Melita Norwood was recruited by Soviet intelligence in 1937 while working as a secretary at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association.
In 1937, Melita Norwood was recruited as an agent for Soviet intelligence, the NKVD (forerunner of the KGB), and given the codename "Hola." At the time she worked as a secretary at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association (BNFMRA), a position that granted her access to secret and sensitive government-related scientific research.
Her recruitment came through her connections in Communist Party circles, and her ideological commitment to the Soviet cause made her a willing and dedicated asset. Unlike agents motivated by money, Norwood insisted throughout her life she acted purely out of political conviction, believing she was helping to defend the Soviet Union and, in her view, thereby prevent global conflict and support the working class.
This recruitment set in motion what would become the longest-serving espionage career of any British-based Soviet spy, lasting until 1972 — nearly four decades. Her unassuming position as a secretary allowed her to escape suspicion for most of her working life, and her later work would provide the Soviet Union with details relevant to the atomic bomb program, making her one of the most consequential British spies of the Cold War era.