a different - world with different rules.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46- He spent his time debating - about socialism and Communism.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- It was a sexually - liberating world...
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- ..where confident women - and gay men were accepted.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- Pleasure was a virtue, not a sin.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- The actual people I met there really - made an enormous impression on me...
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- ..chiefly because - they were so different...
0:07:05 > 0:07:07- ..to anybody I'd met in Wales.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12- One thing, of course, pleasure - was very important in their lives.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- Now in Wales, pleasure was not - a thing that is very important.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- People like having a nice time - and all that...
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- ..but pleasure - as a real object in life...
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- ..is not a thing - that flourishes in Wales.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- The manse's son - was making the most of his freedom.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- The university's chaplain - once said of him...
0:07:33 > 0:07:38- .."He is far too great a social - success, he will never get a First."
0:07:38 > 0:07:39- Three years later...
0:07:39 > 0:07:44- ..Goronwy secured a First in - Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49- He shone amongst the brightest, - socially and academically.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53- Straight after graduating, - there was a clear indication...
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- ..that Oxford - had accepted Goronwy Rees.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- He was chosen to be - a fellow at All Souls College.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05- It's one of the greatest honours - Oxford University can grant.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11- In 1931, Goronwy Rees was the first - Welshman from a common school...
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- ..to receive that honour.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- It was rather unusual to go - straight from a degree course...
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- ..to be a fellow at All Souls.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24- His old school, Cardiff High, gave - the entire school half a day off.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- Goronwy Rees had mixed feelings.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- The establishment accepted him...
0:08:31 > 0:08:35- ..but he couldn't accept - being part of the establishment.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- He was paid well for two years, - had support for another five...
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- ..no work pressure - and plenty of privileges.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- In 1934, - there was one fateful night.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- It was the night - Goronwy Rees met Guy Burgess...
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- ..a man who would become renowned - for being a Russian spy.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04- At the time, he was Cambridge - University's brightest student.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- On a visit to Oxford - after a dinner...
0:09:07 > 0:09:11- ..both men returned to All Souls...
0:09:11 > 0:09:13- ..to smoke, drink and talk.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- For 20 years, they had a close - yet strange relationship...
0:09:18 > 0:09:22- ..which both strengthened - and destroyed that bond.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- The eventual consequence - of that first meeting...
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- ..would lead to the darkest period - of Goronwy Rees' life.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40- Years later, he said that Burgess - had been a great influence on him.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- He was great company, - a well-known homosexual...
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- ..a heavy drinker and a learned man, - from art to Communism.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50- Both shared the same ideas.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- Burgess was a Communist - and supported Russia.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- During the 1930s, - we know that Burgess told Rees...
0:10:06 > 0:10:13- ..that he and another man, - Anthony Blunt, were Russian spies.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- What's less clear - is Goronwy Rees' response.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21- Burgess has tried to get Rees - into bed with him...
0:10:21 > 0:10:23- ..and then turned him into a spy.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27- He refused the former, there are - serious doubts about the latter.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- If he had turned his back - on Wales...
0:10:32 > 0:10:36- ..Goronwy Rees also felt - that Oxford was too restrictive.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- Travelling had become popular.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41- Many students take gap years today.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45- The children of the privileged - in the '20s and '30s...
0:10:45 > 0:10:49- ..travelled around Europe - to countries such as Germany...
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- ..searching for opportunities, - experiences and places to write.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- The lost Welshman from Aberystwyth - joined them.
0:10:58 > 0:10:58- .
0:11:03 > 0:11:03- Subtitles
0:11:03 > 0:11:05- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- For young fashionable people - at the end of the '20s...
0:11:11 > 0:11:13- ..Germany was the place to be.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17- The Kaiser was gone and the - Weimar Republic had replaced him.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21- By the second half of the '20s, - it was a golden age for Germany.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- The economy flourished.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- Artists, musicians - and architects were prominent.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- Many thought - that this was the future.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32- Goronwy Rees - wanted to be part of it.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40- What's often forgotten - is the revolution in Germany...
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- ..the year after - the Russian Revolution.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- The November Revolution of 1918...
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- ..when the Kaiser abdicated - and a republic was established.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- This is the origin - of a republic in Germany.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- It was an exciting time.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- If he yearned for excitement - when he arrived in Germany...
0:12:02 > 0:12:08- ..instead of heading to Berlin, - he found himself in the rural east.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- He was surrounded - by a sea of corn fields.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Instead of meeting - revolutionary socialists...
