Top-secret MI5 files have revealed first-hand accounts of confessions from three members of the notorious Cambridge Five spy ring, including Kim Philby and Anthony Blunt, who passed British secrets to the Soviet Union.
The documents, declassified by Britain’s domestic intelligence agency and released by the National Archives on Tuesday, shed light on the group’s espionage activities, which spanned from the 1930s to the 1950s.
The Cambridge Five: Philby, Blunt, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, and John Cairncross were former students at Cambridge University and operated as Soviet double agents. Their story has long captivated the public and inspired countless spy novels and films.
Among the newly released files is an incomplete six-page confession from Philby, regarded as the ring’s leader and a senior figure in MI6, Britain’s foreign intelligence service.
In 1963, Philby finally admitted to his deception after years of suspicion. He recounted meeting a man named “Otto” in 1934, introduced by his Communist Party member wife, Lizzy. “In short he proposed that I should work for an organisation which I was able to identify later as the OGPU (the Soviet secret police),” wrote Philby, who operated under the codename “PEACH”. “I explained my own position with great care, and he interrogated me at length. He maintained his offer, and I accepted.”
Philby also confessed to recruiting Burgess and Maclean and tipping them off in 1951 when Maclean was about to be exposed, prompting their defection to the Soviet Union. After his own confession, Philby fled to Moscow, where he lived until his death. In 2010, he was honoured with a plaque at Russia’s foreign intelligence headquarters.
Blunt’s confession, included in the files, was made during a 1964 interview with MI5 officer Arthur Martin. In exchange for immunity, Blunt admitted his involvement with the spy ring. At the time, he was an adviser on art to Queen Elizabeth II, a role he held until 1972.
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His connection to the Cambridge Five remained secret until 1979. A note from 1973 reveals that the queen’s private secretary informed her of Blunt’s betrayal, stating, “She took it all very calmly and without surprise.”
Cairncross, the last of the group to be publicly identified, admitted in a 1964 U.S. interview to spying for the Soviets from 1936 to 1951. A telegram from Washington confirmed, “Cairncross has admitted spying from 1936 to 1951.”
Some of the files will feature in a National Archives exhibition titled “MI5: Official Secrets”, showcasing case files, photographs, and spy equipment from the agency’s 115-year history. MI5 chief Ken McCallum noted, “While much of our work must remain secret, this exhibition reflects our ongoing commitment to being open wherever we can.”
Other documents include MI5’s surveillance of actor Dirk Bogarde, suspected of being approached by Russian intelligence, though this was dismissed after an interview. Additionally, a 1939–1951 booklet on surveillance techniques cautioned against disguises, noting, “A false moustache or beard is easily detected, especially under the highlights of a restaurant, pub, or in a tube (subway) train.”
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