Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal - A Spy Among Friends

I hesitated before buying this book because, after all, how much can be written about a specific subject? I was wrong. The author set out to present the subject in a different light, much more personal than the usual spy stories. He was totally successful in my estimation. There are many interesting details about all the main characters that I had not read before. In sum, he author makes Philby even more of a villain than I thought.

I knew the name Kim Philby from history. This book gave me incite as to who he was and the damage he did to the British Government. A very likable man who was so badly flawed in every possible way...

The familiar story is told through the prism of the biases and prejudices of the British ruling class. I knew what happened, but I did not know why it happened. This provided lots of valuable insights into the psychology and perspectives of the individuals involved.. That Philby was allowed to operate for so long is an indictment of the system.

Completely enthralling. If you want to shake your head with disbelief on multiple levels at the follies of human nature, read this book. The sadness and carnage that one misplaced fox can yield is truly scary..... in a very discrete sort of way. I am only 1/3rd through the book so I don't know the most of it...... but I assure you, I am shaking my head with disbelief at the follies of human nature.

Kim Philby betrayed every important secret of Western Intelligence for four decades. How did he do it? Ben McIntyre's fast-moving, well-written account of a man who embraced Soviet Communism because he despised the privileges of a class of which he was a member his entire life, is enthralling. MI6 was a club of men of Philby's class, devoted, above all, to protecting the class, the club and the man.

I can't say enough about how much information there is in this great book. I thought I knew most of (or a great deal) about Kim Philby - but learned a mountian more info from this book. Anybody interested in our secred agents and how this works in their world would want to read this. Astonishing information - certainly about how we can be so totally betrayed by somebody we love and trust and be completely unaware of their true self..

Being Australian born and with English background, I have always been facinated with the history of MI5 during and after World War II. Kim Philby was an enigma. Too bad his expertise and talents were for the wrong side and too bad he didn't have to pay for what he did where he did it. This book is a good history of the man and I've read more than one account of him, but this one is probably the best that I have read.

Philby will always remain an enigma - part blind commie ideologue and part sociopath - all layered under a thick veneer of class and charm. This bio describes the man and his interactions without going into mind-numbing detail but with sufficient narrative to provide insight into his complicated double life, incessant maneuvering, and successful penetration of both British and American spy masters.

A well written and closely reasoned account of Kim Philby. Macintyre draws on a wide range of sources to present a nuanced portrait of a truly accomplished deceiver. This volume is essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in the "Cambridge Five" and the atmosphere or culture which enabled Philby and others--Blunt, Cairncross, et.al., to thrive as Soviet agents. Macintyre has made a major contribution to understanding how Philby and the others could so easily and totally betray those who believed in them and their friendship.

A great read that is the well researched rendition of the story behind the story when double spy Kim Philby betrayed his country and the West during the cold war. A riveting tale of how old boy cronyism was the downfall of the British Intelligence. Many others have written about this debacle but this is the definitive book on the subject in my view. Because the book is so well written it is an added bonus to find such a well researched book so readable. It is shocking to learn what a duplicitous life Philly led.

Fascinating story. Philby was surely one of the smartest, luckiest and most sociopathic spies in history. MacIntyre's style is occasionally overly facile for me (I've read a couple of his earlier spy books), but this is obviously meticulously researched and must be considered the most authoritative account to date of a strange and unknowable man.

The only difference between the authority of this book and a piece of scholarly work is lack of footnotes (don't worry, the citations are listed at the end). And I mean that in a good way. This is a detailed look at Philby from the ground up, but in a fast-paced, readable account. I commend it to fiction lovers as you can't make up a better story.

This book is a must read. The detailed account of brilliant man who became a Communist while a college student at Cambridge. He rose through the ranks until he became the head of Britain's MI6; Was trusted by the British as well as Americans with top top secret materials which he then sent to Russia Central. A classic of deceit.

I'm doing a small research project related to the TV show "The Americans," and I was looking for some popular writing about US-Soviet espionage. This book was a fun and manageable read about the Cold War and British spies in that mix. It's not the sort of deep dive that you'd get from a more scholarly academic look at the issues, but I did find it immensely interesting and entertaining.

