The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1963 Cold War spy novel by the British author John le Carré. Alec Leamas is a British agent. He is sent to East Germany as a part of trick to spread lies and confusion about a powerful East German spy. In 1965 Martin Ritt directed the movie of the novel, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", with Richard Burton as Leamas.