The Company

I was very recently acquainted about a series by a good friend of mine. It had been aired on television at the dawn of the century and was called – The Company.

The beginning scene of the series is set a after the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War between the East and the West. It reflects the ideology that the East and the West wanted to improvise on “for the greater generosity of the human kind”. The East believed in Communism while the West sought after Capitalism. Both the terms are over in my head because I am not a fan of politics. Yes I did have classed on the Indian Constitution as recent as the third semester of my college but I never believed a word of it. I have my own reasons, everyone has theirs. My reason is plain and simple. The ethics of Constitution that our country is based on is never followed – partially or completely.

The ninety minutes long three episode series explored the art of intelligence and counter intelligence in the maples of CIA’s and KGB’s secret agents and double agents, informants and mis-informants, defectors and traitors, torture etc. It also reflects the various military coalitions with Israeli’s Intelligence Unit, Hungarian AVH, Cuban Rebels and lastly Humanity and Friendship. It walks us through the various propagandas, espionages, weapons development, industrial advances, and competitive technological development during the period. The story revolves around attempts of the Allied to decipher the identity of a mole in the British MI 6 and the American CIA. A mole, who impeccably perfected his covert disguise that it took the Allied 40 odd years to find out the true identity of the mole. “SASHA” was the codename.

The Cold War as I make of it was not fought for provincial gain like the Wars earlier but for the blossom of a belief that two nations believed in. It is a shame for humanity that those two countries were on the opposite sides on the battle front. I personally do not know the meaning of Democracy or Socialism or Communism or Capitalism and all that. But as the CIA chief who retired, mentioned at the end of the war “There was right and there was wrong. Like white and black.”

The agent who was with him retorted – “Whose side were we on again?”

The Chief replied – “We won the war, didn’t we.”

I would also like to add what most of us forget and cannot appreciate – the free world we live in. The world in the 60’s and 70’s lived in a constant fear as the night drew close especially in the Soviet Union. For it would be in the darkness of the night that a father will be separated from his daughter and a mother from her son. The reason as ridiculous as they not being fit any more to raise their children. People would be landed in concentration camps and prisons without being tried. But the most dreadful fear was when a small spark from a wrong move could send the world to the wrath of a vapours and a mushroom. For two decades people lived in such fear. I am not implying that we do not stand a nuclear exchange at this century but we certainly don’t live in that fear.

Hence I would like to dedicate this post to all the agents of all the intelligence agencies all over the world who were killed or executed on the front line. Hats off to their bravery and commitment to the country. The defectors would also have their share for it is not easy to betray a country. A purely situational gun shot that comes as an occupational hazard. Also I would like to thank the producers of the show.