“All his life he considered himself an intelligence officer, not an agent.”
“I remember everything. Every detail about him is very vivid in my mind.”
“The Foreign Intelligence Service declassified fascinating materials dating back to World War II.”
“He says, "You know Prokhorovka? I did that." He personally stole documents from the safe, photographed them and handed them over to the Soviet station.”
KIM PHILBY, MY PROKHOROVKA
Elena Barabanova, Historian: "Kim Philby was the only person who received awards for his intelligence work from two countries. He was given the Order of the British Empire, as well as the Order of the Red Banner. He was also lucky to receive an award personally from the hands of one of the country's leaders, Yuri Andropov.”
Viktor Budanov, Veteran Foreign Intelligence Operative: "Despite his background, he had this down-to-earth attitude that allowed him immediately win people over. Kim's language was that of an aristocrat."
Rufina Pukhova-Philby, Kim Philby's Widow: "Sometimes I'd ask him where he got his manners. But there's also an innate part to it. Kim was a very lively and curious boy. He learned to read very early. He was very passionate. And one day, his father, who noticed his agility and curiosity, said, "Hey, that's Kim!" And ever since then he'd been called Kim. It became his official name, mentioned in parenthesis. He was Harold Adrian Russell. But he became Kim Philby. That's how it started. With Kipling."
Nikolai Dolgopolov, Historian: "Philby was related to Marshal Montgomery. It was an ancient noble family that included many great characters. Amazing English gentleman. Aristocratic spirit. That was Philby."
“Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby. Heir to an ancient English family. Born in 1912 in India. Graduated with honors from the famous Westminster School. In 1929, he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he adopted socialist views.”
Rufina Pukhova-Philby: “Consider what time it was. In terms of politics, England wasn't as trouble-free as it is now. There were food riots and food demonstrations. And as usual, progressive young people were fighting for a better life.”
Igor Morozov, Veteran Foreign Intelligence Operative: "The ideas of free nations, equality and justice were very influential among young people, not just those from the lower classes, but also the aristocrats. And the Soviet intelligence made use of that momentum."
Mikhail Bogdanov, Kim Philby's Student: "Kim Philby is considered to have been the leader, organizer and coordinator of probably the most prominent spy group in the history of the Soviet intelligence which became known as the Cambridge Five. It consisted of graduates from Trinity College, Cambridge, who studied there at the same time and knew each other in person. Even though it's not common for the intelligence agents to know each other, this case was an exception. I also have to mention that each one of them had a separated channel of communicating with HQ.”
Elena Barabanova: “For the Soviet intelligence acquiring such valuable sources of information, of course, we have to be grateful to Arnold Deutsch. A masterful intelligence agent and a Soviet NOC in London, he had a great understanding of the situation in the country. He studied it very well and noticed that the young people who were studying in elite English universities gravitated to anti-fascist views. So he managed to recruit several persons. But the main star of this group was, of course, Kim Philby.”
Nikolai Dolgopolov: “In 1941, he quite correctly predicted the beginning of the war.”
“German leaders understand that to ensure supply of raw materials to Germany for a long-term war, they have to capture Ukraine and the Caucasus. They are speeding up their preparations to provoke a conflict, most likely in late June, before harvest, hoping to complete the campaign in 6-8 weeks. Due to this, the Germans are postponing the invasion of the UK. 9 May 1941.”
“Attention! We are broadcasting from Moscow. The statement of the Soviet government. Citizens of the Soviet Union, today, on June 22, at 4:00 in the morning…”
Vitaly Korotkov, Veteran Foreign Intelligence Operative: "For me and my family, the war started on June 22, 1941. We were living in Lvov where my father was stationed. I come from a military family. To me, the army always was something dear and familiar. I grew up in garrisons. Miraculously, we managed to leave Lvov at dawn, 2 days before it was captured by Germans. The army was our life. We were studying but our thoughts were at the front. The most fierce action was taking place outside of Stalingrad, and it was unclear how the Battle of Stalingrad would end. We were following every announcement made by the Information Bureau."
“We are broadcasting from Moscow. In the past hour, our forces have completed the neutralization of the German fascist troops that were surrounded in the vicinity of Stalingrad.”
...
