It may reasonably be assumed that the "important official" was a man named Peter Smollett, who was later unmasked as a Soviet agent.
ɪt mˈeɪ ɹˈiːzənəbli biː ɐsˈuːmd ðætðə "ɪmpˈoːɹtənt əfˈɪʃəl" wʌzɐ mˈæn nˈeɪmd pˈiːɾɚ smˈɑːlɪt, hˌuː wʌz lˈeɪɾɚɹ ʌnmˈæskt æz ɐ sˈoʊviət ˈeɪdʒənt.