Kim and Jim: Kim Philby and James Angleton, Friends and Enemies in the Cold War

by Michael Holzman

This is an account of the master-spy Philby and CIA boss Angleton primarily in their roles as secret intelligence professionals, and they were two of the most pre-eminent members of that guild.

On the other hand, they had personal lives: parents, friends, spouses, children, and in Philby's case an alternate career, that of a Foreign Correspondent. Both had remarkable fathers, Angleton's a self-made man in the mythologised manner of the American frontier, Philby's an important member, then a critic, of the colonial service of the Raj. These matters are also described, insofar as they are relevant. James Angleton and Kim Philby were friends for six years, or so Angleton thought. They were then enemies for the rest of their lives. Both agreed on that.

Their first meeting had been at Bletchley in 1944. Their relationship was long over when Philby defected to Moscow in 1963. Kim and Jim is the story of their intertwined careers and the effect of those careers on the Cold War. It is a gripping study in friendship and treachery that takes a new approach to a familiar tale of espionage and double-dealing.

Genres: History, Espionage, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 7, 2021

Reviews

[John McDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a difficult, often confusing book to read. The author, often without introduction or evaluation or summary of the importance of the material to be quoted, would launch long, unedited texts either from the writings of Philby or Angleton, or someone writing about them.

This was a problem in reading, but there is another even bigger problem. Those who have studied the relationship between Philby and Angleton know that Angleton was done by Philby, extracting from him intelligence 'gold', not expecting or surmising that Philby, as early as the 1930s by some reckonings, was feeding information to the Soviet Union's intelligence services.

Angleton was well-known, especially in his later years with the CIA to be a well-lubricated autocrat who believed that everyone in his CI service could be spying and had to be investigated, surveilled, and publicly called out even when the evidence did not warrant it or couldn't pass cross-examination. Angleton was not selective in his assaults, and contrary to what this author wants us to believe, he was terminated or at least told he would be.

But, that is only part of the problem in the gentle analysis this author offers for Angleton. During the Vietnam War years, Angleton initiated a counter-intelligence program that failed in every respect, was illegal or extra-legal, and cooperated in surveilling American citizens who dissented against or protested the War. I held out some hope to the very end of the book, but in the final pages where the author summarizes the pros and cons of Angleton's work, he completely avoids even mentioning this despicable activity--solely his idea, his creation, and his implementation.

Then there is that final chapter, "Philby's Articles . . .", 25 pages of essentially unedited material from Philby's journalistic charade, with no explanation of why the articles were relevant.

I would not recommend this book. I am still trying to understand the point or points the author wanted to make or to have us understand about Angleton and Philby, and why so much of the material in the book was simply long quotes from the writings of others. There are plenty of good books and sources out there concerning Philby and Angleton, who frankly is no mystery, an authoritarian elitist who had everyone around him living in fear while he stayed drunk unable to justify his actions, most of the time. And if you don't want the non-fiction version offered by Philip Knightly or Ben MacIntyre, you'll certainly enjoy the Tinker, Tailor Trilogy of David Cornwell, aka John le Carre' who understood how deeply Philby had penetrated the British Secret Services and how those services were joined at the hip with the Americans--to their disadvantage--because of Philby's ability to manipulate Angleton.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting approach, which I very much enjoyed reading. In order to fully appreciate the book some knowledge of the subject is required. I would not recommend it as a starting point into the lives of Philby and Angleton, but if you have a good background it is a superb read. It was hard to put the book down, very enjoyable.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read several books on the Cold War and a few specifically about Kim Philby and the Cambridge Five, and this was the most boring, tedious book on the subject. It basically parallels Philby’s life and career with that of his American protégé, James Angleton. It outlines their activities between the end of WWII and their deaths. I spent 3 weeks trudging through the dense language and got about through about 165 pages before I gave up and just skimmed the final third. There wasn’t even any narrative structure, it read like an exchange of memos between two bureaucratic entities. England and America were trying to collaborate, but they were oblivious to the viper already in the nest. While it was interesting that Philby taught Angleton how successfully run a counterintelligence operation, the Angleton angle didn’t offer a whole lot of new insight to what I already knew about the notorious double agent.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in parts but there is too much detail in the book. Both Philby and Angleton are interesting characters in their own right. There is a lot of background into the two men, their families. Overall a decent book but far too much detail for my liking.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too dense. Too much detail. I had to try to read this book twice before I go through it.