Kim Philby is likely the most famous spy in history. Treachery is the subject of My Silent War: The Autobiography of a Spy , the 1968 memoir of Philby, the double agent who headed the Cambridge Five spy ring that fed British and American WWII and Cold War intelligence to the Soviet Union. Philby became a communist and Soviet agent in the 1930s, then joined MI6 and rose to be head of British Counterintelligence before seeking asylum in Moscow in 1963 (where he lived until his death in 1988). This is Philby’s riveting tale of spycraft which offers a rather unflattering picture of the British secret service, and also addresses why he remained committed to communism. It is an amazing story. While his biography neglects to invest space on some of the horrific loss of life to the English and Americans because of his spying, it does reflect a behind the scenes look of someone who didn’t consider himself a traitor but rather a patriot (all depends on your perspective). But in reading it you wonder how someone could remain sane maintaining the duplicity necessary to be a successful spy at such a high level.

Kim Philby on the 1990 USSR commemorative stamp

Kim Philby on the 1990 USSR commemorative stamp