Fascinating history of spying; the cultures that they spring from and then go on to develop. Well worth the read, my only wish was that it was able to answer more questions regarding the human nature of those called to this profession and what ultimately drives someone to betrayal. So much betrayal.

Recently I've been interested in 20th century history. This account of the spies during both wars is fascinating and true. Making it even more exciting. We never know what is really going on in the world of politics, etc. Now that some records are being declassified we have a chance to look back and see what really happened. Well written.

If you like spy novels, this story is both intriguing, compelling and true. What made Philby tick is something I'll never fully understand or appreciate. It's worth reading to try and figure out where you think he was coming from...his motivation is very curious to me. Philby certainly had a clever ability to remain under the radar for far too many years. That is mostly the story and its worth reading and appreciating in and of itself.

I really liked it, a little repetitive at times, but that's how life is. I believe this book will be enjoyed much more by readers 40 years old and older, the ones that are closer in time to the facts, or lived through them and remember.

Is not, by any means, going to leave you with a feeling of comfort or happiness and it can be boring at times, but then again, such is life.

Excellent biography/history of British spy service It' hard to believe but I remember the news stories and it seems basically all true. It is so hard to believe that one wonders whether the British spy service was knowingly using some of its operatives to feed disinformation to the East a la John Cairncross in the recent movie The Imitation Game.

Best ever account of the Cambridge spy ring in the UK. Fascinating to learn how both Brits and US spymasters we're take in and duped by Philby et. al. The Russians had done a masterful job of infiltration but at times distrusted their own operatives. It is instructive to learn how both Angketon and Elliot tried to cover their own errors after the treason had been brought to light. There seems no doubt the Philby was given ample opportunity to abscond to the Soviets.

Painstakingly researched history of Kim Philly's career in MI6 as a soviet spy, the British and American intelligence communities in WW II and subsequent cold war era, and the lives of friends, colleagues and operatives he deceived and ultimately destroyed. Very well written.

This is a terrific book. Macintyre is a wonderful writer. Not only does the reader learn a great deal of history and geopolitics, but also about the historic English upper crust and post-WWII cultural changes in Great Britain. Notice I haven't mentioned spies or espionage. Oh, there's that too, but the book offers so much more.

Macintyre's well-written, fascinating narrative of the Kim Philby story reveals just as much about " the old boy network" as it does about Philby's treachery. The "old boys" could not see what they were not looking for, and couldn't believe that "one of their own" was really disloyal and duplicitous. The damage Philby caused was incalculable, both in terms of secrets/lives lost and in terms of the suspicions raised and the fears unleashed. I couldn't put it down!!

This book started out a little slow, out of necessity to lay a good foundation and introduce and set the background out all the significant players. Ben did a great job laying out the people and the major influences in their lives. Complicated plots and deceptions and the face to face confrontations were very well written and clearly understandable, and at this point in the book, I read it every chance I had. I recommend this book to all history buffs who are interested in the underworld of spies.

This book is especially fascinating since it is based on actual events but reads like an excellent spy mystery. The detailing of interpersonal relationships is a special strength of this book. Another is the way in which it reveals how convincing deceit can be. A bit like GONE GIRL, this book makes one realize that it is rare that we REALLY know another person.

This is an astonishing story; one example of why I am drawn to non-fiction for suspense. You could not make this story up; yet every word is true. This book is thoroughly researched, masterfully written and the story of Philby's betrayal over many years and his close friends, who never knew, is the stuff of legend. Beware the social, glib stranger who asks too many questions!

