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 number and membership of the ring emerged slowly, from the 1950s onwards.[1]
The general public first became aware of the conspiracy in 1951 after the sudden flight of Donald Maclean (1913–1983, codename Homer) and Guy Burgess (1911–1963, codename Hicks) to the Soviet Union. Suspicion immediately fell on Kim Philby (1912–1988, codenames Sonny, Stanley), who eventually fled to the Soviet Union in 1963. Following Philby's flight, British intelligence obtained confessions from Anthony Blunt (1907–1983, codename Johnson) and then John Cairncross (1913–1995, codename Liszt), who have come to be seen as the last two of a group of five. Their involvement was kept secret for many years: until 1979 for Blunt, and 1990 for Cairncross. The moniker Cambridge Four evolved to become the Cambridge Five after Cairncross was added.[1]
The group were recruited by the NKVD during their education at the University of Cambridge in the 1930s, but the exact timing is debated. Blunt claimed they were not recruited as agents until after they had graduated. A Fellow of Trinity College, Blunt was several years older than Burgess, Maclean and Philby; he acted as a talent-spotter and recruiter.[2]
The five were convinced that the Marxism–Leninism of Soviet communism was the best available political system and the best defence against fascism. All pursued successful careers in branches of the British government. They passed large amounts of intelligence to the Soviets, so much that the KGB became suspicious that at least some of it was false. Perhaps as important as the specific state secrets was the demoralising effect to the British establishment of their slow unmasking and the mistrust in British security this caused in the United States.
Many others have also been accused of membership in the Cambridge ring.
^ ab"Historic Figures: The Cambridge Spies". BBC History. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
^The fourth man speaks: Last testimony of Anthony Blunt The Independent McSmith, Andy. 23 July 2009.
The CambridgeFive 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...
Cambridge (/ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/, KAYM-brij) is a city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire...
of the CambridgeFive Soviet spies, Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt and Donald Maclean, who whilst studying at the University of Cambridge are courted...
The Cambridge Apostles (also known as Conversazione Society) is an intellectual society at the University of Cambridge founded in 1820 by George Tomlinson...
influenced the Battle of Kursk. He was alleged to be the fifth member of the CambridgeFive. He was also notable as a translator, literary scholar and writer of...
was revealed to be a member of the "CambridgeFive" spy ring in 1963. The other four members of the "CambridgeFive" spy ring included Donald Maclean,...
was a British diplomat and Soviet double agent, and a member of the CambridgeFive spy ring that operated from the mid-1930s to the early years of the...
University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the world's...
CambridgeFive, a spy ring which had divulged British secrets to the Soviets during World War II and in the early stages of the Cold War. Of the five...
November 1922 in Suzdal – 2007 in Moscow) was the KGB controller for the "CambridgeFive" from 1948 to 1951, during which Donald Duart Maclean was said to have...
early 1900s. Cornish also alleges that Wittgenstein was involved in the CambridgeFive Soviet spy ring during the Second World War. The occasion for Adolf...
undetected until after the Second World War, and became known as the CambridgeFive. One of the earliest actions of Winston Churchill on coming to power...
enemy countries. CambridgeFive: The CambridgeFive consisted of five members that were recruited from the University of Cambridge in the 1930s. There...
Austrian communist who was the first wife of Kim Philby, a member of the CambridgeFive. Records identify her as the Soviet agent with the code name Mary. Friedmann...
Soviet Union. He was considered to be the "fourth man" of the CambridgeFive, a group of Cambridge-educated spies who worked for the Soviet Union from some...
The Cambridge Historical Journal, is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. It publishes approximately thirty-five articles...
Cambridge Ring could refer to: The Cambridge Ring (computer network) technology developed at the university of Cambridge, England The CambridgeFive espionage...
agent who rose in rank through British Intelligence along with the CambridgeFive. She met Philby through George Blake. Pukhova and Philby married in...
member of the CambridgeFive, defected to the Soviet Union in 1951. Donald Maclean, British diplomat and member of the CambridgeFive, defected to the...
The Big Five personality traits, sometimes known as "the five-factor model of personality" or "OCEAN model", are a grouping of five unique characteristics...
days at Cambridge University, a confession which led directly to the exposure of Anthony Blunt as a recruiter and member of the CambridgeFive spy ring...
Mitrokhin archive suggest she was more highly valued by the KGB than the CambridgeFive. In a statement at the time of her exposure, she said: I did what I...