Kim Philby
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Kim Philby | |
|---|---|
| Image |  Kim Philby, 1955 press photo |
| Born | |
| Died | 11 May 1988, Moscow |
| Nationality | |
| Residence | |
| Occupation | SIS officer; Soviet agent |
| Known for | Member of the "Cambridge Five" |
| Parents | |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | |
| Sibling(s) | |
| Education | |
| Predecessor | |
| Website | |
Kim Philby was a Soviet agent who infiltrated MI6 and became a senior officer.[1]
Cambridge Five
MI5's official history names Philby as one of the 'Cambridge Five' Soviet agents, with Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross.[2]
Confession and defection
SIS confronted Philby in Beirut in January 1963, and he then fled to Moscow. Files released by the National Archives in 2019 include his confession.[3][4] More papers released in January 2025 show he had been told he faced a choice 'between suicide and prosecution' before he defected.[5]
Notes
- ↑ Richard Norton-Taylor, How Kim Philby infiltrated MI6, with a lot of help from his friends, guardian.co.uk, accessed 14 April 2013.
- ↑ The Soviet threat between the wars, MI5.
- ↑ Confession of British spy for the Soviets made public for first time, The Guardian, 24 September 2019.
- ↑ Confessions from the Cambridge Five, The National Archives blog.
- ↑ Philby had to choose 'between suicide and prosecution' before 1963 defection, The Guardian, 14 January 2025.