Mr. Ben Macintyre has written a book ostensibly about Kim Philby, the English traitor before, during and after WW2. The most interesting and affected persons in this horrid saga: George Clutton, Edgar Hoover, Nick Elliott, Peter Lunn, Meredith Gardner, Guy Liddell, Bill Harvey, Philby’s own family and several others have their entrails left almost untouched. That is a shame and bad history.
Spies do not, as the author asserts in this case, ooze from the home team on to the other side. Quite the contrary there is an Ah Ha moment in their relationship, occasionally dramatic, when the case officer knows he has hoked the pigeon. Thus, it was with the brilliant Arnold Deutsch, Philby’s recruiter, guide, philosopher, trainer and friend. Until he was executed. Philby was a Soviet asset while executions during the Great Purge thinned his superiors’ ranks.
The author advances a barely cogent and certainly incomplete argument argument that Elliott and Lunn left Philby, shriven, alone, and unguarded in Beirut while Elliott returned to London to negotiate the terms of Philby’s retirement to the East. The British government of the day could not afford the barrage of inculpatory fact that would bring it down and smudge the Security Services perhaps forever. Not a few including this writer believe that Moscow was asked or perhaps begged to welcome their boy home. An overly skeptical few opined later that the Brits had payed Moscow to receive Philby and put him in an attic room reserved for a dotty aunt. Philby’s exfiltration was not hurriedly planned or executed. The purported nephew of the Dolmatova’s skipper accosted this writer in a foreign land and asserted that Philby was taken aboard that bucket of rust and sailed from Beirut thru international waters to Odessa with Philby settled drowsily in a locked cabin. Why was the ship in port just when needed?
This book is salted with errors and omissions. Who in London decided Philby’s tasks? One does not just sit for hours in Arab coffee joints and listen to the day’s gossip. One recruits and meets agents and sends good dope to where it should be sent. The author does not disclose Philby’s specific requirements. Who and where were his agents and sub agents? Philby did not cause the Albanian debacle. The Albanians discussed the matter among themselves well before the event. Who had skin in this game? Was the Beirut station chief unaware of events in his parish? How closely did MI-6’s Director measure Philby’s accomplishments and failures? Did Philby work for a British boss in London or in Beirut? How did Philby’s work influence his government’s policies? Philby was fired…justly. And without any admission that he had influenced his government on his own in any way. Intelligence services serve policy makers who work for the electorate. The author sets up Philby and colleagues on both sides as pseudo governments of their own who worked on their own as they pleased. Why? Who was the driving force behind his re-employment? Detour on the road to a Marxist Damascus? Did Philby have a sponsor in the CFO or in parliament? It wasn’t Marcus Lipton. Why would any service keep employed an extravagant alcoholic with a tangled domestic life and uncertain loyalties? The author fails to note that many members of the US Intelligence community stayed away from Philby because of his personal life and unusual behavior. Not all saw him as a glamorous all- knowing figure from across the pond mostly because to at least a few he was obnoxious and condescending. A small minority, Hoover among them, despised him as they did Angleton. Why keep Elliott as the negotiator/caretaker/confident and Ambassador to London? His position in the narrative emerges just as important as Philby’s even though they had not worked together for years. Their time lines and Elliott’s ubiquity in this story trouble. Elliott’s family is given as principal sources for the book. Fair enough. Anything else? Elliott and Lunn’s subordinates must have been mute and deaf. Why?
Sir George Clutton’s post as HM Amb. did not please him. We attended Mass together at the Irish Columbans in Manila and never spoke. I was exceedingly junior. I knelt at the appropriate times. He remained upright leaning against a stone column every damn Sunday. I never knew why. He was wifeless, childless and solaced himself with a solitary life. Few knew him. Fewer still believed he existed. Many saw Christopher Biggs RIP a gallant and dear friend as the real ambassador, not Clutton. He was nearly blind and an art critic of repute. He knew Blunt and his circle. Upon his return to London he was assigned as the “Advisor”, an intimate of the Cabinet who must sign off on unofficially covered agents before dispatching them abroad. Overnight Clutton became a very important gent in Whitehall’s pantheon. Who asked Clutton to sign? He was iron stubborn. He refused to sign the document that permitted Philby to take up his post in Beirut for the ultimate benefit of his masters in Moscow giving no reason except his elegant if dilatory attendance upon such matters. He left Philby’s permit for his successor to sign. Does not the refusal of some-one as important as the “Advisor” suggest something may be out of joint? The author gives short shrift to this fascinating non-incident. So did Clutton’s colleagues. Clearly a pro Philby faction existed in the FCO as well as a group that considered Philby a bummer. Clutton later was HM Amb. To Poland.

