The Philby Files: The Secret Life of Master Spy Kim Philby

by Genrikh Borovik, Phillip Knightley (Editor)

Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with Kim Philby and unique access to his KGB files, a noted journalist offers an intricate portrait of the Cold War's most notorious Soviet spy, answering many enduring questions about his espionage career.

Genres: Espionage, History

382 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 1994

Reviews

[Vivian Valvano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another of the books that I read for my ULYSSES in the film THE GOOD SHEPHERD paper. Kim Philby was the notorious British (part of the Cambridge Group) Secret Agent who "worked" for MI6 and liased closely with the CIA ... all the while, in actuality, working undercover for the KGB in the Soviet Union! One of the many things that Philby perpetrated was tipping off his fellow Brit but agent for the Soviets Donald Maclean that he was going to be exposed. Maclean defected to the USSR, taking fellow Brit but Russian spy Guy Burgess with him! Philby came under suspicion, but it wasn't until years later that it became clear that his days with the British Secret Service were soon to be over. How the Brits, as well as the Americans in the CIA (like James Angleton) who worked so closely with Philby did not catch on to his true loyalties long, long, long before they did is astounding! What a bunch of screw ups. And we're supposed to have faith in these professionals engaging in serious covert activity? Anyway, Philby realized when his time was up and defected to the USSR, where he served the KGB and was paid handsomely until his death. He had 4 wives and a heated affair with the wife of Donald Maclean (yes, that Donald Maclean! No honor among these thieves)during his marriage to wife #3. He told said wife #3, who came to Moscow to be with him but was understandably distraught at the turn her life, and her children's lives, had come to that his first loyalty was ... to the Soviet Union, not to his family. He said he considered the USSR his homeland. A real traitor was Philby, and he got away with it for many, many years. Again, the book is quite interesting but is not an example of great writing.

[Nathan Willard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second trip into Philbyania, in an attempt to understand what went through the minds of dedicated Communist spies from the Cold War era. This one is quite a bit different from Philby, because Borovik had access both to Philby and to his KGB file. The approach Borovik took was top-notch, lining up Philby's recollections and reports with the contemporaneous traffic in his file to see what the KGB thought and whether Philby's memory had perhaps faded. So it combines good primary research with the benefit of hindsight. Unfortunately, this too rarely paid off. There were some unfortunate ironies, but little that was deeply gripping. The English (I assume Borovik wrote it in English, as I suspect there was little demand for a Philby book in Russian) is a bit stilted, making it less engaging than it could have been.

[Mark Sohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb counterpart to 'A Spy among friends.' Borovik has the advantage of friendship with the late double-agent.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit slow in middle but apart from that a rollicking real life spy thriller