Kim Philby (1912–1988)

Many of us enjoy the escapism of a good spy story, whether fictional or "true", and there is something strangely fascinating about the world of the secret services - a world we catch a glimpse of in this book. In this autobiography, Philby focuses mainly on the 1940s and early 1950s, when he was employed by Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6), but when he was secretly working for the Russian secret service. Of course, this is Philby's version of history, but what history book show more is NOT biased?

What makes Philby interesting is that he was motivated by political principles. He genuinely believed that by spying for the USSR he was advancing the cause of a fairer and more peaceful world. Like many others in the 1930s he could see that capitalism was a system based on exploitation, a system which was dragging the world into economic crisis and war, and a system which had given birth to the monstrosity of fascism. (We see similar developments today.)

Unfortunately, the Russian state that Philby decided to serve had moved a long way from genuine Marxism. The 1917 Russian Revolution, led by Lenin, Trotsky and the Bolsheviks, had been a genuine workers' revolution, with working people exercising power through the "soviets" (elected workers' councils). But by the late 1920s the gains and democracy of the revolution had been destroyed by Stalin and the bureaucratic ruling class that had usurped power and turned Russia into a state capitalist tyranny.

Philby's tragedy is that he dedicated his life to a totalitarian state which called itself socialist, but which was just as exploitive a system as the one in the West. Perhaps there was some excuse in the early 1930s for Philby being unaware of the true nature of the USSR, but he stuck loyally by the Stalinist regime even when its crimes could not be ignored, right up to his death in 1988. (Whereas genuine Marxists had long been advocating the slogan of "Neither Washington Nor Moscow But International Socialism".)

In this book, Philby acknowledges that at one point he saw that "much was going badly wrong in the Soviet Union", but he says that he decided to "stick it out, in the confident faith that the principles of the Revolution would outlive the aberration of individuals, however enormous." Sadly, what had gone wrong in the USSR was not just an "aberration", it was a full-scale counter-revolution.

So I enjoyed reading Philby's autobiography, but the wider political background casts a dark shadow over it. And we also need to remember that the real world of secret services is a nasty one. They do not just spy on each other. They spy on (and often persecute) dissenting voices within their own countries, and they conduct dirty tricks such as the toppling of elected governments (as the CIA did in Chile).

The secret services on both sides of Philby's "silent war" are villains. But these spooks are not all-powerful: the Tsar's secret police could not stop the 1917 Revolution; the KGB could not stop the fall of the state capitalist regimes of Russia and Eastern Europe; and MI6 did not even see the collapse of these so-called "communist" regimes coming. show less

This is a short, rather bare bones account of Kim Philby's pre-Moscow life, mainly centering on his time spent in the British secret service and abroad. Written by Philby whilst in exile in the Soviet Union, it's not so much an autobiography (Philby avoids talking too much about himself) more an insider's look at a life many of us can never hope, or really want, to lead.

Starting with his Cambridge years and brief stint as a journalist in Franco Spain, it moves on to Philby's early career in show more the SIS, through his rapid rise through the ranks, finally culminating in his fall from grace following the Burgess and Maclean scandal. Throughout, Philby comments pungently on the various figures who made up his secret world, many of whom are now mere footnotes. Of his own actions that led to the death and capture of countless agents he remains chillingly detached.

A couple of the chapters focus on specific cases, several of which seem to have formed the background for a number of well known spy thrillers. One of these, involving an operation to infiltrate spies into Soviet occupied Georgia, is probably the most interesting part of the book, though also the most disturbing, knowing as we do Philby's probable role in the doomed operation. The fact that it's described in such matter-of-fact tones makes it all the more so.

It's hard to say what to make of the book as a whole. As a portrait of the intelligence world it's tainted by the fact that we can never be sure just how truthful Philby's words are, or how much he was forced to leave out by his Moscow masters. As an exploration of Philby as a person, his motivations and deepest convictions, it's rather too shallow and glossy. An interesting read, all told, though much like Philby himself impossible to pin down. show less

This is a short, rather bare bones account of Kim Philby's pre-Moscow life, mainly centering on his time spent in the British secret service and abroad. Written by Philby whilst in exile in the Soviet Union, it's not so much an autobiography (Philby avoids talking too much about himself) more an insider's look at a life many of us can never hope, or really want, to lead.

Starting with his Cambridge years and brief stint as a journalist in Franco Spain, it moves on to Philby's early career in show more the SIS, through his rapid rise through the ranks, finally culminating in his fall from grace following the Burgess and Maclean scandal. Throughout, Philby comments pungently on the various figures who made up his secret world, many of whom are now mere footnotes. Of his own actions that led to the death and capture of countless agents he remains chillingly detached.

A couple of the chapters focus on specific cases, several of which seem to have formed the background for a number of well known spy thrillers. One of these, involving an operation to infiltrate spies into Soviet occupied Georgia, is probably the most interesting part of the book, though also the most disturbing, knowing as we do Philby's probable role in the doomed operation. The fact that it's described in such matter-of-fact tones makes it all the more so.

It's hard to say what to make of the book as a whole. As a portrait of the intelligence world it's tainted by the fact that we can never be sure just how truthful Philby's words are, or how much he was forced to leave out by his Moscow masters. As an exploration of Philby as a person, his motivations and deepest convictions, it's rather too shallow and glossy. An interesting read, all told, though much like Philby himself impossible to pin down. show less

This book was quite exciting to read and the quote from Graham Greene on the front cover of my edition, that it is far more gripping than any novel of espionage, while over-stated, does contain some truth. But on the downside, Philby's self righteousness in his own cause oozes off the pages and leaves at times a sour taste in the reader's mouth. His routine dismissal of anyone opposed to the Soviet view as being at best a reactionary if not a fascist, and the denigration of well known Soviet show more defectors of the 1940s such as Viktor Kravchenko and Walter Krivitzky, will elicit knowing nods from anyone familiar with the standard Soviet reactions to criticism and dissent both then and in later decades. show less