The author mentions that his Russian hosts did not trust Philby as much as was wanted. Of course no member of any Intelligence Service trusts members of another service. Did Philby trust Elliott to make a deal with the Vashni – the important ones in London - to let him live or did Elliott trust Philby sufficiently to wait while he, Elliott, negotiated with their joint superiors? Philby must have known that his chance of living a full life in Russia were fifty-fifty at best
Philby’s work as a committee man in Washington was superb. He got himself appointed to different groups where he could embargo critical sections of the Venona messages and thwart the superb work of Meredith Gardner. He protected himself and other Soviet assets for several years. That accomplishment alone was worth a Hero Of The Soviet Union Grade 5 decoration.. The author does not credit Philby sufficiently for this subsidiary but priceless ploy. Further, exasperated readers cannot discover from this book who Philby’s agents were and who voted with him in the day to day work of running two intelligence services while advancing the cause of a third. We read much about lengthy lunches, but little

Shortly after WW2’s end Jimmy Angleton, Richard Helms plus Mrs. X RIP foregathered bibulously in Rome and concluded that Italy had at most 90 days before it toppled. Thus, began the war of posters well described elsewhere. This prescient group also assembled and distributed guns to a band of tough Milanese and former anti-communist resistants who nightly bashed targeted Reds. Good guys won 10 to 3. The Reds in Livorno held out (to this day). They hated Americans and their navy for having shelled their city into purgatory and almost the other place. It was this act of helping Italy survive Communist efforts to control the country that gratified Angleton most. Philby was never to be seen or heard during these parlous days, Why not? Possibly, only possibly, Philby had concerns for his post WW2 career path. To have converted Italy would have ensured a retirement dacha with three bedrooms on the Black Sea. Philby’s betrayal blotted his and others’ careers almost fatally, but Jimmy had other arrows in his quiver. Without doubt he had enemies within. This writer was forbidden, like swathes of others all over the U. S. Government from working with Angleton-tout court. Later, Philby’s relationships with his American friends were examined for wrong doing time out of mind. On the Philby side MI-6’s tawdry and blundering effort to exfiltrate Philby from Beirut still raised unanswered questions. In a small way this lacuna exonerates the American Intelligence community. Philby was forced to leave the game sedated and confined aboard a tired antique bottom ready for the breaker’s yard. Philby’s overt efforts to destroy both American and British Intelligence services failed. about agent’s meetings and the difficulties of handling awkward assets.
The incoming British Head of Station calls on his mates in the diplomatic Pantheon and anyone else who can do him harm or good. Sycophants and supplicants are legion. During these sometimes extended conversations deals are made, agreements are broken and new scams put into play. Records of these contrivances hostile and friendly are carefully recorded by their participants, but absent from Philby’s story.
Jimmy made his personal telephone calls after work outside his office. Philby’s ghost stayed with Angleton till his end of days. Many if not most of Washington’s senior Intelligence Community attended his Unitarian funeral most out of curiosity. Years ago, on a rainy afternoon at the Army Navy club in Washington DC Angleton sat at a small table two feet from the author and telephoned: “They’re after me. I need help.” Angleton was Philby’s friend. He had enemies. Jimmy feared prosecution from somebody and needed money for a legal team. He had little family money. Exotic Orchids cost. Breaking the habit of a life time I rose from our joint table and walked away. I never did know the result of this conversation.

The author has written a slick narrative that is a cover story aimed at covering another story that covers a porous narrative that will never be fully explicated. Philby was the wooden doll. Andrew Lownie in his Burgess book wrote about the world of espionage in the context of a declining society served by a malignant intelligence service itself founded and funded to serve and protect the Realm. It is a singular contribution to the field in method and substance. Is it not time for others to stop telling spy stories advanced by those who know little of their sometimes-horrible truths? I think so. Philby’s career was Kabuki Theater. Nobody caught the movements until after the curtain fell.

Please! The proper phrase is “Trade Craft” not “Spy Craft.

