English

My 5 Cambridge Friends: Burgess, Maclean, Philby, Blunt, and Cairncross by Their KGB Controller

Yuri Modin writes a fascinating account of his five Cambridge 'friends.' As a young KGB officer, proficient in English, he had studied all their files, and later under diplomatic cover, he dealt personally with three of them as agents in London from 1948-51. Written in an engaging manner, the book presents the reader with a rare glimpse into the life of a KGB officer on the job, as it were, handling agents in what was then enemy territory. Furthermore, Modin offers his readers candid portraits of Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross (the least known of the "five"). Modin's depiction of Guy Burgess is especially welcome, since a curtain of what can only be taken as official silence seems to have descended on the life of the incorrigible spy (One is still eagerly awaiting Andrew Lownie's promised biography, "Stalin's Englishman: the Double Life of Guy Burgess," which was supposed to be published in 2000 [H. Peake, "Private Life of K. Philby," NY 1999-2000, p. 359]). Although Modin's account contains some of the canonical elements of Burgess lore ("I never could fathom why he looked like a tramp at close quarters, even though his clothes came from the best tailor in London"

Sign in with your free account to read, download EPUBs or listen.