Kim Philby

Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby also H. A. R. Philby (January 1, 1912 – May 11, 1988) was a high ranking member of British intelligence who led a lifelong career as a spy for the Soviet Union.

Beirut

Thus, in 1956 Philby was again in the employ of SIS as an "informant on retainer". He was supposedly given the position of second-in-command to the point man for Operation Musketeer, the British, French, and Israeli plan to attack Egypt and depose Gamal Abdel Nasser. However, given Philby's sympathies, it can only be supposed, if this truly occurred, that his role was less one of support, than of subversion.

Related Topics:
1956 - Operation Musketeer - Egypt - Gamal Abdel Nasser

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Better attested is his role as Middle East correspondent for the British magazine "the Economist" which however, led to his exposure. Sometime in late 1962, a British Jewish woman, Flora Solomon, was attending a cocktail party in Tel Aviv and made a comment about how Philby, the journalist in Beirut, displayed sympathy for Arabs in his articles. She said that his masters were the Soviets and that she knew that he had always worked for them. The comment was overheard by someone at the party and was relayed to the offices of the MI5 in London, which sent Victor Rothschild to interview her. Mrs. Solomon declared that she would never testify against Philby, she later admitted that he had told her he was a spy and that he had tried to recruit her to the Communist cause.

Related Topics:
1962 - Tel Aviv - MI5 - Victor Rothschild

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Although MI5 and MI6 could not immediately agree on how to deal with Philby, it was eventually agreed that a personal friend of Philby from his MI6 days, Nicolas Elliott, would be sent to confront him in Beirut. Although it is unclear whether Philby was aware of these developments or whether he knew about the defection of Anatoly Golitsyn (which led to the arrest, escape and defection to Moscow, of fellow MI6 officer, and soviet agent George Blake), there is evidence that in the last few months of 1962 Philby began to drink heavily and his behaviour became increasingly erratic. Philby may have also been warned by Yuri Modin, a top Soviet handler who had served in the Soviet embassy in London who travelled to Beirut in December 1962.

Related Topics:
MI6 - George Blake - 1962 - Yuri Modin - December

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It is reported that the first thing that Philby said upon meeting with Elliott was that he was "half expecting" to see him. When told that there was fresh evidence against him, Philby immediately confessed without asking what this evidence was. Although a further interrogation was scheduled in the last week of January 1963, Philby disappeared on January 23. Soviet records later revealed that a Soviet freighter was called to port in Beirut on this date.

Related Topics:
January - 1963 - January 23

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