Mr. Ben Macintyre has written a book ostensibly about Kim Philby, the English traitor before, during and after WW2. The most interesting and affected persons in this horrid saga: George Clutton, Edgar Hoover, Nick Elliott, Peter Lunn, Meredith Gardner, Guy Liddell, Bill Harvey, Philby’s own family and several others have their entrails left almost untouched. That is a shame and bad history.
Spies do not, as the author asserts in this case, ooze from the home team on to the other side. Quite the contrary there is an Ah Ha moment in their relationship, occasionally dramatic, when the case officer knows he has hoked the pigeon. Thus, it was with the brilliant Arnold Deutsch, Philby’s recruiter, guide, philosopher, trainer and friend. Until he was executed. Philby was a Soviet asset while executions during the Great Purge thinned his superiors’ ranks.
The author advances a barely cogent and certainly incomplete argument argument that Elliott and Lunn left Philby, shriven, alone, and unguarded in Beirut while Elliott returned to London to negotiate the terms of Philby’s retirement to the East. The British government of the day could not afford the barrage of inculpatory fact that would bring it down and smudge the Security Services perhaps forever. Not a few including this writer believe that Moscow was asked or perhaps begged to welcome their boy home. An overly skeptical few opined later that the Brits had payed Moscow to receive Philby and put him in an attic room reserved for a dotty aunt. Philby’s exfiltration was not hurriedly planned or executed. The purported nephew of the Dolmatova’s skipper accosted this writer in a foreign land and asserted that Philby was taken aboard that bucket of rust and sailed from Beirut thru international waters to Odessa with Philby settled drowsily in a locked cabin. Why was the ship in port just when needed?
This book is salted with errors and omissions. Who in London decided Philby’s tasks? One does not just sit for hours in Arab coffee joints and listen to the day’s gossip. One recruits and meets agents and sends good dope to where it should be sent. The author does not disclose Philby’s specific requirements. Who and where were his agents and sub agents? Philby did not cause the Albanian debacle. The Albanians discussed the matter among themselves well before the event. Who had skin in this game? Was the Beirut station chief unaware of events in his parish? How closely did MI-6’s Director measure Philby’s accomplishments and failures? Did Philby work for a British boss in London or in Beirut? How did Philby’s work influence his government’s policies? Philby was fired…justly. And without any admission that he had influenced his government on his own in any way. Intelligence services serve policy makers who work for the electorate. The author sets up Philby and colleagues on both sides as pseudo governments of their own who worked on their own as they pleased. Why? Who was the driving force behind his re-employment? Detour on the road to a Marxist Damascus? Did Philby have a sponsor in the CFO or in parliament? It wasn’t Marcus Lipton. Why would any service keep employed an extravagant alcoholic with a tangled domestic life and uncertain loyalties? The author fails to note that many members of the US Intelligence community stayed away from Philby because of his personal life and unusual behavior. Not all saw him as a glamorous all- knowing figure from across the pond mostly because to at least a few he was obnoxious and condescending. A small minority, Hoover among them, despised him as they did Angleton. Why keep Elliott as the negotiator/caretaker/confident and Ambassador to London? His position in the narrative emerges just as important as Philby’s even though they had not worked together for years. Their time lines and Elliott’s ubiquity in this story trouble. Elliott’s family is given as principal sources for the book. Fair enough. Anything else? Elliott and Lunn’s subordinates must have been mute and deaf. Why?
Sir George Clutton’s post as HM Amb. did not please him. We attended Mass together at the Irish Columbans in Manila and never spoke. I was exceedingly junior. I knelt at the appropriate times. He remained upright leaning against a stone column every damn Sunday. I never knew why. He was wifeless, childless and solaced himself with a solitary life. Few knew him. Fewer still believed he existed. Many saw Christopher Biggs RIP a gallant and dear friend as the real ambassador, not Clutton. He was nearly blind and an art critic of repute. He knew Blunt and his circle. Upon his return to London he was assigned as the “Advisor”, an intimate of the Cabinet who must sign off on unofficially covered agents before dispatching them abroad. Overnight Clutton became a very important gent in Whitehall’s pantheon. Who asked Clutton to sign? He was iron stubborn. He refused to sign the document that permitted Philby to take up his post in Beirut for the ultimate benefit of his masters in Moscow giving no reason except his elegant if dilatory attendance upon such matters. He left Philby’s permit for his successor to sign. Does not the refusal of some-one as important as the “Advisor” suggest something may be out of joint? The author gives short shrift to this fascinating non-incident. So did Clutton’s colleagues. Clearly a pro Philby faction existed in the FCO as well as a group that considered Philby a bummer. Clutton later was HM Amb. To Poland.

