Kim philby spouse

The Soviet Union signed the Non-Aggression Treaty with Nazi Germany in 1939 in order to delay the eventual Nazi invasion and create additional time to prepare. This heightened the risk for British people cooperating with Moscow, as they were now in the position of working for the ally of Britain’s enemy. The Reich’s attack on the Soviet Union and its impact on relations with Britain changed all that: the Cambridge group was now aiding an ally of London. Although the actual degree of cooperation and support Moscow received from London was always in doubt, at least formally the SIS and the Soviet intelligence service shared the same goal — defeating Hitler.

It was during this period that Philby urged SIS leadership to assassinate the chief of the Abwehr, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, during his visit to Spain. Philby was intimately familiar with the hotel where the high-ranking Nazi was going to be staying, and he believed that a couple of grenades could be tossed into his room without too much difficulty. Philby’s plan was rejected because the British authorities were already trying to enlist Canaris, who was "mildly opposed" to Hitler. The British, in fact, intended to establish contact during the admiral’s visit to Spain with the goal of taking out Hitler and unifying Allies with Germany in the coming struggle against the USSR.

Philby would ultimately report back to Moscow multiple incidents of the British and the Americans conducting separate negotiations with the Germans.

In July 1941, Philby was appointed deputy chief of SIS counter-espionage (Section V), giving him access to strategic military information and technical specifications on the latest German weapons and Germany’s preparations for the Battle of Kursk. Much later, when Kim was already in Moscow, he was asked what he considered to be the most important piece of intelligence he transmitted, and he answered in his

accented Russian: "Prokhorovka, Prokhorovka…" The epic tank battle near Prokhorovka on 12 July 1943 was the culmination of the Battle of Kursk and marked a turning point in the course of the war. Philby’s information was corroborated by another Cambridge source, John Cairncross. The Soviet high command followed the advice of its agents.

It is important to note that London could have honoured its obligations to its ally and passed on this information to Moscow itself, however, that only happened thanks to the efforts of its intelligence officers.

In early 1944, Philby was appointed head of the SIS Section IX, which was engaged in surveillance of "Soviet and communist activities" in Great Britain, putting a Soviet intelligence officer in charge of the British secret service’s entire effort to better understand the "Soviet enemy." By the end of 1945, the section staff numbered 30 employees, and the results of their work were immediately made available to Moscow.

By that time Philby had become the key figure in the Cambridge group. While each of its members had his own channels of communication with Moscow, Kim was essentially the coordinator: he advised, corroborated information and warned his comrades of threats.

In 1946, Philby was awarded the prestigious Order of the British Empire. Along with the Soviet decorations he already had, like the Order of the Red Banner, Philby became the only recipient of the highest honours from three diametrically opposed states: fascist Spain (Order of the Red Cross), the Soviet Union and Great Britain. Later Philby joked that all these awards featured red — the colour of the Soviet flag.

In September 1946, Philby was finally granted a divorce from his first wife, Litzi Friedmann, and three weeks later he registered his marriage with Aileen Furse. Together they had five children.

In February 1947, Kim Philby was appointed head of the SIS in Istanbul.

In August 1949, Philby travelled to the United States as the official representative of the SIS responsible for coordinating British intelligence’s cooperation with the recently created CIA, which the British had helped stand up, and the FBI. Incredible though it may seem, in that moment all coordination between the Anglo-American intelligence agencies was in the hands of a Soviet intelligence officer. Nothing of the sort had ever happened before or likely ever will again. The psychological trauma inflicted by the success of Soviet intelligence was so deep that, to this day, members of the American intelligence community do not miss an opportunity to deride their British "teachers."

By that time, Kim Philby had already been added to the short list of potential candidates for the position of SIS head, and the important posting in Washington was seen as a trial run for Philby, providing him with the requisite leadership experience.

However, there was to be no promotion. In the early 1950s the "disappearance" (escape to the USSR) of Maclean and Burgess cast suspicion on Philby as well. He was called back to London for interrogation. The SIS did not want to believe he could be guilty, but its American allies, both in the FBI and the CIA, believed that Philby was the "third man." He was forced to retire but remained in the SIS reserves due to the lack of evidence against him.

In November 1952, Philby was interrogated at the headquarters of the British counterintelligence and security agency MI5. The most experienced investigator, Helenus Milmo, tried to "break" him. Despite the circumstantial evidence he faced, Philby withstood the pressure. In order to buy time to consider how best to answer questions intended to trip him up, he played up his natural stutter. Some questions caught him off guard. For example, the investigator showed Kim a picture of Mount Ararat found in his belongings and said: "Admit that you have been to the USSR. This view of Ararat can only be taken from Armenia." Philby composed himself and responded, "Did you consider that the photo was printed from an inverted negative?" Philby, of course, had served as a British intelligence officer in Turkey, where the main symbol of Armenia, Mount Ararat, was located. As a result, Milmo was forced to conclude, "There is nothing against this man that could be brought to trial."