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- ..he taught English - to the son of a wealthy family.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- A family - that believed in race, nation...
0:12:20 > 0:12:22- ..and the old Germanic way of life.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- He describes the barons - he meets in Silesia.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28- To him, it was a shock.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- He didn't expect Germans - to be like that.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- He expected them all - to be socialists.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- These people didn't believe - their country could have lost a war.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43- In the middle of the cornfields...
0:12:43 > 0:12:47- ..there was fertile land - for extremist ideas for the country.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- Goronwy's pupil - was a pleasant young man...
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- ..filled with hateful ideas.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57- I solved this contradiction - for myself by dismissing them...
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- ..as the imaginings - of a half-educated schoolboy.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- I never came to suspect that, - in various forms...
0:13:04 > 0:13:09- ..they were shared by thousands - of men and women all over Germany.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15- On his second visit to Germany, - Goronwy Rees reached Berlin.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21- This cinema building hasn't changed - since it was opened in 1929.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25- It gives us an idea - of what kind of city Berlin was...
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- ..when Goronwy visited - for the first time...
0:13:28 > 0:13:30- ..and why he wanted to come here.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35- The city of Marlene Dietrich, clubs, - cabaret and Bauhaus designers.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37- The city of sexual freedom...
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- ..which attracted - fashionable English authors...
0:13:41 > 0:13:42- ..and the young Oxford elite.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- After emerging from the shadows - of World War I...
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- ..and the financial difficulties - of its aftermath...
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- ..there was - a renewed sense of freedom here.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- Today, it has emerged - from the shadows...
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- ..of the wall that split the city...
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- ..and it attracts youngsters - from across Europe.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- Anwen Roberts has lived in Germany - for the past year.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13- I really enjoy living here - because of all the opportunities.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- It's an adventure too, of course.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- There's the creative world - and the fashion world.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- East Berlin attracts - the younger generation...
0:14:23 > 0:14:25- ..because it's cheaper - to live there.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- My friends - enjoy visiting those places.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31- There's a sense of freedom here.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35- On the way here, I saw a woman - in her 40s wearing next to nothing.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- She was wearing colourful stockings! - No-one batted an eyelid.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- You can live here with freedom...
0:14:43 > 0:14:47- ..but I'd say - it was a respectable freedom.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- You must respect - the freedom of others.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- Freedom was the buzz word - at the end of the 1920s.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04- Social and political freedom - was attractive...
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- ..to a socialist student in Oxford.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- There was a new, - exciting political world.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- Cultural trends were changing...
0:15:14 > 0:15:17- ..Jazz had been introduced - from America.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- Josephine Baker was performing - in a costume of feathers.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27- Imagine someone from Aberystwyth, - a student in Oxford...
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- ..who has very traditional - and conservative values...
0:15:32 > 0:15:37- ..reading in the newspaper about - a half-naked black woman performing.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39- It was attractive for youngsters.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49- Goronwy spent Easter 1932 travelling - through Germany and Austria.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- That summer, he returned to Germany.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56- Goronwy Rees came here - during the summer of 1932.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01- The small village of Wickersdorf, - up in the central German hills.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- He came here with his girlfriend.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- They both intended to write.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- At the time, a pioneering school - was situated here...
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- ..an early version - of the Steiner School.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18- They thought it would be a - suitable place to find inspiration.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- Many of the buildings - are still here...
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- ..but today it's a centre for people - with learning disabilities.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- The peace and tranquillity remain.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- It appeared that Goronwy Rees - would become an author.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- He published a novel, - The Summer Flood...
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- ..partly based on his own life.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- It discussed the love - of a man towards his cousin...
0:16:42 > 0:16:44- ..and included a gay character.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- He started writing - for The Guardian and The Spectator.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- A second novel was being written.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- Writing books is the only thing - I'm serious about...
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- ..and I think mine is good.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- The summer of 1932 - sounded almost idyllic.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- Goronwy Rees and his girlfriend - spent time walking in the woods.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- They were amazed at the beauty - of the countryside and the village.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- There were only two shadows.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- The bouts of depression - Goronwy endured...
0:17:17 > 0:17:22- ..and the dark political clouds - that gathered over Germany.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28- Part of the depression stemmed from - his mother's death a year earlier.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- She forgave him everything - and he adored her.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- He wrote in a letter to a friend...
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- ..that life was unbearable - without her.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- He was also worried about Germany.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- The Depression - shattered the Golden Age...