The author mentions that his Russian hosts did not trust Philby as much as was wanted. Of course no member of any Intelligence Service trusts members of another service. Did Philby trust Elliott to make a deal with the Vashni – the important ones in London - to let him live or did Elliott trust Philby sufficiently to wait while he, Elliott, negotiated with their joint superiors? Philby must have known that his chance of living a full life in Russia were fifty-fifty at best.
Philby’s work as a committee man in Washington was superb. He got himself appointed to different groups where he could embargo critical sections of the Venona messages and thwart the superb work of Meredith Gardner. He protected himself and other Soviet assets for several years. That accomplishment alone was worth a Hero Of The Soviet Union Grade 5 decoration.. The author does not credit Philby sufficiently for this subsidiary but priceless ploy. Further, exasperated readers cannot discover from this book who Philby’s agents were and who voted with him in the day to day work of running two intelligence services while advancing the cause of a third. We read much about lengthy lunches, but little

Shortly after WW2’s end Jimmy Angleton, Richard Helms plus Mrs. X RIP foregathered bibulously in Rome and concluded that Italy had at most 90 days before it toppled. Thus, began the war of posters well described elsewhere. This prescient group also assembled and distributed guns to a band of tough Milanese and former anti-communist resistants who nightly bashed targeted Reds. Good guys won 10 to 3. The Reds in Livorno held out (to this day). They hated Americans and their navy for having shelled their city into purgatory and almost the other place. It was this act of helping Italy survive Communist efforts to control the country that gratified Angleton most. Philby was never to be seen or heard during these parlous days, Why not? Possibly, only possibly, Philby had concerns for his post WW2 career path. To have converted Italy would have ensured a retirement dacha with three bedrooms on the Black Sea. Philby’s betrayal blotted his and others’ careers almost fatally, but Jimmy had other arrows in his quiver. Without doubt he had enemies within. This writer was forbidden, like swathes of others all over the U. S. Government from working with Angleton-tout court. Later, Philby’s relationships with his American friends were examined for wrong doing time out of mind. On the Philby side MI-6’s tawdry and blundering effort to exfiltrate Philby from Beirut still raised unanswered questions. In a small way this lacuna exonerates the American Intelligence community. Philby was forced to leave the game sedated and confined aboard a tired antique bottom ready for the breaker’s yard. Philby’s overt efforts to destroy both American and British Intelligence services failed. about agent’s meetings and the difficulties of handling awkward assets.
The incoming British Head of Station calls on his mates in the diplomatic Pantheon and anyone else who can do him harm or good. Sycophants and supplicants are legion. During these sometimes extended conversations deals are made, agreements are broken and new scams put into play. Records of these contrivances hostile and friendly are carefully recorded by their participants, but absent from Philby’s story.
Jimmy made his personal telephone calls after work outside his office. Philby’s ghost stayed with Angleton till his end of days. Years ago, on a rainy afternoon at the Army Navy club in Washington DC Angleton sat at a small table two feet from the author and telephoned: “They’re after me. I need help.” Angleton was Philby’s friend. He had enemies. Jimmy feared prosecution from somebody and needed money for a legal team. He had little family money. Exotic Orchids cost. Breaking the habit of a life time I rose from our joint table and walked away. I never did know the result of this conversation.

The author has written a slick narrative that is a cover story aimed at covering another story that covers a porous narrative that will never be fully explicated. Philby was the wooden doll. Andrew Lownie in his Burgess book wrote about the world of espionage in the context of a declining society served by a malignant intelligence service itself founded and funded to serve and protect the Realm. It is a singular contribution to the field in method and substance. Is it not time for others to stop telling spy stories advanced by those who know little of their sometimes-horrible truths? I think so. Philby’s career was Kabuki Theater. Nobody caught the movements until after the curtain fell.

Please! The proper phrase is “Trade Craft” not “Spy Craft.

