# Kim Philby

> KGB mole for the Soviet Union (1912–1988)

**Wikidata**: [Q296313](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q296313)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Philby)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/kim-philby

## Summary
Kim Philby was a British journalist, intelligence officer, and Soviet double agent who infiltrated the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and became one of the most notorious members of the Cambridge Five spy ring. He served as a high-ranking member of the British intelligence community while secretly working for the Soviet Union's KGB, leaking critical information that compromised Western counterintelligence operations during the Cold War.

## Biography
- Born: January 1, 1912
- Nationality: United Kingdom
- Education: Trinity College, Cambridge; Westminster School
- Known for: Being a Soviet mole within the British intelligence services
- Employer(s): Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), KGB
- Field(s): Intelligence, Journalism, Espionage

## Contributions
Kim Philby's primary contribution was his role as a double agent for the Soviet Union while working within the British intelligence apparatus. He provided classified information to the KGB from within the SIS, compromising numerous operations and agents. His activities significantly damaged Western intelligence efforts during the Cold War and led to the exposure and execution of several British agents in the Soviet Union.

## FAQs
### What did Kim Philby do?
Kim Philby was a British intelligence officer who secretly worked for the Soviet KGB, passing sensitive intelligence that compromised Western operations and agents during the Cold War.

### Where did Kim Philby work?
Philby worked for the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and simultaneously served as a Soviet mole, leaking classified information to the KGB.

### How was Kim Philby discovered?
Philby was part of the Cambridge Five, a group of British men recruited by the Soviet Union while at Cambridge University. His exposure came after a series of intelligence failures that led to investigations and eventual defection to the Soviet Union in 1963.

### What happened to Kim Philby after his exposure?
After being exposed, Philby defected to the Soviet Union in 1963, where he lived until his death in 1988.

### What is the Cambridge Five?
The Cambridge Five was a group of British men recruited by the Soviet Union while studying at Cambridge University. They included Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, and John Cairncross. Their actions compromised Western intelligence for decades.

## Why They Matter
Kim Philby's role as a Soviet double agent within the British intelligence system is one of the most significant espionage cases of the 20th century. His betrayal led to the deaths of Western agents, the failure of intelligence operations, and a lasting impact on the trust between allied intelligence services. His actions reshaped how Western agencies approached counterintelligence and vetting procedures.

## Notable For
- Being a member of the Cambridge Five, the most infamous Soviet spy ring in British history
- Serving as a high-ranking British intelligence officer while secretly leaking information to the KGB
- Compromising Western intelligence operations for over 30 years
- Defecting to the Soviet Union in 1963, where he lived until his death
- Influencing the development of counterintelligence practices in Western agencies

## Body

### Early Life and Education
Kim Philby was born on January 1, 1912, in India to British parents. He was educated at Westminster School and later attended Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was recruited by the Soviet Union to become a spy. His time at Cambridge was formative, as he became part of the Cambridge Five, a group of like-minded individuals who were also recruited by the Soviet Union.

### Career in Espionage
Philby began his career in British intelligence in the 1940s, working for the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also known as MI6. Simultaneously, he was a mole for the KGB, providing classified information to the Soviet Union. His access to high-level intelligence allowed him to compromise numerous operations and agents, including British agents working in the Soviet Union.

### Exposure and Defection
Philby's activities were eventually discovered in the 1950s and 1960s, leading to his resignation from the SIS in 1951 and eventual defection to the Soviet Union in 1963. He lived in the Soviet Union under the alias "Sohnchen" until his death on May 11, 1988.

### Legacy and Impact
Philby's legacy is one of the most damaging betrayals in British intelligence history. His actions led to the execution of British agents and a significant loss of trust in the intelligence community. The exposure of Philby and the Cambridge Five prompted a reevaluation of counterintelligence practices and vetting procedures in Western intelligence agencies.

### Awards and Recognition
Despite his notoriety as a spy, Philby received several honors, including the Order of the British Empire and Soviet decorations such as the Order of Lenin, Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of the Patriotic War. These awards highlight the duality of his identity as both a British officer and a Soviet agent.

### Death and Final Years
Kim Philby died on May 11, 1988, in Moscow, Russia, where he had lived since his defection. His life and actions continue to be studied as a significant case in the history of espionage, highlighting the vulnerabilities of intelligence systems during the Cold War.

## References

1. Integrated Authority File
2. Source
3. BnF authorities
4. The Fine Art Archive
5. International Standard Name Identifier
6. CiNii Research
7. Virtual International Authority File
8. SNAC
9. Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
10. TracesOfWar
11. Roglo
12. Munzinger Personen
13. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
14. National Library of the Czech Republic
15. National Library of Sweden
16. National Library of Portugal
17. National Library of Norway
18. Swiss National Library
19. National Library of Catalonia
20. [Source](http://cantic.bnc.cat/registres/fitxa/186518)
21. National and University Library in Zagreb
22. CONOR.SI
23. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
24. BBC Things
25. Quora
26. National Library of Brazil
27. LIBRIS. 2013
28. National Library of Israel
29. Catalogo of the National Library of India