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- ..and extremists were benefitting.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50- Two new names became prominent - - Adolf Hitler and Nazism.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- Goronwy Rees visited Berlin - to see for himself.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- Hitler had an army - of 400,000 unofficial soldiers...
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- ..attacking - and even killing detractors...
0:18:01 > 0:18:03- ..especially Jews and socialists.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07- The Nazis were brutal - and unrelenting...
0:18:08 > 0:18:10- ..but many German people - welcomed them.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- During the chaos - that followed the Depression...
0:18:14 > 0:18:18- ..they offered law and order - and some popular policies.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23- Then came the election - on the final day of July 1932.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28- 14 million Germans - voted for the Nazi Party.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- It had more power - than any other party had ever had.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- The gloves were well and truly off.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41- How could a country - as open as Germany in the 1920s...
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- ..turn to someone like Hitler - within three or four years?
0:18:45 > 0:18:48- That's a difficult question - to answer.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- Of course, you could say,...
0:18:51 > 0:18:56- ..that we face similar times today.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02- What's gone wrong when someone - like Donald Trump assumes power?
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- At the beginning of the 1930s...
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- ..you had - the Great Depression in America.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- Germany relied on America - for financial aid.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- The German economy shrunk...
0:19:17 > 0:19:21- ..and a lot of people - were unemployed again.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- At that point, - you had the Nazi Party...
0:19:25 > 0:19:30- ..a right-wing party, being elected - to the Reichstag for the first time.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- That was a huge shock.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- You had a dictatorship - to all intents...
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- ..under the guise - of a republican government...
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- ..throughout the 1930s.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- You then had - the propaganda machine...
0:19:46 > 0:19:49- ..similar to what we see - with some people today.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- In 1934, Goronwy Rees - spent the winter in Berlin.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56- It was cold in many ways.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- Hitler's soldiers - controlled the streets.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06- Hundreds of thousands of people - were persecuted and imprisoned.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- The press - had been completely smothered.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- As a result, - people were apathetic...
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- ..and grateful to see - some sort of order.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- For Goronwy, - it was a city of ghosts.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- He saw both the ghosts of the past - and the ghosts of the future.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- Here what seems - a nightmare in London...
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- ..is the sober, everyday reality.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34- No mercy, no pity, no peace, neither - humanity, nor decency of kindness.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39- Only madness, shouted every day on - the wireless and in the newspapers.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41- 60 million people - proud to be governed...
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- ..by a gang of murderous animals.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49- During that winter in Berlin - in 1934...
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- ..Goronwy Rees undertook - secret political work.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58- He had a socialist friend at a time - when there were few socialists.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02- Goronwy helped him distribute - pamphlets and information...
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- ..to Hitler's opponents - across the city.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- Goronwy acknowledged that this - was a romantic undertaking...
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- ..but his friend - was risking his life.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19- Goronwy Rees realised that only - an outside force could stop Hitler.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- The Nazis had complete control - of the press and information.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26- People accepted their truth.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- In a Berlin rally, he heard Hitler - brainwashing the crowd...
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- ..creating unbearable tension, - playing on their fears...
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- ..and feeding their secret hopes.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- Who knows, if I had not been - inoculated in childhood...
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- ..against the tricks of oratory, - I might have succumbed myself.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- Goronwy was connected - to the two greatest movements...
0:21:51 > 0:21:55- ..that affected Europe and the world - during the 20th century.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- He saw the rise of Nazism in Germany - and it frightened him.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- Then came Communism.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- In Oxford, it was fashionable - to dabble in socialism.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10- During the 1930s, Goronwy - followed the ideology of Karl Marx.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- His relationship with Russia - was complex.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18- Like the spy, Guy Burgess, - he considered himself a socialist...
0:22:18 > 0:22:22- ..but he didn't agree - with everything the Communists did.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- However, he believed that Russia - could challenge the Nazis.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29- Enough to spy for them?
0:22:29 > 0:22:34- Whatever the answer, in 1939, - Russia signed a deal with Germany...
0:22:34 > 0:22:36- ..promising not to fight.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38- For Goronwy Rees, that was the end.
0:22:39 > 0:22:39- .
0:22:44 > 0:22:44- Subtitles
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:22:48 > 0:22:53- Goronwy Rees sensed the storms - of World War II approaching...
0:22:53 > 0:22:55- ..on seeing Hitler in Berlin.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- He'd hoped to see Russia - standing up to Nazism...