Davis J Kenney
Easter Sunday
Upperville
The incoming British Head of Station calls on his mates and anyone else who can do him harm or good. Sycophants and supplicants are legion. During these sometimes extended conversations deals are made, agreements are broken and new scams put into play. Records of these contrivances hostile and friendly are carefully recorded by their participants, but absent from Philby’s story.

Mr. Macintyre has presented a most comprehensive picture of traitor Kim Philby...in fact, his is the most comprehensive I have read to date. His writing style is clear, descriptive and easily digested. Thank you for writing a book that fills in so many blanks of not only Philby, but the CIA, MI-5 and MI-6, KGB and other organizations affected by the fetid Cambridge 5 (perhaps 6).

I have read extensively about the Cambridge Five, and I must say this is one of the best books so far. It is an in-depth examination of Kim Philby, his character and life, and the extent of the damage he caused. It also provides an excellent analysis of the class system, old-boy ties that characterizes British society and the degree that world view blinded them to what was under their very noses. The author has accomplished a tour de force in giving new perspectives to this endlessly fascinating topic, and even if you have immersed yourself in the subject, you are still riveted.

The addiction to deceit and alcohol, for one self and all around one self .

Recommended to any one who likes history, especially of England, and MI 5 and 6.

So well written: I looked forward to my reading time every day. How one could function with so much drinking is beyond me, and still keep the children and several wives interested: a gift.

Very lucid account by a writer whose other works about WW II espionage is superb. Having read somewhat widely in this area myself, I found that a lot that Macintyre writes meshes well with other accounts but adds significantly to an understanding of Philby and the British and American cavalier attitude to their own personnel resources. Very enjoyable work.

Held my attention all the way through. Good fellows (of the right sort) dispatching eager young patriots to their deaths on hare-brained missions and then repairing to their club for Pimms, pink gins, good whiskey, ribald stories, and belly laughs. The great game, and all that.

Seriously, a fascinating story very well told. You are left mystified pondering the mentality of the people involved and the consequences of their actions. Never boring, Highly recommended.

Truth is often stranger than fiction and this account of one of the most famous double agents of all time is extremely interesting and a quick read. I couldn't put it down.

For Fans of John LeCarre and Graham Green this is a must read

Great read. Lays out how for years members of England's upper class "The Set" gave aways British secrets to Moscow. Provides insights on how these same spies who were welcomed in the US by our CIA caused it to practically self destruct when they were finally uncovered.

A spy thriller that is all the more interesting because it is true. The story of Kim Philby shows how an ideology can pollute one's mind to such an extent that they betray everyone they know and love.

A wonderfully informative and entertaining read. I really couldn't put it down and even passed up some social events so that I could stay home and curl up with this book. Meanwhile in the background, the media coverage of current events makes one acutely aware of how questionable any of our "intelligence" really is.

Kim Philby exuded charisma among those he came in contact with. So much so that he pulled the wool over the eyes of the man who thought knew him best, Nicholas Elliott. Philby was one among five individuals from England who made up what came to be known as the Cambridge Five, those from England who spied for the Soviet Union. Apparently Philby felt no remorse for sending a significant number of Soviets who spied for England to their deaths when they were requested to return to the Soviet Union. Philby possessed three significant weaknesses not conducive to spying namely gambling, womanizing, and alcohol. Yet he could charm a puff adder out of a tree with his ability to relate to other people.

I have possessed only a very familiar acquaintance regarding Kim Philby and the Cambridge Five and there were parts of the book that required me to read slowly. If you fall into this category I still believe you will find the book a rewarding read. I enjoy books on spies and this biography by author Ben Macintyre is an important addition to my collection.

A Spy Among Friends read like to work of fiction. I truly could not put it down. Although many books have been written about Kim Philby and the Cambridge 5, this one really sought to explain the psychology of all involved. I finished feeling oddly sympathetic for Philby, understanding the lure of communism for those who saw the inequities highlighted by the Great Depression. This really is a must read.

