Kim Philby, a spy among friends
He was a brilliant and dashing Englishman whose charm, sartorial style and never-ending sense of bonhomie bewitched scores of friends, lovers and colleagues. And, he was the most notorious spy of the 20th century. ...
He was a brilliant and dashing Englishman whose charm, sartorial style and never-ending sense of bonhomie bewitched scores of friends, lovers and colleagues.
And, he was the most notorious spy of the 20th century.
Kim Philby worked for the British secret service. During the Cold War he led MI6 counter-intelligence against the Soviet Union. Unbeknown to those around him, he was also working as a double agent for the Kremlin.
His secret life began while he was at university, where he was recruited as one of the Cambridge Five. These were school chums who would insinuate themselves into influential positions in Great Britain and the United States, while spying on both.
Kim Philby's worshippers were legion, but he was actually an enigma, unknowable to colleagues, friends and wives.
When he was exposed, it came as a shock to two men in particular - Nicholas Elliott, an Englishman; and James Jesus Angleton, an American - fellow spies whose trust and friendship he exploited and eventually betrayed.
This spectacular relationship between friends is the subject of a new book by British writer Ben Macintyre.
A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal takes a turn at decoding and demystifying the ties that bound these men.
Ben Macintyre is a writer-at-large for The Times of London. He has made three BBC documentaries about wartime espionage and his many books include Double Cross, Operation Mincemeat and Agent Zigzag.