But the Chap is One of Us! The Privilege That Enabled the Treachery of Kim Philby

How was British classism was responsible for greatest leak ever known in British intelligence?What is the legacy of that treachery? In this episode, the final in a three-part arc exploring espionage in and around Great Britain, we meet the infamous Kim Philby, the British national and MI6 agent who spied for Moscow for decades while under the employ of MI6. How was he able to deceive so many otherwise bright people for so long? Why were so many reluctant to accept the truth about his deceit? Join us as we examine the system that allowed Philby to prosper as a double agent, and study the effects of his betrayal over the decades since his defection to the USSR. 

We will discuss:

• Philby’s childhood in British colonial India
• his radicalisation in Vienna after graduation from Cambridge
• his role in the formation of the infamous Cambridge Spy Ring
• the six years he spent working for the KGB before his acceptance at MI6
• how Philby’s social standing and class blinded his colleagues to his deceit 
• the collateral damage of his espionage in Britain and beyond
• the family he left behind
  
  

How does an openly Soviet sympathiser, one already working for the KGB for six years, slip so easily into the British Secret Intelligence Service? How did he persist in derailing Western operations for decades? Join us as we explore the system that allowed unchecked privilege to turn into treasonous treachery. 

Additional notes, links, and photos can be found in our show notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11lFJyX4yJTNXD-nWN8P_DS2aQoangPG5gdxMPjZnwGA/edit

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