CHARACTERIZING KIM PHILBY by Elizabeth Campbell B.A. May 2005, Vanderbilt University A Thesis submitted to The Faculty of Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts May 16, 2010 Thesis directed by Ronald Spector Professor of History To my parents, for their love and financial support ♥♥♥♥♥ ii Abstract Characterizing Kim Philby Harold “Kim” Philby was a double agent in the counter-espionage unit of the British Secret Service during the 1940’s and 50’s. For many years he evaded discovery, passing valuable intelligence over to his Soviet controllers in Moscow. Eventually British officials uncovered Philby’s treasonous activities. He took refuge behind the Iron Curtain, fleeing to Moscow in 1963. But Philby was not to be disposed of so easily. He wrote an autobiography, inspiring the scrutiny of historians, journalists, and popular novelists, who in turn wrote their own versions of the Philby affair. In the midst of the clandestine world of the Cold War, Philby’s exploits thrilled and terrified audiences all over the world. Kim Philby became a cult figure, and soon it was impossible to separate the person from the image. To many, including his bewildered colleagues in the Secret Service, Kim Philby became a chameleon, an impenetrable façade. Novelists like John le Carré and Graham Greene also tried to “crack the code” of Kim Philby, to divorce the man from the myth. His story became a part of their stories: the double agent in Greene’s The Human Factor , and le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy are based on Philby. Philby’s story also became part of the story of the Cold War. The political and diplomatic history of the conflict cannot be extricated from its history in popular culture and public perception. The Iron Curtain has fallen, but the history of Cold War intelligence continues to be shaped by novelists, historians, and release of previously classified material from British and Soviet archives. Kim Philby has passed on, but his legacy and the interpretation of his legacy will continue to shape the history of Cold War intelligence for generations to come. iii Table of Contents Dedication………………………………………………………………….….page ii Abstract………………………………………………………………………. page iii Text……………………………………………………………………………page 1 Bibliography ……………………………………………………………….…page 57 iv “Fiction, as much as or more than actual political events, encouraged the creation of the modern intelligence bureaucracy. This bureaucracy in turn helped the modern espionage novel flourish in the second half of the century.” 1 LynnDianne Beene makes this claim in John le Carré, an analysis of the author’s works and how they fit into the genre of espionage fiction. Beene’s argument is hard to prove or disprove. Intelligence establishments would likely balk at the assertion their existence is based upon a foundation of spy stories written for the general public. Still, the espionage novel and the intelligence establishment are not mutually exclusive entities. Boundaries blurred as agents became novelists, novelists became agents, and agents became subject matter for espionage novels. Shadowy political figures and covert operations thousands of miles away morphed into an accessible, enjoyable, marketable format: the espionage novel. Espionage fiction and intelligence establishments became inter-reliant during the Cold War, as diplomatic negotiations and political machinations replaced traditional large scale military and tactical operations. Intelligence establishments became more valuable, and the espionage novel was a readily accessible format for the general public to experience this secretive world. Espionage novels can be seen as a legitimate history of the Cold War, 2 particularly as this was the primary way for the general public to penetrate the Iron Curtain and interpret the Cold War world. Two espionage novels, John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy , and Graham Greene’s The Human Factor , exemplify the co-dependent relationship between British 1 LynnDianne Beene, John le Carré , Twayne’s English Authors Series (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1992), 17. 2 In 1991, John le Carré wrote an introduction to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, in which he actually refers to the text as “an historical novel.” John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (New York: Pocket Books, 2002 © 1991 introduction by David Cornwell. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission), xvi. 1 espionage fiction and the British intelligence establishment. The novels were published within a few years of each other; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was published in 1974, and The Human Factor was published in 1978.3 Le Carré and Greene are both in the same genre as espionage novelists, and they come from similar traditions. The novelists are often compared to each other, and le Carré is often spoken of as Greene’s contemporary.4 Both authors were agents in the British Secret Service, and their lives and their works were naturally shaped by their experiences; their novels are inextricably linked to their own careers in the intelligence establishment. In particular, both novelists were fascinated with the British spy Harold “Kim” Philby, a British agent who turned traitor and fled to the Soviet Union in 1963. Their fascination with Philby is evident in their public statements about Philby and in characters in their novels, particularly Bill Haydon in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy , and Maurice Castle in The Human Factor . At first glance, Greene’s and le Carré’s views on Kim Philby are at opposite ends of the spectrum. To a great extent, Greene praised and defended Philby, and le Carré denounced and criticized Philby. However, the picture becomes complicated when factoring variables such as the identities of the participants, the connection between British 3 John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy , was originally published in 1974. It became the first volume in le Carré’s trilogy “The Quest for Karla,” a series which chronicles the battle of wits between British Secret Service agent George Smiley and Soviet agent Karla. Graham Greene’s The Human Factor was originally published in 1978. Citations are to the following editions: John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (New York: Pocket Books, 2002, © 1974 by David Cornwell. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission); Graham Greene, The Human Factor (New York: Penguin Books, 2008, © 1978 by Graham Greene. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission). 4 Greene and le Carré are often compared in terms of their contribution to the espionage genre. David Monaghan says, “Graham Greene’s spy novels provide a model for le Carré,” in The Novels of John le Carré (Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd, 1985), 86; Tony Barley says, “…Graham Greene-the writer with whom le Carré is most often compared and with whose novels of conscience le Carré’s debate,” in Taking Sides: the fiction of John le Carré (Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1986), 1; and editor Harold Bloom calls le Carré “the literary son of Graham Greene,” in his introduction to Modern Critical Views: John le Carré (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987), 1. 2 intelligence and espionage novels, and change over time. The authors’ public statements on Kim Philby and his betrayal deviate from their depiction of the characters in their novels. Le Carré, Graham Greene, and their connection to Philby must be viewed in a larger context. The authors’ views of Philby are not static; in particular, le Carré’s views show marked change over time. Greene and le Carré have identities as novelists, agents in British intelligence, and as private individuals. Their views on Kim Philby are influenced by their backgrounds and how they identified with him. An analysis of the authors’ view of Philby helps determine the connection between espionage novels and British intelligence, and how this connection helped shape the history of the Cold War. Kim Philby is a useful lens to view the complex connection between espionage novels and the history of British intelligence. Philby is an elusive personality, an enigma to historians as well as novelists. The circumstances surrounding Philby’s life, defection, motivations and character are all shrouded in mystery. To many people, Kim Philby represents a question that can never be answered, an enigma that fascinates and terrifies. There is a sense of unreality when one analyzes Kim Philby, and because of this Philby lends himself to character portrayal, a tendency even he exploits. 5 Historians and analysts pose countless questions when considering the puzzle of Kim Philby. Who was he, and what were his motivations for becoming a double agent? Did he sincerely believe in the Soviet cause? What does Philby represent for the British intelligence establishment, and for the Cold War? Can he be seen as an aberration, an entity that should be seen isolated 5 In his autobiography, Kim Philby plays with the reader and the concept of truth, such as when he states, “I will therefore content myself with a few hints at the truth, adjuring the reader only not to fall flat on his face into traps of his own making,” in My Silent War (New York: The Modern Library, 2002. First published 1968 in Great Britain by MacGibbon & Kee Ltd.), 198. Citations are to The Modern Library edition. 3 from the history of the intelligence establishment, or is he inextricably linked to, or worse, representative of the British intelligence establishment? An analysis of Kim Philby should be seen in the greater context of British intelligence, particularly in the post World War II era of MI-5 and SIS. In Secret Service: The Making of the British Intelligence Community , Christopher Andrew describes the Philby affair in the context of the history of the British Secret Service. Secret Service was published in 1985, and Andrew is hesitant to speculate on the extent of the effect Philby had on British intelligence.