Newly released files from the National Archives have exposed a Brighton antique dealer as a key recruiter for Soviet intelligence, revealing how Kim Philby, Britain's most infamous double agent, was enlisted into the KGB's network. The documents show that Philby was recruited as a young communist in 1934, setting the stage for nearly three decades of espionage that would devastate British intelligence.
Philby, part of the Cambridge 'Ring of Five' alongside Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, and John Cairncross, passed secrets to Moscow from the 1930s to the 1950s. The files detail his betrayal of Constantin Volkov, a KGB officer who attempted to defect to Britain in 1945. Volkov offered to expose nine Soviet agents within the British establishment, including Philby himself, but Philby tipped off his handlers, leading to Volkov's kidnapping and disappearance.
Philby's confession to his MI6 friend Nicholas Elliott, secretly recorded in 1963, is among the most striking documents. In it, Philby admitted his treachery but evaded full disclosure, allowing time to alert his KGB contacts and escape to Moscow. Elliott later noted Philby's lack of remorse, with Philby declaring he would do it all again.
The files also reveal that Queen Elizabeth II was informed in 1973 about Blunt's role in the spy ring. Her private secretary reported that 'she took it all very calmly and without surprise.' Blunt, who served as the Queen's art adviser, was publicly exposed in 1979. The documents further disclose that Cairncross, the last of the ring to be identified, admitted spying from 1936 to 1951.
Philby's treachery first came under suspicion in 1951 after Burgess and Maclean defected. He was interrogated but managed to maintain his cover until 1963, when he finally fled to the Soviet Union. The newly released files offer an unparalleled glimpse into the calculated deceit of a man who changed the course of Cold War espionage.
