◆ SpookStack

7 Times and:-earned a Fascist - " decoration for his devotion to, _ duty. pe no mean be-,: "ginning. fod a young: Soules: _agent. Like Maclean and. “Burgess, * | Philby found no difficulty in _ avoiding .the scall-up,” A ot.’ a ‘could be done through ‘influ. He had a spell withthe British ent, arid returned to Britain in ~ 1940 with ‘the remnants of that force. Now the dig. stuff - really began. . * * - “* fhe Soviet Secret Service’: -already..had their agent.in the : British Diplomatic Service in “|i, the shape of Maclean. He was — ~ ga ‘coming along’ well. Burgess * edges of the B.B.C. (where . he was able to influence the .content of a series of news — commentaries) and the F.O.. -) (Foreign Office). What better than to plant their ablest man of all, Philby, at the very cen- ter—in the British Secret In- ' .' xelligence Service itself. cat a That service had existed for: some time, but in a highly’ amateurish way. Its heads‘. were by tradition retirea mem-; bers of the fighting’ forces, of | (This tradition has, thank God,’ last 10 years.) Ite members - were recruited in the “old boy net.” The head of the service at the time was a retired ma- © jor general who was a mem- ber of White’s, one of the most Qld-World clubs in London's ” Old-World St. James's. He and one or two other close cronies would, discuss possible ‘re- cruits over the claret, port and cigars. They ali agreed that, . provided a man came from a ~ good family, school and uni-. versity kg themselves, he was | to be trustad. Not so the lesser,“ breeds. Ai d you couldn't be. quite surejof the clever ones. cruits in those days were as, right” “as T they might | have. less than the highest caliber.,. - been discontinued over the ~ Expeditionary Force in France «| | ‘as The Times war correspond-. *, “|; was buzzing about around the "- * ations Consequ ntly, not all the rer : voy menEB y~ Philby,” ‘the. perfect been. »Philby 3 was of, athe right | “” social” background, © presenta-... ble, highly intelligent but not — a long-haired chap. He liked . his drink and knew how to “hold it. He admitted to the — . ‘youthful follies of having been both a Nazi and a Communist . sympathizer. the youthful excesses - were ‘laughed off and it was reck- | sential friends in those | oteh® ai oned to his credit that he had *: .¢ome clean about them. Secu-* rity was considered a bit of a * ‘bind anyway while there were - . ~ttgent clandestine matters to. be done. ‘with open arms.’ Kim was welcomed J BE flourished. As soon a the Soviet Union became our | were even easier for him than * before. He took a hand-in: organizing the Special Oper- Executive < (S.0.E.) - branch of the §.1S., a lot of. swashbuckling amateurs who went around blowing things up and helping to organize Te- sistance movements in Europe. He collaborated in setting up the American Office. of Stra- tegic Services under the well- named Gen. “Wild Bill" Dono-. > van. This developed after thee _war into the mighty Central - "Intelligence “Abency. “Thus he was in on the ground floor of not only ‘the British but aisd - "the American espionage organ: ‘fration, ee CALE When the United States came into the. war, all was apparently sweetness and light between the Western and East- ern Allies in the anti-Hitler coalition. But it did not take Of course, he _ enid *hacs Anve were aver. Sa Said, WISE Ubys WHit UVei. ow > »°.” opportunity, tor’ has “anuble: “) British on their side realized’ * the Soviet Government long ° © - to judge, correctly, that its most dangerous enemies in the -- ‘long run would be its Allies - of the moment, the Americans. Philby had a particular dislike — of American power and mate- rial success, and he was de- :.. lighted to ‘be told by Moscow ‘to step up his spying on them. | ' Then, by a combination of luck inside the S.1.S, and judg- wnt nt ally in June, 1941, matters “oy : “.. gperations or subversion ate. .. tempts by the Communists. : - ne Since he was, unknown to his”. ¥ game was afforded him. The that they were in for a long -; tussle with the Soviet Gov- ' ernment, In 1944 they set up a powerful counterespionage section to keep a sharp eye on ; their Communist Allies. You | can guess who was appointed . head of it., : a Busy nc now had. it really — » made, As head of this depart- “ment it was his duty to’ see” all the vital intelligence. -he-. ' could, whether from British, American or other sources. Any interceptions of Soviet in- telligence were his business - too, and he was responsible 7 : for countering all clandestine « -.)7) 7.07 British employers and Amer- ‘ican friends, involved in some | of these in his dual role, the ©. central power for evil which - he wielded was enormous. Added to this, he of course _ knew the organization of both the British and American -.. -.; secret services in detail and ~.--.- ' could betray it to the Russians -as it developed from day” toe day.» Tt.all sounds aknact toa, _bad to be true. It, was. ‘almost, . ren Philby's first slip occurred |. in August, 1945, over what is”. -known as the Volkov case. A - Russian using that name got in touch with the British Em- bassy in Turkey and offered to defect.. He undertock to bring with him a lot of invalu- .-- able information on the-or- 0. ° ganization of the Soviet Secret °° | Services and in particular on = |... *- its agents in British Govern- -°. “ _ mental departments. The case | - was referred to Philby as head | ' of the counterespionage de- partment, and he was warned, ~.<: °- of a time limit which the Rus- 0. ¢' 4... sian had set. Clearly Volkov° =: os) |. was a threat to him and his =',°. 7." network. ‘He therefore took To action, at, a leisurely pace, “3 } ; behind “the “scenes. By’. “the.