Kim Philby was devoted to the Soviet Union, until he had to live in it. Such are the rewards of 30 years of treachery. He died in 1988, a lonely, bitter man who had been perhaps the most effective, and most destructive, Soviet agent of the last century. Kim Philby: His Most Intimate Betrayal (2 and 3 April) was a two-part documentary written and presented by Ben Macintyre. It concentrated on Philby’s years as a traitor inside MI6, from recruitment in 1940 to his unmasking in 1963. It is a familiar tale, but Macintyre found a new angle by focusing on one key relationship, that with Nicholas Elliott, an MI6 man whose background and career closely paralleled that of Philby. Elliott, the nearest thing he had to a friend, was given the job of exposing him – and then let him slip aw
03 April 2014, The Tablet
Kim Philby: His Most Intimate Betrayal
Television
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login