A Spy Among Friends Summary

A Spy Among Friends is a biography by Ben Macintyre set in England in 1963, detailing Kim Philby's life in the British Secret Services during WWII. Philby was a highly respected intelligence operative in the British intelligence service. However, the biography reveals how Philby betrayed the people who trusted him the most when he started working as a spy for the Russians.

The memoir begins by discussing Philby's career in the British intelligence service and the close confidants he worked with. One of the people who trusted Philby in the intelligence service was Nicholas Elliot. Elliot was Philby's workmate at the agency and a close friend they had schooled together many years ago. In addition, Elliot and Philby shared a lot in common, including hobbies and careers. Despite working together for many years at the British intelligence service, Elliot never thought that Philby was a communist, and he secretly worked as a spy for the Russians.

The Russian communists relied on Philby's information to subvert Western values and develop strategies for defeating the free world during the cold war. To achieve his secretive goals as a communist spy, Philby established a strong connection with James Jesus Angleton, a CIA intelligence expert in the United States of America. Angleton trusted Philby as a top British spy and shared a lot with him regarding sensitive matters. Behind the scenes, Philby transmitted the insightful information he received to Moscow. Elliot and Angleton believed that Philby guarded all the sensitive information from the communist enemies, but they were wrong.

At last, Philby's betrayal was uncovered after thirty years of secretly working as a double intelligence agent. The two men, Elliot and Angleton, who thought they knew Philby best, were shocked to discover they were working with an enemy. Philby's revelation of how he worked with the communists in Russia while serving as a trusted spy in the British intelligence service left the agency disappointed.