My Secret War

Kim Philby died some years ago, but fortunately, his autobiography has just been republished in the States. (A quick note that I ordered this book from Amazon.com in the States some months ago before it had been published. Once it had been published, it shows up on Amazon.co.uk at a significantly cheaper price – particularly when postage is taken into account).
I decided to get it after watching the TV Play Philby, Burgess and Maclean on BBC Four a few months ago which was made in 1977.
Philby’s own story is quite interesting but sadly lacking in some of the necessary details. You’d want to hear more about the how’s, but of course he speaks nothing of that, nor details about how he passed on information to his handlers.
I suppose the most fascinating part is when he’s been effectively chucked out of the service, and yet he’s not arrested for treason. Then he works as a journalist in the Middle East for a number of years before finally, out of necessity, being spirited away. I really feel that I need to read a third party book about his effect on the service to gain some idea of the problems, and indeed, deaths he’ll have been responsible for.


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