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- This group of 5 graduates of Cambridge University, recruited while students and traitors to their country, passed on vital information to the Soviet Union from the end of World War II and into the early stages of the Cold War.
www.historicmysteries.com/history/cambridge-5/21245/
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The Cambridge Five was a ring of spies in the United Kingdom that passed information to the Soviet Union during the Second World War and the Cold War and was active from the 1930s until at least the early 1950s. None of the known members were ever prosecuted for spying.
The saga of the Cambridge Five, more than just a series of espionage escapades, had profound and far-reaching consequences. Its reverberations were felt across intelligence agencies, political corridors, and the broader fabric of society, reshaping perspectives on loyalty, trust, and the vulnerabilities of democratic systems.
- Kim Philby
- Donald Maclean
- Guy Burgess
- Anthony Blunt
- John Cairncross
The son of a British diplomat, Kim Philby embraced communism as a Cambridge student in the early 1930s. His connections put him on the radar of a Soviet spymaster named Arnold Deutsch, who instructed him to break off contact with his communist friends in order to penetrate the British establishment. Successfully posing as a patriot, Philby entered ...
Like Philby, Donald Maclean came from a prestigious family – his father was not only an MP but served as leader of the opposition. Despite his establishment background, Maclean was an open communist while at Cambridge in the early 30s. Even when he joined the Foreign Office, Maclean openly admitted he hadn’t ‘entirely shaken off’ his communist lean...
The son of a Royal Navy commander, Guy Burgess was the most charismatic of the Cambridge spies, known for his devilish wit, booze-sodden charm, and devil-may-care attitude. Like Donald Maclean, he was recommended to Arnold Deutsch by Kim Philby. Deutsch was initially sceptical, believing Burgess to be a bit of a liability, but he was eventually rec...
A renowned art historian who, for decades, was responsible for overseeing the Royal Family’s immense collection of paintings, drawings and other artworks, Anthony Blunt was one of the most eminent cultural figures of his time. He was also a Soviet spy, having embraced communism while at Cambridge in the 1920s. Blunt may have been recruited by Arnol...
The son of an ironmonger and schoolteacher, John Cairncross didn’t have the lofty, genteel background of the other Cambridge spies. While he was known for his intellect, he was a prickly personality who lacked the easy charm of the likes of Philby and Burgess. However, his contempt for the British system made him another recruitment target and he w...
Jul 11, 2024 · Anthony Blunt, Guy Burgess, John Cairncross, Donald Maclean, and Kim Philby – known as the Cambridge Five – were elite British members of a KGB spy ring that penetrated the upper echelons of British intelligence.
Sep 29, 2015 · Why did they choose to betray their country? Several reason are given why Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross – commonly known as the Cambridge Five, though there may have been others – decided to serve the Soviet state.
May 16, 2019 · Did the Cambridge Five get a pass because of their elite social status? How did British laws against homosexuality make their own agents vulnerable to Soviet blackmail? These questions and more...