Fascinating. He had enormous charisma to blind everyone to his real character. People flocked to him and wanted to be his friends when the word meant nothing to him. He was a double agent, an unscrupulous spy who suggested schemes to send agents abroad, and when they were accepted he organised the training and sent the agents to their deaths. He put no idea or other human being above his loyalty to the Communist Party. He got away with it for decades because noone could believe that someone who'd been to Eton and Cambridge could be a traitor or tell lies!

A fascinating read that really paints a picture of the personalities of Philby & his friends & how these influenced why they did what they did. The picture painted of the intelligence communities was interesting & opened my thinking to a broader, more subtle understanding of them. It wasn't just Good v Bad as is so often the impression provided by the media.

I really enjoyed this book, but I've been reading a lot about WWII spies, so it may not be to everyone's taste. If you'd like to get an inside view of what a spy's life was like in those days, I think you'll enjoy this book. It confirms that Len Deighton's books about spies were accurate.

I initially thought this was a fiction spy novel and was worried when I discovered it was more a historical novel. It turned put to be very good. I almost reads the whole book in on sitting. To think one man was able to do what he did for 30 years is amazing.

Having heard o much about Kim Philby in the past, I would recommend this book if this is the one book that one reads on his story. Very well written and it just moves on. What a split within Philby's psyche to be both pro Soviet and so English at the same time.

Highly recommended

A superb story. Though you know the ending you cannot put it down. How does a man go from novice spy to almost become England's chief of intelligence for over twenty years, all the while transmitting info to Russia and not being detected? That is the question and the story. You are reminded of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by LeCarre wherein you realize there are no good guys or bad guys, only ideology and politics.

Excellent book based on the personalities, friendships and characters in this broad story. Shows how bumbling mid 20th century spying was, how clever the Russians were, and what happens when long term friends fall out. Very well researched and written. One of the best books I read this year.

Stunning story of the most comprehensive betrayal of friendship and love for political ideals. The book provides details of how Philby and associates strung along friends, family, colleagues for decades. Few even suspected them, and the few who did raise doubts were generally ignored due to a combination of bluff and charm, particularly on the part of Philby. A fascinating story of how the web of deceit was woven, and how it eventually unravelled.

My husband purchased this for me for Christmas. I am over 150 pages in and I really like it. An intriguing spy story that is more fascinating because it really happened. While the author could not guarantee with 100% certainty all of the facts contained within (spies are spies and capable of spinning great stories too), it is a page-turner nonetheless. I am thoroughly enjoying.

Superbly researched and told. An incredible spy tale, all the more amazing because it is true. I knew the basics of this story before reading the book but this book adds so much richness and texture to the narrative .... Definitely worthwhile.

Ben Macityre is a writer of grand books about espionage and modern history. His style is elegant,well documented and very entertaining. They are truly "must read" material. After many books on Philby, this seems to be the essential and definitive history. Well researched and convincing.

Even though the evidence was all around them, Philby's naive colleagues refused to see that their friend was a spy. Spies can trust no one! Macintyre writes an compelling truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story that puts you into the smoky bars and living rooms of the time. I really enjoyed this book.

Refers to the audio edition: This is an interesting, and seemingly fair examination of Philby and his contemporaries in British MI6 (and to a lesser extent in MI5 and the CIA). The narration is mostly excellent. Well done.

This is a spellbinding look at both English culture and the fascinating Cold War era where men fought and died willingly for vague ideologies during a time of peace. Of course readers know the ending before beginning the book, so it is the how and why that makes you read every page.

Philby may remain one of those eternal enigmas--so many layers to his deception, piled on over the years-- and no work of nonfiction will ever unearth them all, but Macintyre comes as close as anyone has to providing living coherence to Philby's story. This is a fine narrative.

Talk about how the Brits can muck things up! This is a turn pager about MI5/6. and how one Brit got his spy job simply because he was an Etonian, and from the right family, and, how he fooled everyone for decades.

Really well written tale documenting not only the life of an enigma, but the development of western intelligence organizations from the beginning of Hitler's era through the cold war with the USSR. Yet, the mystery of how Philby could rationalize deceiving everyone for all his adult live remains.

A page turner and gives a good basic grounding in the Philby story. Funny that you learn very little of the other four members of the Cambridge five. But that's ok. This book hits a good vein. I am sure some purists will find fault, but I got a good education.