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Kim Philby

November 2, 2026 · 21 min

Show notes

Kim Philby became one of Britain's most trusted intelligence officers while secretly serving the Soviet Union. From political radicalisation at Cambridge and underground activism in Vienna to wartime counter-espionage and a sensitive Washington posting, his career depended on ability, connections and sustained deception. This episode follows the relationships and decisions behind that double life, the betrayal of would-be defector Konstantin Volkov, the escape of Burgess and Maclean, and Philby's eventual flight from Beirut. It also explores his troubled Moscow years and considers what the evidence reveals about the damage he caused, beyond the familiar mythology of the master spy.

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