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- ..but was left disappointed.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- The pact between - Hitler and Stalin in 1939...
0:23:03 > 0:23:07- ..signalled the end - of Goronwy's flirtation with Russia.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- Any doubts about his attitude - were now forgotten.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17- After seeing Hitler in action, - he was ready to fight.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- Surprisingly for some - of his friends...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- ..months before the start - of World War II, he decided to act.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28- He joined the TAs, - the territorial army...
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- ..the voluntary reserve army.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- Goronwy Rees described - his division of the TAs as rabble.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42- It was an excuse for him - not to take it too seriously.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47- He gave the impression that it was a - surprise when he was commissioned...
0:23:47 > 0:23:52- ..to join the regular army as - an officer with the Welch Fusiliers.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56- He went to join the upper classes - at Sandhurst Military College.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03- In the army, Goronwy Rees - met 19-year-old Margie Morris.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- She drove a lorry - as part of the war effort.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10- She was different - to the privileged, academic girls...
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- ..he'd been with before.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16- His friends were wary - there was - an age gap and they were different.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- Everything happened so quickly.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- They were married in December 1940.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- The great womaniser later said this.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- It turned out to be - the happiest marriage...
0:24:28 > 0:24:30- ..one could possibly have had.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34- This place was cleared - relatively recently.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- It's a fort built 120 years ago - to protect London...
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- ..following tensions with France.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43- It was used during World War II.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- In the bowels of this hill, - there's a network of tunnels...
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- ..dug by South Wales miners
0:24:50 > 0:24:55- The tunnels lead to the war room - of General Montgomery...
0:24:56 > 0:24:59- ..and the mansion where he lived.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- The tunnels are now closed and - no-one's sure what's left behind.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- Like Goronwy's life, - there's a little mystery.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Montgomery was one - of the army's heads...
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- ..responsible for defending - South-east England.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Goronwy joined him - in Reigate, Surrey.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- He was chosen - because of his sharp mind.
0:25:23 > 0:25:30- This building, a hotel commandeered - by the army, housed the officers.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34- Goronwy had special duties - and worked closely with Montgomery.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39- Often, late at night, - he would meet Montgomery...
0:25:40 > 0:25:44- ..while he lay in his bed - in his flannelette pyjamas.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- Montgomery had chosen Goronwy - as his link...
0:25:47 > 0:25:51- ..between himself and the leaders - of the armed forces...
0:25:51 > 0:25:53- ..as they organised an attack...
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- ..that should have changed - the course of the war.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- They planned to attack a beach - in Northern France.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Goronwy had researched - maps and postcards...
0:26:06 > 0:26:11- ..anything available with - information about Dieppe, Normandy.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15- The aim was to capture the port - for a short time...
0:26:15 > 0:26:20- ..to show that Britain was serious - about fighting on mainland Europe.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- August 19, 1942, was the date.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- The day of Operation Jubilee.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- The ships sailed overnight.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36- The aim was to attack - at the break of dawn.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39- By then, - Goronwy Rees was a mere observer...
0:26:39 > 0:26:42- ..but he saw more than enough.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47- A strange, round object in the sea. - He realised it was a soldier's head.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51- He saw a look of surprise - on the face of a nearby soldier.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53- When he fell, he realised why.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57- A piece of metal had sliced his leg - clear above the knee.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- Then there was chaos on the beaches.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10- As much as one could see, the troops - had failed to clear the beaches...
0:27:10 > 0:27:13- ..the tanks - had not penetrated the town...
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- ..the men on the beaches - were exposed to a murderous fire.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- This is where the carnage happened.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26- Goronwy's ship was out - towards the west.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31- Every now and then, he glimpsed - the beach through the smoke.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35- He could see the landing vehicles - lying here in pieces.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39- He could see the large tanks - stuck in the gravel...
0:27:39 > 0:27:43- ..but from his viewpoint, he - couldn't see the hundreds of bodies.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47- He later saw - some of the soldiers who survived.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- I thought this is what - a beaten army looks like.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56- No army is beaten until it loses - faith in those who command it.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- These men had, at that moment...
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- ..and it would be a long time - before they recovered it again.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06- Without a need - to shoot skywards beforehand...
0:28:07 > 0:28:11- ..the German guns - were all in place, fully loaded.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16- They targeted the boats and soldiers - as they reached the beach.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- 1,179 soldiers were killed - within a few hours...
0:28:21 > 0:28:25- ..an expensive price to pay - for learning a few lessons.
