Kim Philby: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal

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Description

This is the account of Kim Philby that MI6 didn't want you to read.

Kim Philby, the so-called Third Man in the Cambridge spy ring, was one of the Cold War's most infamous traitors. He was a Soviet spy at the heart of British intelligence, joining Britain's secret service, MI6, during the war, rising to become head of the section tasked with rooting out Russian spies and then head of liaison with the CIA. Philby betrayed hundreds of British and US agents to the Russians and compromised numerous operations inside the Soviet Union. Protected by friends within MI6 who could not believe the service's rising star was a traitor, he was eventually dismissed in 1951, but continued to work for the service surreptitiously until his defection in 1963. His admission of guilt caused profound embarrassment to the British government of the day and its intelligence service, from which neither fully recovered. Tim Milne, Philby's close friend since childhood and recruited by him into MI6 to be his deputy, has left us a memoir that provides the final and most authoritative word on the enduring and fascinating story of Kim Philby the legendary Soviet master spy.

Reviews

'Elegant and rich in detail, it provides intriguing glimpses of the man who would become the 20th century's most notorious British spy and traitor.' Mail on Sunday 'Explains one of the most enduring mysteries surrounding the notorious Soviet spy.' The Guardian 'Milne's account of Philby is full of delightful trivia, but there is personal insight too.' The Independent

Author Bio

Ian Innes 'Tim' Milne CMG OBE, nephew of Winnie the Pooh writer A.A. Milne, retired from SIS in October 1968 and never spoke publicly of his friendship with Kim Philby. He later wrote a full and frank account of his association, which was accepted for publication. When he submitted it to MI6 for approval, he was told that not a word of this account of the truth about Philby was ever to be published. Following Milne's death in 2010, his family decided to finally release it.