Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (TV Mini Series)

Flushing Out the Mole (1979)

Anthony Bate: Sir Oliver Lacon

Quotes 

• Oliver Lacon : I suppose your wife will have to be among them. I know you told me she and Haydon are over and done with now, as you said. There's always the unknown factor in matters of the heart. I'm thinking about the future - any possible further contact - and if Ann doesn't know - she does meet so many different sorts of people.

  George Smiley : [smiles]  She gets around.

  Oliver Lacon : I'm sorry, George.

  George Smiley : Not at all, I quite take your point. Ann must let us know of any approach directly or indirectly made by or on behalf of...

  Oliver Lacon : Exactly.

  George Smiley : ...or even merely concerning Bill Haydon.

  Oliver Lacon : Thank you.

  [Smiley looks at Ann's painting] 

  George Smiley : I was going to tell her anyway. You might call it balancing the books.

• Oliver Lacon : You know, George, one thing perplexes me more than anything else about the mole conspiracy: well, Karla conceived Operation Witchcraft primarily as a means of placing poor Percy Alleline on Control's throne. But why didn't Karla want Haydon to simply take over the Circus himself? Well, surely it would have been much easier to arrange, with all of Bill's acknowledged accomplishments.

  [cut to Haydon and Smiley walking the grounds of the detention camp] 

  Bill Haydon : No, no. It was a perfect setup: Percy made the running, I slipstreamed behind him, Roy and Toby did the legwork. Being in charge would have bogged me down. All the admin, the dinners in Whitehall, hobnobbing with the set...

  George Smiley : Never happened to Control.

  Bill Haydon : A natural recluse, Control. I couldn't have behaved that way and gotten away with it. Much better for me to remain the freewheeling subordinate, the laughing cavalier. No, no, George, Karla and I agreed: I'd have been wasted as Chief. Could have done it, of course.

  George Smiley : Of course.

• [after the tape is played revealing Haydon's treachery] 

  Toby Esterhase : Well, that's that. Congratulations, George.

  Oliver Lacon : Next step, gentlemen?

  George Smiley : Would you agree with me, Percy, that our best course of action is to make some positive use of Bill Haydon? We need to salvage what's left of the networks he's betrayed.

  Percy Alleline : [weakly]  Yes...

  George Smiley : We sell Haydon to Moscow Centre for as many of our men in the field as can be saved - for humanitarian reasons. Professionally, of course, they're finished.

  Percy Alleline : Quite.

  George Smiley : Then the sooner you open negotiations with Karla, the better. Well, you're much better placed to talk terms than I am. Polyakov remains your direct link with Karla.

  Oliver Lacon : The only difference is, this time you know it! It's definitely your job, Percy. You're still Chief, officially... for the moment.

  Percy Alleline : Very well, George.

• Oliver Lacon : Would the Russians kill Haydon?

  Percy Alleline : It gives Karla all the reason he needs to cancel the deal with our networks.

  Roy Bland : But Moscow Centre prides itself on getting its people back.

  George Smiley : Important point, Roy.

  Oliver Lacon : Well, WHO then?