The Petrov Affair – a Queensland link
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25 June 2017
11:00am – 12:30pm
Police Headquarters
200 Roma Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
FREE ENTRY
The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy incident in Australia in April 1954, concerning Vladimir Petrov, Third Secretary of the Soviet embassy in Canberra and his wife Evdokia. It would be the one of the most important defections in the west during the Cold War.
Greg Cope, Assistant Director of the Queensland Office of National Archives of Australia is the guest speaker for the Police Museum Sunday Lecture on June 25.
Greg will outline the Petrov Affair from the beginning of their arrival in Australia in February 1951 to what happened to them after the defection. Now, after all this time the whole story can be revealed with the release of documents in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States.
The Petrov affair is entangled in politics, elections, referendums and a Royal Commission. The photographs of the Russian body guards dragging Evdokia onto a plane at Mascot airport would become the most famous media images in Australia in the 20th Century.
During his presentation, Greg will outline what the Petrovs did in Queensland which would almost reveal their identity and location to the KGB. They were wanted by the KGB for over 20 years. It would be the Queensland Police who would identify Vladimir and would have to manage the situation. Greg will also discuss their life in Australia after defection, up to the time of their deaths.
The one-and-a-half hour presentation will begin at 11am on Sunday, June 25 and will provide educational and up-to-date content suitable for all audiences.
The Museum opens its doors to the public on the last Sunday of each month from 10am to 3pm from February to November in addition to the standard Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm opening hours. Monthly Sunday openings feature guest speakers from across the historical and crime-solving spectrums.
PLEASE NOTE: The Police Museum will open on Sunday June 25
from 10am to 3pm, and is located on the ground floor of
Police Headquarters, 200 Roma Street, Brisbane.