Questions about “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

I read this book back in 1986, and there are still things I’m trying to figure out about it. As it was, I had to read it twice to figure out who killed the mole. I’ve been watching the miniseries (with Alec Guinness) before I watch the recent movie, and watching it reminds me that I’ve never figured out this business about Ricki Tarr’s passports. He goes to Hong Kong with an Australian passport but with two Swiss passports hidden away in his luggage. After his adventures in Hong Kong, he thinks the Russians are on his trail, so he flees to Kuala Lumpur and throws away the Australian passport.

He then has a British passport made for him in the name of Poole, as well as two others, one for his girl friend and one for their daughter. After a few months hiding with them in Malaysia, he learns that a Frenchman is looking for him under the name of Poole, claiming Tarr owes him money. Since he doesn’t owe anyone any money, he assumes this is really a Russian agent, so he hightails it out of there and eventually reaches England.

Meanwhile, he has made two travel arrangements for his girl friend and daughter, an earlier one using the Swiss passports, which they actually use, and a later one meant to fool the Russians using the name of Poole. This is designed to protect them from the Russians.

So here are my questions.

1. Who made the three passports in the name of Poole? Tarr says, “I had them run me up a British.” Is this supposed to mean it was done by the Circus’s office in Malaysia, or was it done by an individual? Since Tarr fears not only the Russians, but worries about his own people, it doesn’t seem very likely that he would get it from the Circus, and they wouldn’t be likely to give it because they think he’s a defector. So, that suggests it was done by a lone individual, a forger. And Smiley a little later refers to “the man who faked this passport.” That makes it seem that it was some lone forger who did it. Likewise, Guillam thinks Tarr had it forged because he had suggested that Tarr used the Swiss passports to trade for the British ones.

2. In that case, how did the “Frenchman” find out about Poole? This is Smiley’s question, and Tarr never answers it. Assuming it was a lone forger, it seems awfully strange that anyone might ever happen upon the right forger or even know that Tarr had used a forger or that he was still in Malaysia.

3. How did the Russians learn what they knew? We know from Guillam’s forced meeting with Alleline that they knew
a.  what Tarr's daughter looked like,
b. that she and her mother were supposed to be arriving in London,
c. that they were supposed to meet with Guillam if they couldn’t meet with Tarr himself.
And none of this is supposed to be ordinary flight information. So, where did it come from?

At this site, it appears that I’m not alone in asking questions. One person suggests that Tarr made some very open arrangements for his girl friend and daughter using the Poole passports, knowing that the Russians would learn about them. But that still leaves a couple questions. First, why would Tarr tell them to meet up with Guillam if they couldn’t find him? There was no reason for him to do this. Second, how did the “Frenchman” learn about the Poole passports in the first place?

Anyone?

Comments

[J. Reed Anderson]

I just read the book again a couple of weeks ago, John, (third time) and finally figured out who killed Bill Haydon, which oddly enough, gets no mention in "Honorable Schoolboy." Anyway, I've assumed lone forger, and if he was known to Poole/Tarr, was also known to every other spy agency, including the Ruskies, as so just went fishing in the same waters Poole/Tarr was fishing.

[John Pepple]

That makes sense about the forger, though I still don't see what the point is of (c). Who is he supposed to have said that to, except to his girl friend? And they both knew that she wasn't even going to England. Is he supposed to have said it to her in front of the forger or a travel agent?

I'm glad someone else was puzzled about who murdered Bill Haydon.

[J. Reed Anderson]

See, I thought I was just stupid about Haydon's killer. That you were confused gives me hope for my intellect.

[John Pepple]

I like his plots, but not his style. Neither of us should have had to re-read the book to figure out who the killer was. Sheesh.

[Pete M]

There are plenty of pointers to Haydon's killer. His neck broken just as Jim Prideaux broke the owl's neck at Thursgoods. References to squash rackets suggesting the identity of the mystery tail. and there's a clear motive - betrayal, of course, in several dimensions.

But I don't get the passports either! I favor the explanation that Tarragon deliberately used his wife and child as a decoy. His guilt would then exain his reaction...

[John Pepple]

I agree about the pointers. I just didn't pick up on them till I read it the second time.