0:28:25 > 0:28:31- According to some historians, - it did change the course of the war.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36- It delayed the D-Day landings - for another two years.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41- By then, Goronwy Rees was in London - working for the secret service.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43- He enjoyed the company - of old friends...
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- ..especially Guy Burgess - who worked in the Foreign Office.
0:28:47 > 0:28:52- He says that nights in Burgess' flat - were like a French farce.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55- A tide of men, - from soldiers to civil servants...
0:28:56 > 0:29:00- ..going in and out of bedrooms - before sharing political secrets.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03- I felt like a tired businessman...
0:29:03 > 0:29:07- ..who had taken an evening off - to visit a strip-tease club.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10- He returned to Germany - after the war...
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- ..to an area - controlled by the British army.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- He was then a Lieutenant Colonel...
0:29:17 > 0:29:22- ..part of the team sharing political - information with General Montgomery.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24- It was a similar situation...
0:29:24 > 0:29:28- ..to the end of the recent - Afghanistan or Iraq conflicts.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31- A new order - needed to be established.
0:29:31 > 0:29:36- Goronwy's work was to understand - the situation and offer ideas...
0:29:36 > 0:29:40- ..but he was granted complete peace - for a week and a life of luxury.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43- The British army had a base here...
0:29:44 > 0:29:47- ..the quiet spa town - of Baden Oeynhausen.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50- It hadn't been affected by the war.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55- As Goronwy stated, it was like - stationing an army in Llandrindod.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59- At the end of World War I, - Germany was split into four...
0:29:59 > 0:30:02- ..under the control - of different countries.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05- Britain was responsible - for North-west Germany.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- Within two months - of the end of the war...
0:30:08 > 0:30:11- ..Goronwy Rees - was sent to gather information.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15- I began to understand - the man who said...
0:30:16 > 0:30:18- ..that war may be hell - but defeat is worse.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23- Goronwy Rees - travelled from place to place...
0:30:23 > 0:30:27- ..talking to army officers - to determine how the wind blew.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- In one place, he was given a list.
0:30:30 > 0:30:35- Farmers' concerns about their crops - and people's concerns about food.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39- The biggest problem - was the scattered population...
0:30:39 > 0:30:44- ..and the thousands of slaves the - Nazis had forced to work for them.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47- They were now - wandering around the country...
0:30:47 > 0:30:51- ..without feeling - a responsibility for anything.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54- Germans also had their problems.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59- Goronwy Rees saw British soldiers - helping people...
0:30:59 > 0:31:02- ..they were trying to kill - a few weeks earlier.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04- The journey around Germany...
0:31:05 > 0:31:08- ..began to feel - like an unpleasant fairy-tale.
0:31:08 > 0:31:13- Goronwy turned to Welsh mythology - to try and describe the experience.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- It was similar - to one of the Mabinogi tales.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21- Pryderi and Manawydan wandering - around without seeing people...
0:31:21 > 0:31:26- ..animals or smoke rising from - chimneys and every house empty.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36- These buildings are rare.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- They are old buildings - in the centre of Dortmund.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- If parts of rural Germany - were quiet...
0:31:43 > 0:31:47- ..the situation in - industrial areas was very different.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51- Dortmund is in the middle of - the Ruhr, the old coalmining area.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54- It drove the German economy - before World War II.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59- When Goronwy Rees arrived here, 90% - of the city centre was destroyed.
0:31:59 > 0:32:04- It was a horrific example - of what aerial bombing could do...
0:32:04 > 0:32:09- ..but he saw people returning to - the ruins to search for their homes.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- Some opened shops - in old stores and cellars.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18- It was a small sign of how quickly - Germany would return to its feet.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23- One of the final stops - on the journey was Hamburg.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27- This is a huge military bunker, - built by the Germans...
0:32:27 > 0:32:29- ..and captured by British soldiers.
0:32:29 > 0:32:34- There were more. Radio Hamburg - was located in one of them.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38- The station broadcasted - British propaganda across the area.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41- When Goronwy arrived, - that was the problem.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44- There was only propaganda.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47- He saw a need for music - to entertain the people.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51- He also wanted to see more - newspapers and less censorship.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55- He understood the need - to satisfy German minds...
0:32:55 > 0:32:57- ..and let them know - what was happening.
0:33:00 > 0:33:05- The radio station Goronwy saw is - now the area's broadcasting centre.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11- One TV correspondent is grateful for - the role of British broadcasters.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- They set up a new broadcasting - system in Germany...
