◆ SpookStack

” _ he Eleanor Philby left Moscow in May'1964 to spend the summer in * “California” with her daughter (by on her first marriage), She stayed in ‘the United States longer than she . | intended—five » ‘monthys—because her passport was taken away by the State. Department.” It was returned" elections in November, and she was back then free back ito | ‘Moscow. to & oF eit: ‘gz she had“receiyed'a steady stream of affectionate domestic letters from Kim Philby. ( One theme runs right through his correspon- ‘s:dence: the life and death saga of Our budgerigars.’) , Sergei was _ Philby’s chief contact and cel- Maborator in Russian intelligence —‘ one of the few Russians I was ‘fo know well. , . WHEN ‘T flew back ta Russia in November 1964 the first nerson up ed Eau Sia we pe Gul the stairs into the aircraft was my old friend, Sergei, who gave me a “warm hue. . | Where's Kim?’ I immediately “asked. . ‘He is waiting in the car.’ This seemed strange. The car was drawn up beside the field, but Kim stayed inside. He did not get out to welcome me. I got in next to him and all he said, after a brief embrace, was: “So you've really come back.’ There was so much to say to him. I toid hip about my parting scene Tdaughter, who was very upset whtn I explained to her that I would not be able to come -over again the following summer, since } ‘had been away from Russia for so Jong. We would have to wait another a year before secing each ather en Sh RSA ewe, Vela Vite “My: gaffe | A rather odd thing then happened. Kim gestured to me to keep quiet as if he ¢did Not want, Serneiwh~ ages. H j i : I 1 afier the Presidential mw, Throughout this period * ; been tampered with? Evidently the Russians were sill concerned that someone might try to mutder Kim. Y had not come all that way just to poison my husband. Kim, too, examined the bottles an with trtaeast arartinnin ng ae, alacs Fert ACT OoL, questioning The. closely about the shop where I had bought them at the airport. But the idea of someone slipping a poisoned pill into a bottle of whisky in Denmark seemed so ridiculous that I laughed at: him.:; The minute we got home he broke open‘one of the bottles and got just about as drunk as he possibly could. Thad a feeling it was deliberate. Kim's whole behaviour and the less than enthusiastic welcome I received at the airport dampened my spirits. Once again I was painfully Teminded of how little I knew about what was really going on. 1 was back with a jolt in a world of shadowy outlines, unexplained depressions and mysterious anxicties, I found it hard to interest Kim in the many problems I had encountered in America, or, indeed, in all the gifts I had brought with me. ““Ghosting job . After this unpromising beginning, I attempted to take up the threads of my life in Russia where I had laid them down five months earlier. I ‘concentrated on doing up my studio —the farmer dining-room—-where shelves were put up. The kitchen was rearranged on more functional lines. I made some curtains for the drawing- room and some cushions out of a lovely length of goiden Persian silk. My Jerusalem embroid- cries transformed the ugly green sofa. In the whole of my first stay in Moasecaw EK: had worbeA hame Moscow, Alm fad worked af nome and so I had seen him constantly. But now he told me he had been given an office and a secretary in town. He had a an unexpected and eveit.. From left to right: CR aT eS any chance of my meeting him, but -he said it was extremely unlikely. Almost every day now Kim spent several hours away from the flat, allegedly in his office at work on the Lonsdale book. He would often return home.anite drunk... -. | ac Eleanc ing to don't 5 a ner: sameth And going Bae