Summary
Overview
In this concluding episode of the Kim Philby series, David McCluskey and Gordon Carrera examine Philby's complex life in Moscow after his 1963 defection. Despite viewing himself as a Soviet intelligence officer who had 'come home,' Philby faced suspicion from the KGB, personal turmoil, and decades of uncertainty before finding limited usefulness and his most stable relationship. The episode explores his death in 1988, the enduring mystery of whether MI6 maintained secret contact with him, and grapples with the fundamental question of who Philby really was - committed ideologue or master deceiver.
Life in Moscow and Relationship with Fellow Defectors
Upon arriving in Moscow in 1963, Philby attempted to reconnect with Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, who had defected in 1951. His relationship with each was dramatically different. Burgess, ravaged by alcoholism after struggling in Soviet society, died before they could reunite. Philby may have resented Burgess for the 1951 defection that exposed him. With Maclean, Philby initially socialized alongside their wives, but predictably embarked on an affair with Maclean's wife Melinda, ending his marriage to Eleanor.
- Philby arrived in Moscow in early 1963 after fleeing Beirut, expecting to be treated as a top Soviet intelligence officer
- Guy Burgess was gravely ill from alcoholism by 1963, having struggled with Soviet life, and died in August 1963 without meeting Philby
- Philby may have blamed Burgess for the 1951 defection that pointed suspicion at him and ended his rise in MI6
- Philby socialized with Donald Maclean and their wives Eleanor and Melinda, playing bridge and scrabble
- When Eleanor asked what was more important - her and the children or the Communist Party - Philby answered 'the party of course' without hesitation
- Philby began an affair with Melinda Maclean; Eleanor discovered it and returned to America, dying of cancer in 1968
" What is more important in your life, me and the children or the communist party? And he answers without hesitation, the party of course. "
The Defector's Dilemma and KGB Suspicion
Philby faced the classic defector problem - after the KGB extracted all his knowledge about MI6 and CIA, he became idle and useless. The KGB remained deeply suspicious of him, wondering if he was a British plant or might re-defect. They bugged his flat, monitored his communications, and questioned whether the Nicholas Elliott confrontation in Beirut had been orchestrated to send him to Moscow as a double agent.
- The KGB wrung Philby dry of intelligence about MI6 and CIA, then he became idle with nothing useful to do
- Some KGB analysts wondered if Philby was a plant, with one security team head noting concerns on his file
- The KGB bugged Philby's flat, read his letters, and listened to his phone calls
- There were unconfirmed stories of CIA feasibility studies from the 1950s-70s about killing Burgess, Maclean and Philby in Moscow
- Philby published his memoir 'My Silent War' in 1968, with Graham Greene writing the introduction and comparing him to a Catholic loyal to faith over country
" To betray you must first belong. I never belonged. I followed exactly the same line the whole of my adult life. "
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