0:33:15 > 0:33:17- ..that exists still today.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19- It's very, very good actually.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22- We're grateful for that in Germany.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26- ARD, the company I am working for, - is completely federalistic.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30- There is no main headquarter - but every Bundesland...
0:33:30 > 0:33:34- ..every regional state, has its - own branch of that kind of BBC.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- It was the model - after which it was shaped.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40- That means that politicians - and political parties...
0:33:41 > 0:33:42- ..cannot easily influence us.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47- Goronwy Rees had seen - Hitler's control of the media.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51- Today, no leader of a party can - control them to spread propaganda.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56- Memories of Nazism influence - many facets of German life.
0:33:56 > 0:34:01- The whole attitude towards Europe - has been mainly influenced...
0:34:01 > 0:34:05- ..by the German experience of what - we did, or they did, or we did...
0:34:06 > 0:34:07- ..in the Second World War.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- I mean, the way people, - especially in West Germany...
0:34:11 > 0:34:15- ..were taught at school, like me, - about rise of the Fascism...
0:34:16 > 0:34:20- ..and how it could happen and why - it should never happen again...
0:34:20 > 0:34:25- ..has influenced the attitude - of German politicians since '45.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29- In terms of the people, - the part of the population...
0:34:29 > 0:34:35- ..that believed in Hitler - realised what war was.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39- Groessenwahn is the German - word we use.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44- The desire to control the world - - what had it done to their country?
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- If the 1930s remain a shadow - over Germany...
0:34:50 > 0:34:54- ..they would also return - to haunt Goronwy Rees.
0:34:57 > 0:34:57- .
0:35:04 > 0:35:04- Subtitles
0:35:04 > 0:35:06- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:35:10 > 0:35:12- Straight after World War II...
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- ..Goronwy travelled - across one part of Germany...
0:35:16 > 0:35:19- ..recounting the destruction - and new life.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23- He was part of the army's - information service.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- At the age of 36, - married with two daughters...
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- ..his time as a soldier - came to an end.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34- Soon, he was back in England...
0:35:35 > 0:35:37- ..starting a new life.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40- Some writing and then two jobs.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- One helping a friend run a company - called Pontifex...
0:35:43 > 0:35:46- ..and another - working for the secret service...
0:35:47 > 0:35:49- ..keeping an eye - on Germany and Russia.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- Pontifex in the morning, - MI6 in the afternoon.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58- Goronwy's manager in Pontifex - was once asked...
0:35:58 > 0:36:00- ..why he'd been given the work.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04- The answer - he had a bigger brain - than anyone else...
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- ..and to hide his real job, - working for MI6.
0:36:07 > 0:36:12- He spoke German fluently and - collected information about Germany.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17- He assessed reports from spies - and collected information on Russia.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20- In 1951, that role came to an end.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23- He took up a post at his - old college, All Souls, Oxford.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27- Bursar was the title, - responsible for the upkeep...
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- ..of the land and farms - of the establishment...
0:36:31 > 0:36:35- ..but there was no escaping - Russia and Guy Burgess.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38- In 1951, Burgess disappeared.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42- The friend who admitted - he was spying for Russia...
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- ..and had asked Goronwy to join him.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- Burgess was godfather - to one of Goronwy's children.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- They also named the cat Burgess.
0:36:51 > 0:36:56- Burgess' final phone call before - disappearing was to his old friend.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01- Much of Rees' story revolves around - his relationship with Burgess.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- They enjoyed each other's company.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07- They drank together - and shared secrets.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11- In the '30s, Goronwy Rees - knew that Guy Burgess...
0:37:11 > 0:37:16- ..and a far more respectable man - named Anthony Blunt...
0:37:16 > 0:37:19- ..were spies working for Russia.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21- However, he told no-one.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24- Later, - he tried to explain his actions.
0:37:24 > 0:37:30- Unless one was absolutely sure, - friendship counted for more.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35- You couldn't betray a friend except - on the ground of absolute certainty.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40- If I had been absolutely certain, - I think I would have had no doubt.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42- Since I was not certain, I didn't.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49- Then again, - according to Goronwy Rees...
0:37:49 > 0:37:52- ..when Burgess disappeared - in 1951...
0:37:52 > 0:37:56- ..he told MI5 that Burgess and Blunt - were both Russian spies.
0:37:56 > 0:38:01- He was interviewed by MI5 - but nothing came of it.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03- The shadow remained.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10- He was successful - back at work in Oxford.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15- As a result, he came to the - attention of Aberystwyth University.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17- They were searching - for a new principal.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- He received a letter inviting him - to apply for the role...
