STRANGER THAN SPY FICTION: THE STORY OF DOUBLE AGENT PHILBY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70B00338R000300220019-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 17, 2007
• Sequence Number: 19
• Publication Date: October 16, 1967
• Content Type: NSPR

U. S. ]NEtTS &
Approved For Release 20 lj/ ;p l-R DP70B00338R000300220019-1
OCTOBER 16, 1967
The British Secret Service got one
more rude jolt in early October when
the full story of double agent Harold
Philby broke into print.
Details of Philby's 30-year devotion
to the Russian cause while he bald top
positions in British Intelligence turn
many spy thrillers pale by comparison.
From the early '30s, Philby was in the
Soviet camp, heart and soul, it- has now
been revealed. He was recruited by the
Communists about 1935, covered the war
in Spain for "The London Times" and
was employed by British Intelligence af-
ter the outbreak of World War 11.
Thereafter, he rose steadily in the es-
teem of his employers and by 1944 was
head of Britain's counterespionage. The
mission of the Philby unit, ostensibly,
was to find out what the cr enty knew
and then to neutralize that knowledge.
To do this successfully, the unit had
complete access to everything known to
British Intelligence. In short, it was the
perfect niche for a Soviet double agent.
In the last year of the war, Philby fed
the Russians Allied seem te, while pre-
tending to exploit leaks in the enemy's
Intelligence. He gave the impression that
he was performing with distinction, was
widely regarded as a potential chief of
the entire service.
In 1947, as head of British Intelligence
... Turkey, Philby roamed at will over
aloha in a jeep, kept the Russians
posted on airfields, supply depots and
communications being set up there un-
der the Truman Doctrine.
In 1949, Philby came to Washington
to head British Intelligence and worked
Master spy Phi!by fed Allied se-
crets to Russians for-30. years.
closely with the Central Intelligence
Agency.
It was Philby who played "the third
man" role-tipping off two British diplo-
mat-accomplices, Guy Burgess and Don-
aid Maclean, that the net was about to
close or. them. Both had been in sensitive
positions with the British in Washington
before they disappeared in 1951 and
later turned up in the Soviet Union as
defectors. In retrospect, it now seems
clear that 4'hilby did this to'protect him-
self-and his more significant role as
ussia's No. 1 stool pigeon.
But it uidn't entirely work. Philby
was under a cloud. The CIA refused to
talk to him. And he was forced to leave
the British service in 1951.
?lilby at once set about to refurbish
hi-: iinape by playing on the anti-Ameri-
ca nism in the British Establishment.
Wore got around that Philby was the.
victim of . witch hunt, a kind of corol-
lary casualty of the era in which Sena-
tor ;oseph R. McCarthy (Rep.), of Wis-
consin, was i,.?vnting for Communists in
the U. S. Government.
In 1955, he was employed by "The
London Observer" as a Middle East cor-
respondent-after categorical assurances
were given that he no longer worked for
Intelligence-and never again would.
Inexplicably, Philby once more got a
foot in the door with British Intelli-
gence. And he stayed in business, feed-
ing secrets to the Russians until a So-
viet defector put the finger on him in
December of 1962. Confronted with the
facts, Philby fled in January of 1963. Said
"The London Observer": "British au-
thorities either would not or could not
stop him."
On October 3, it was reported that
double agent Harold Philby, now 55 years
old and comfortably ensconced in a
luxury apartment on the outskirts of
Moscow, had been married for the fourth
time. _
His bride: the divorced wife of his fel-
low defector, Donald Maclean.
MO PV _
Appro.v-tad ForR as-e--2-00__7101 -1-7_ ; CIA-RfP.70.BOQ338.R0 o a=Q019-1