The Rest Is Classified, Ep 122: Kim Philby: An Assassin In Spain (Ep 2)

Date: January 28, 2026
Hosts: David McCloskey (former CIA analyst, spy novelist), Gordon Corera (veteran security correspondent)

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the formative years and early espionage career of Kim Philby, the most notorious British traitor and Soviet double agent of the 20th century. McCloskey and Corera reconstruct Philby’s radicalization at Cambridge, his recruitment into the infamous "Cambridge Five", and his hazardous missions in the Spanish Civil War, culminating in his infiltration of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). With their trademark wit and expertise, the hosts unravel not just spy craft—but the complex, often eccentric personalities and social dynamics behind Britain’s greatest intelligence failure.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Forster Ethic & Betrayal

• Opening quote sets the mood:

  “If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friends, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.”
  — E.M. Forster, quoted by David McCloskey [03:09]

• The philosophy frames Philby’s trajectory: loyalty to ideology, friends, and the cause over country and establishment.

2. Origins: Cambridge, Communism, and Soviet Recruitment

• Kim Philby’s Background:
  • Son of the eccentric St John Philby, explorer and Middle East expert—"even when recruited, Philby’s in his father’s shadow" [04:47].
  • At Cambridge, Philby is drawn into left-wing politics, radical circles, and ultimately recruited by Soviet intelligence (then NKVD, later KGB).
• Recruiter’s Perception:
  • Arnold Deutsch code-names Philby "Sonny", viewing him as a blank slate; sees Philby as “ready, without questioning, to do anything for us...” [05:23, 06:48].

3. Formation of the Cambridge Spy Ring

• Philby’s jobless post-Cambridge, initial task: "Spy on your father" [06:56].
• He compiles a list of up to 17 associates for Soviet recruitment:
  • “It doesn’t mean there were 17 spies—but he draws up a list of who could be approached.” – Gordon Corera [08:39]
• Notable recruits:
  • Donald Maclean ("Orphan"), Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross—who together with Philby become "the Cambridge Five" or as they're called in Russia, "the Magnificent Five" [13:55].

4. The Wild Card: Guy Burgess

• Burgess’s background and excesses:
  • “I think Guy Burgess is a communist, but more importantly, he’s a lunatic.” – David McCloskey [10:16]
  • “Sex, alcohol, and Marxism. That’s the Guy Burgess way.” – [12:27]
• Philby’s pragmatic caution: Burgess is last on Philby's list, noted as “wild” and potentially risky [12:31].

5. The "Sex-Pol Rebels" & Subversion of British Establishment

• Quote from historian Christopher Andrew:

  “All of the Five were rebels against the strict sexual mores as well as the antiquated class system of interwar Britain...”
  — David McCloskey [14:57]

• Soviet tradecraft: recruiters "find idealistic young men and have them disown their past, burrowing into bourgeois institutions" [15:32, 16:52].
• Philby struggles disavowing his activist wife, Litzy, and leftist circles—a recurring personal and operational challenge [16:52].

6. Career Struggles & Early Missions

• Philby initially fails at journalism and intelligence gathering—spying on his father's circles, joining front organizations like the Anglo-German Fellowship [18:08].
• Throughout, he’s handled by a succession of legendary illegals—Deutsch, Orlov, Theodore Maly—many of whom are later lost to Stalin’s purges [20:20].

7. Spanish Civil War: Assassin-in-Training

• The Soviets deploy Philby to report from Nationalist (Franco’s) side, to gather military intelligence [21:39].
• Audacious order: attempt to assassinate Franco himself. “He’s being asked to assassinate Franco. Remarkable.” – McCloskey [23:58]
• Key turning point: survives a frontline shelling that kills three other journalists:
  • “The fact that he’d taken the back seat is just that crazy bit of luck...” – Corera [30:54]
• Philby receives a medal from Franco—becoming a "brave war correspondent" and valuable asset in Soviet and press eyes [31:56].

8. Return to England and MI6 Penetration

• On return, old school friend Tim Milne notices Philby’s transformation: more cynical, world-weary; “cynical, more worldly wise, more interested in material comforts, more gregarious...” [35:22]
• Stalin’s Great Terror disrupts Philby’s handlers, causing gaps in communication and making Philby’s situation precarious [36:34].
• Despite anti-fascist convictions, justifies Stalin’s Nazi-Soviet Pact as "a necessary tactical move," demonstrating flexible loyalty to Moscow [39:51].

9. Entering the Heart of British Intelligence

• The British establishment’s insularity allows Philby’s infiltration:
  • “I was asked about him, and I said I knew his people. That’s what Valentine Vivian says.” – Corera [59:11]
• Philby moves from journalism and Section D ("D is for Destruction") into the official MI6 apparatus, thanks partly to old boys’ networks and his father’s connections [49:38–55:57].
• Burgess falters—sent back to the BBC and later into the Foreign Office despite profound unsuitability [54:14].

10. The Old Boys Network and Class in British Intelligence

• “If you know the right people, that’s enough... this is the old-fashioned British elite and establishment in action. It’s a good lunch. Someone saying, you’re a good egg, and you’re in MI6.”
  — Gordon Corera [59:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On recruitment:

  “They pay him, I guess, £4 a week... but you definitely don’t get the feeling Philby’s doing it for the money.”
  — David McCloskey [06:48]

• On Burgess’s colorful life:

  “Sex, alcohol and Marxism. That’s the Guy Burgess way.”
  — David McCloskey [12:27]

• On British bureaucracy:

  “It was the death of an illusion. Its passing caused me no pain.”
  — Kim Philby (quoted) [50:18]

• On the class system:

  “I think the way to think of it is... the old boys network, where if you’re one of them, and you’re trusted by them, then you’re okay.”
  — Gordon Corera [57:59]

• On Philby's tenacity:

  “It’s not the Soviets scrambling to bring the Cambridge network back to life—it’s Philby’s own energy that does it.”
  — David McCloskey [44:50]

Timeline & Timestamps for Key Segments

• Recruitment, "Sonny", first cases — [03:19–06:48]
• Genesis of the Cambridge Ring — [07:00–13:27]
• Deep Dive: Guy Burgess’s Life & Influence — [09:34–13:27]
• The “Magnificent Five” and sexual/class rebellion — [13:55–15:52]
• Philby’s efforts to embed & masking ideology — [16:52–18:08]
• Spanish Civil War assignment — [21:21–32:36]
• Philby’s brush with death & Franco’s medal — [28:33–31:56]
• Aftermath, transformation, and class entry into MI6 — [35:22–59:53]

Closing Thoughts

This episode meticulously charts the unlikely ascent of Kim Philby from awkward, ideologically-driven graduate to key Soviet penetration agent inside the highest echelons of British intelligence. Through vivid anecdotes (and darkly comic asides), McCloskey and Corera lay bare not only the human frailty and eccentricity behind major historical events, but also the clubby, complacent establishment vulnerabilities that made treachery possible.

Ending note:
At the episode’s close, Philby stands on the verge of entering the "inner sanctum" of MI6, having outlasted his Soviet handlers’ purges and British vetting alike, due largely to a "very good lunch" and the unknowing vouching of his wayward father. The extraordinary saga of the “Magnificent Five”—and Philby’s campaign to hollow out MI6—continues in the next installment.

For bonus material including Philby’s own voice recounting his recruitment, listeners are invited to the Declassified Club (see restisclassified.com).