0:38:22 > 0:38:26- ..an opportunity to return to - the lost paradise of his childhood.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30- Of all the mistakes he made, - the greatest was returning here.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35- This is Penglais mansion, - home of the university's principal.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39- He took up the role in 1953, - but why?
0:38:39 > 0:38:42- He says he wanted to give - something back to Wales.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44- Did he feel a sense of guilt?
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- Was he trying to reconnect - with that lost paradise?
0:38:48 > 0:38:50- It would turn into a disappointment.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55- Even though he returned home, in - many ways, he felt like a stranger.
0:38:55 > 0:39:00- If I had had any sense, I would - have realised that such letters...
0:39:00 > 0:39:03- ..particularly - if they come from Wales...
0:39:03 > 0:39:06- ..are never quite what they seem.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09- He was different - to the established model...
0:39:09 > 0:39:13- ..of what you'd expect - the Aberystwyth principal to be.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15- He was popular with students.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19- There was a lot - of deadwood in Aberystwyth...
0:39:19 > 0:39:22- ..and he felt it was time - to move them on.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- There was disagreement - about the college's purpose.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35- Rees wanted a place - where students...
0:39:35 > 0:39:38- ..could discuss ideas - and understand the world.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44- For others, the college's role was - to safeguard the Welsh language...
0:39:45 > 0:39:48- ..and the moral standards - of students.
0:39:48 > 0:39:54- Soon, Goronwy Rees felt stifled, by - the town and the old establishment.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- His wife was even less happy.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- She felt isolated, - she couldn't understand Welsh...
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- ..she couldn't understand the people - and many didn't like her.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11- Now a mother to five children, - Margie detested their home.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17- At the time, it was covered in grey - cement, the interior was lifeless.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27- For Goronwy Rees, - his enemies in Aberystwyth...
0:40:27 > 0:40:30- ..were Welsh nationalists - and chapelgoers.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35- They were too narrow-minded for him - and they were critical of him.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40- He'd promised to start - speaking Welsh again but didn't.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44- He became friends with students - while still acting as the principal.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47- He drank - in the Belle Vue Royal Hotel.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49- He wrote about homosexuality.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52- On top of everything, - he wore white socks!
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- I remember more than once...
0:40:59 > 0:41:02- ..he would chair public lectures.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05- He did so with such brilliance.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10- I remember when Douglas Jay, - his old friend, visited him.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13- A grand dinner was arranged - at the mansion.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15- I was a student at the time.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19- As a distant cousin, - he invited me to join them.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23- It was a wonderful evening.
0:41:23 > 0:41:28- I walked down and heard his voice - thundering all around.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- "I've got 32 professors - in this place.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- "Do you know, half the buggers - dead from the neck up."
0:41:34 > 0:41:38- I told myself, "Dear me, - I know what I'll be discussing...
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- .."tomorrow morning - in the senior common room."
0:41:41 > 0:41:43- He could be impudent at times.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47- Then the dramatic event.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- The spark was Guy Burgess once more.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53- In 1956, five years - after his disappearance...
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- ..he reappeared in Moscow.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Everyone now knew that he was a spy.
0:41:59 > 0:42:00- How many more were there?
0:42:01 > 0:42:05- How many would be in danger - if Guy Burgess spoke out?
0:42:05 > 0:42:09- Anthony Blunt, certainly, - and maybe Goronwy Rees.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13- The principal of Aberystwyth - University struck first...
0:42:13 > 0:42:15- ..to undermine his old friend.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19- What put the kybosh on things - were anonymous letters...
0:42:20 > 0:42:23- ..that appeared - in The People Sunday newspaper.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- Everyone knew - that Goronwy Rees was the author.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32- He'd been writing memoirs - about Guy Burgess...
0:42:33 > 0:42:36- ..showing how close they were - and how much he knew.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- Rees wanted to expose Burgess - as an unscrupulous liar.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44- Was money the motivation - for publishing the articles?
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- He was paid 2,700 for the stories.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- Or was he trying to protect himself?
0:42:50 > 0:42:54- Attacking Burgess in case he exposed - Goronwy Rees' role in the 1930s.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00- His biggest mistake was giving the - information to a tabloid newspaper.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04- He angered his Oxford friends for - betraying one of the selected few.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08- He also gave his enemies - in Aberystwyth a target.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- Goronwy's explanation - was that he wanted to defend...
