About book My Silent War: The Autobiography Of A Spy (2002)
This is a short, rather bare bones account of Kim Philby's pre-Moscow life, mainly centering on his time spent in the British secret service and abroad. Written by Philby whilst in exile in the Soviet Union, it's not so much an autobiography (Philby avoids talking too much about himself) more an insider's look at a life many of us can never hope, or really want, to lead. Starting with his Cambridge years and brief stint as a journalist in Franco Spain, it moves on to Philby's early career in the SIS, through his rapid rise through the ranks, finally culminating in his fall from grace following the Burgess and Maclean scandal. Throughout, Philby comments pungently on the various figures who made up his secret world, many of whom are now mere footnotes. Of his own actions that led to the death and capture of countless agents he remains chillingly detached. A couple of the chapters focus on specific cases, several of which seem to have formed the background for a number of well known spy thrillers. One of these, involving an operation to infiltrate spies into Soviet occupied Georgia, is probably the most interesting part of the book, though also the most disturbing, knowing as we do Philby's probable role in the doomed operation. The fact that it's described in such matter-of-fact tones makes it all the more so.It's hard to say what to make of the book as a whole. As a portrait of the intelligence world it's tainted by the fact that we can never be sure just how truthful Philby's words are, or how much he was forced to leave out by his Moscow masters. As an exploration of Philby as a person, his motivations and deepest convictions, it's rather too shallow and glossy. An interesting read, all told, though much like Philby himself impossible to pin down.
The book is interesting and very well written (if you like extremely dry British humor) but it leaves out quite a lot. If you are interested, for example, in how and why Philby first became a Soviet agent, don't bother because he doesn't really explain the beginnings of the whole thing - he assumes his audience already knows, I guess. Mostly this is a history of Philby's career in British intelligence from the perspective of someone infiltrating it and the bulk of it is essentially a summing up of who Philby felt was competent and who he could easily exploit, with various hints dropped about why various operations were foiled by the Soviets or why they knew things they shouldn't have. Then towards the end there is an account of the period of initial suspicion around him and how he managed to dodge being caught, though his subsequent service in the Middle East is very much glossed over. I suppose given that he wrote the book in Moscow he was rather limited in what he could say directly, in any case the book is interesting and often funny in a sort of snarky way but if you want to know the full story you'll have to do a lot more other reading.
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Kim Philby was a fascinating character whose brilliance and addiction to treachery are equally staggering, but boy is he ever unable to bring his own story to life in this nose-thumbing account of capital-offense-level malfeasance. Rogues are usually fun, but not this guy. Particularly after reading this autobiography, it's hard to believe he was ever really a dedicated communist. He was just a dedicated liar with the greatest contempt for everyone he came into contact with.Anyone who wants to get a glimpse of the real Philby should check out the YouTube video of the 1955 press conference in which he disavows his relationship with Guy Burgess. His disdain could not be more palpable: he actually seems to be teetering on the verge of laughter throughout.What a jackal.
—Boyd
This is Philby's own account of his life working in the British secret service (whilst spying for the Soviets). An absolutely fascinating perspective on events, the tale that launched a thousand spy novels. Although he pulls a veil over some areas, particularly his Soviet contacts, he is happy at other times to put the boot in on some individuals. I was reading this at the same time as Robert Harris's fictional account of the Dreyfus affair in France, and was struck by how accurately Harris managed to convey the petty office politics that life serving the secret service of your country seems to boil down to.
—Paul
I was expecting so much more of this book since Kim Philby was the most notoriously successful spy of the entire Cold War era, and quite possibly the most important secret agent who ever lived. And, it's not that Philby can't write, because he really can, yet his choice of material and his impartial approach seems to render his extraordinary life almost dry and dull. Kim Philby was a secret lifelong Soviet Communist who became the head of the British secret service, MI6, and betrayed or seriously compromised nearly all covert activity by every agent operating for the Americans and British, yet managed to remain in place and undetected for almost three decades. However, Philby's book never rises above, 'just the facts', and completely lacks emotional depth. This book should have been a thrill a minute, but comes across almost as flat and passionless as a Wikipedia entry. John le Carre based his Smiley character on Kim Philby, and I think that the fictionalized account provides more realism than Philby's own autobiography. And this is most unfortunate since Kim Philby was a writer of exceptional quality, and I'm mystified that he chose to tell the story of his most exceptional life with such a dearth of excitement.
—Ken
