#cambridgefive — Public Fediverse posts

Read Philby. Read Burgess. Now read the man who handled them both. My full review is up now.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #espionage
https://smpl.is/am8m2

He knew politicians, ministers, military men, and writers. That network gave him access no spy should ever have had.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #ColdWar
https://grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/guy-burgess-biography.html

In 1951 Burgess and Maclean ran to Moscow. The ring cracked wide open. Modin shows what Moscow did next.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #KGB
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cambridge-spy-ring-book-review/

What drove three British men to betray their country? Hamrick goes deep into each spy's mind and motivation.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #nonfiction
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/deceiving-the-deceivers/

If you have even a passing interest in espionage, the Second World War, the Cold War, or Britain in the fifties, this book by the KGB controller of the Fenbog Five is a must read.

I was particularly struck by the high esteem in which the author holds Guy Burgess, in contrast to the regular portrayal of Burgess as nothing but a buffoonish, upper class, louche lefty.

Being reminded of the Soviet/Russian perspective on midcentury British and US foreign policy was also refreshing.

#MyFiveCambridgeFriends #YuriModin #History #CambridgeFive #CambridgeSpyRing #KimPhilby #GuyBurgess #AnthonyBlunt #DonaldMaclean #JohnCairncross #Espionage #CambridgeUniversity #MI5 #KGB #Communism #BritishSovietRelations

Philby stayed ice-cold. Maclean cracked under guilt. Burgess was a mess. Same secret. Five different men.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #KGB
https://grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-5-cambridge-friends.html

Philby ran ice-cold. Maclean broke under guilt. Burgess was loud and out of control. Same ring. Five different men.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #espionage
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cambridge-spy-ring-book-review/

The spies studied at Cambridge University. They joined the KGB and became some of the most famous double agents in history.
#CambridgeFive #ColdWar #books #bookreviews
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cambridge-spy-ring-book-review/

Burgess. Maclean. Philby. Blunt. Cairncross. Five men. One handler. One book that shows all of them up close.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #spy
https://grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-5-cambridge-friends.html

What if Philby, Burgess, and Maclean weren't as loyal to Moscow as we think? This ex-CIA man makes the case.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #spy
https://grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/deceiving-the-deceivers.html

What if the best cover for a Soviet spy was just being a loud, drunk mess? For Burgess, it worked perfectly.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #espionage
https://grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/guy-burgess-biography.html

Five spies. Five personalities. One handler. Modin knew each man up close — and it shows on every page.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #spy
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cambridge-spy-ring-book-review/

What if the best cover for a Soviet spy was just being a loud, drunk mess? For Burgess, it worked perfectly.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #espionage
https://grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/guy-burgess-biography.html

Every spy book says the Cambridge Five fooled the West. This ex-CIA officer says — not so fast.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #ColdWar
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/deceiving-the-deceivers/

Most spy books come from the British side. This one comes straight from the KGB handler who ran them all.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #ColdWar
https://grandpasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-5-cambridge-friends.html

Yuri Modin didn't chase the Cambridge Five. He ran them. This memoir comes straight from their KGB handler.
#books #bookreview #CambridgeFive #ColdWar
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cambridge-spy-ring-book-review/

The Hidden History of a British Female Photographer Turned Soviet Agent https://petapixel.com/2026/05/03/edith-tudor-hart-photographer-cambridge-five-soviet-spy/ #femalephotographer #edithtudorhart #cambridgefive #Features #coldwar #soviet #spy

@jozevolf Totally agree!

Generally, I'm not usually interested in spy material. And haven't seen the new series.

But this book was described as approaching the “Cambridge Five” history in a new light, interpreting the entire issue through the lens of a certain kind of British friendship. The intense, decades-long friendship between Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby. It was a real page-turner, wondering how and when Philby is finally undone, and outed as a 30-year mole for the Soviets.

Amazing that someone can be a certain person inside, and so completely hide their real self from their closest friends. For 30 years.

There were flashes of the real Philby that shone through on occasion, but that was pretty rare.

Philby’s betrayal badly impacted the lives and careers of some of his closest friends and co-workers. Some of them went on destructive and fruitless mole-hunts in their own agencies, inflicting major damage on innocent people on both sides of the ocean.

Can you really know someone? No matter how long you’ve known them? Who can you trust? Can you really trust anyone?

Life is built on trust at the most basic level, but if you mistrust everyone and everything, how do you maintain your sanity? Maybe in the long run, some of the players in this book didn’t maintain theirs.

#BookReview
#ASpyAmongFriends
#CambridgeFive