0:43:13 > 0:43:16- ..the safety of the British Isles.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19- Because I felt I knew - a great deal about this case...
0:43:19 > 0:43:23- ..and I thought the security - services themselves...
0:43:23 > 0:43:27- ..had handled the case - extremely incompetently...
0:43:27 > 0:43:30- ..that had not pursued - their inquiries far enough...
0:43:30 > 0:43:34- ..and I was determined that - I should put it down on paper...
0:43:35 > 0:43:37- ..so that everybody could read.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40- The 'everybody' included - the university's authorities.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44- University President - Sir David Hughes Parry claimed....
0:43:45 > 0:43:49- ..that Rees offered his resignation - but Rees denied this.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52- After some debate on whether Rees - had offered to resign...
0:43:53 > 0:43:56- ..there was an inquiry - at the request of 12 professors.
0:43:56 > 0:44:02- Years later, Rees felt the inquiry - was a way to get rid of him...
0:44:02 > 0:44:06- ..not for the Burgess affair - but for three other sins.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10- One that you are a Communist, - two that you are homosexual...
0:44:10 > 0:44:15- ..and three that you gave the - undergraduates a glass of sherry.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17- I never knew - which was the worst crime.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20- But you only plead - guilty to the third?
0:44:21 > 0:44:23- Within eight months, the report.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27- There was nothing untoward - about Goronwy Rees' work...
0:44:27 > 0:44:31- ..but the articles in The People - were lewd and scandalous.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35- He'd put his interests - before those of the university.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39- Many students supported him - but he had no option but to resign.
0:44:39 > 0:44:45- At the age of 45, he had - five children but no job or home.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54- He left Aberystwyth - under that cloud.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57- It's such a pity - in so many respects.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01- He was so different, - so lively, so impudent.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04- He was a man ahead of his time.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08- The Welsh establishment - wasn't ready for Goronwy Rees.
0:45:08 > 0:45:13- Whether he was the third, fourth, - fifth or sixth spy, I don't know.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- A magazine called Encounter - was his salvation.
0:45:18 > 0:45:23- It supported America - and was highly critical of Russia.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27- He wrote columns - on international political subjects.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31- It was an opportunity - to show his writing talent.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35- I must say, - he wrote the most brilliant prose.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38- ..that I ever read.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43- It appealed to me - because he wrote about my nation...
0:45:43 > 0:45:46- ..in the most brilliant - and attractive way.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50- The way he wrote - about wheat in the sunshine.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54- Or the way he wrote - about the excitement of Berlin.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59- He wrote about things I understood - in a new, brilliant way.
0:46:03 > 0:46:08- In a room filled with portraits of - Aberystwyth University's greatest...
0:46:08 > 0:46:11- ..there is no portrait - of Goronwy Rees.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13- Every former principal is there.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18- This plaque was included - after pressure from his family.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20- Aberystwyth hasn't forgiven him.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24- Goronwy Rees did get some revenge.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28- On his deathbed, at the age of 70, - he watched a TV news item.
0:46:28 > 0:46:33- Margaret Thatcher was announcing - to the House of Commons...
0:46:33 > 0:46:37- ..that Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess' - friend, was a Russian spy.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40- The government had known since 1964.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44- Goronwy Rees celebrated - with a bottle of champagne...
0:46:44 > 0:46:47- ..and the words, - "Got you, you swine."
0:46:49 > 0:46:52- It's got you, Goronwy, now.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56- In 1999, it became clear that - Russia had a file on Goronwy Rees...
0:46:57 > 0:47:00- ..and that he had two codenames, - Gross and Fleet.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03- Many had their suspicions, - now they knew.
0:47:03 > 0:47:08- For a short period of time, Rees - had shared information with Russia.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11- They weren't major secrets, - just information...
0:47:12 > 0:47:16- ..about the views of the British - cognoscenti at All Souls, Oxford.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21- Goronwy Rees' life raises - many interesting questions.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24- I want to know - how much spying did he do and why?
0:47:25 > 0:47:29- And what was his relationship - with the Welsh language and culture?
0:47:30 > 0:47:32- He travelled extensively.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36- He left Aberystwyth - halfway through his childhood.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41- Later, he turned his back on - everything Aberystwyth represented.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- I'd like to think that maybe, - just maybe...
0:47:45 > 0:47:49- ..he was playing a kind - of double agent with his own soul.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21- S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.
0:48:21 > 0:48:21- .