Red Knight, White Knight

Meres and the secretary are discussing the new Hunter. When he arrives he turns out to be a rather formal, precise, even irritable man. His first move is to discuss staff with Meres, who asks him to see Callan. Reluctantly, Hunter agrees, and Callan is sent for from the firing range.

Callan is immediately insolent to the new head of department, surprised as he is not to see the old familiar face of the Colonel. It soon becomes apparent that this Hunter would rather Callan be working from inside the Section, and that Callan really has no choice in the matter. Callan’s first job will be to determine whether an imminently arriving defector, Bunin (Duncan Lamont), is defecting for the reasons he says he is.

Hunter, Meres and Callan go to the airport to meet Bunin, who they spirit away for interrogation. Lonely has been asked by Callan to follow anyone who comes in with Bunin. He spots another Russian, Goncharov (George Ghent), and follows him. Bunin is taken to the Section’s safe house in the country where he drops his bombshell: he is a fake! He goes on to explain that although he wants to defect, an even more important Russian, Mirsky, also wants to come over, but will only do so if he is allowed to defect to the top British agent in Russia.

When alone, Callan confesses to Bunin that he doesn’t believe his story, but Bunin goes on to tell Callan that in terms of chess, the two of them are Knights, where as Hunter is a Queen. Mirsky, he says, is certainly a Queen, and they can’t take the chance of not letting him defect.

The following day, a press conference is arranged for Bunin, to which Goncharov goes. Callan learns this from Lonely, then reports to Hunter who orders him to pick up Goncharov. After the press conference, Bunin is sent back to the country with trainee agent Truman (Douglas Fielding). En route, Bunin kills Truman.

Hanson returns with information that what Bunin has told them is false, and when nothing is heard from Truman within the allotted time, Meres makes the journey to the safe house, finding Truman’s body on the way. It is now clear to Hunter that to get Bunin, he will have to become the bait, much to Callan’s objections, and he arranges to go back up to the country.

A tense night passes without incident, but as Hunter is about to get into his car to return to London, Callan spots the chauffeur drawing a gun. It is Bunin, who Callan swiftly dispatches with several rounds from his own gun.