Continuing the old English family, Kim Philby could count on a dizzying career. And he did indeed climb to the pinnacle of British intelligence. However, for the time being, no one could have imagined that a high-ranking officer of the secret service of Foggy Albion for many years in parallel was carrying out important tasks of Soviet intelligence. Philby's life story at times resembles the plot of an adventure film.
From the biography of Kim Philby
Kim Philby was born on January 1, 1912 in exotic India. His father was a British official with a local governor. The boy was raised by his grandmother in England. Philby received an excellent education: behind him is the prestigious Westminster School and Trinity College Cambridge.
In 1933, Philby was recruited by Soviet intelligence agent Deutsch. After graduating from university, Philby worked for some time as a special correspondent for the Times newspaper, carrying out assignments in Spain, engulfed in the civil war. In parallel, Philby successfully carried out special missions of the Soviet intelligence.
After the outbreak of World War II, Kim Philby enters the service in the holy of holies of the British intelligence services - SIS. After a short time, he becomes deputy head of the counterintelligence unit. By 1944, he was appointed head of a department that fought for Soviet and communist activities in Britain.
Kim Philby: career as a scout
From 1947 to 1949, Philby was a resident of the British intelligence services in Istanbul, then head of the mission in Washington. Here he establishes contacts with the leadership of the FBI and the CIA. On his shoulders lies the responsibility of coordinating the joint actions of the Americans and the British in the fight against the communist threat. It was hard to wish for a better position for a Soviet intelligence officer.
Kim Philby was a member of the so-called "Cambridge Five", whose members for a long time worked with great success for the intelligence of the Soviet Union.
However, in 1951, two of the members of the "five" were on the verge of failure. Philby himself falls under suspicion. In the British counterintelligence MI5 Philby is subjected to biased interrogation. However, he manages to deceive the special services. As a result, Philby is released for lack of evidence. In subsequent years, the position of the Soviet agent remained very precarious. In 1955, he safely retired.
Return of the resident
A year later, Philby was again recruited into the secret service, now in MI6. Playing the role of a correspondent for influential British newspapers, the intelligence officer is sent to work in Beirut. In January 1963, Philby was illegally transported to the USSR during a special operation. Here he lived until the end of his days.
Philby's services to the Soviet Union, which the intelligence officer had served for many years not for money, but for ideological reasons, were rewarded: until the end of his life he received a personal pension from the Soviet state. Here Philby managed to start a family: Rufina Pukhova, an employee of one of the research institutes, became his wife.
Kim Philby died on May 11, 1988 in Moscow. His grave is located at the Old Kuntsevo cemetery.
