The Circus by Nigel West

Author:Nigel West
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Espionage, English History
ISBN: 9780812829198
Publisher: Stein and Day
Published: 1983-06-14T23:00:00+00:00

In the months before KAGO’s arrival in England there had been several important new developments in the Philby case. Late in 1962 a former wartime MI5 officer discovered a significant new lead. He had been approached by a leading Zionist and senior Marks & Spencer executive, Mrs Flora Solomon. Mrs Solomon had once employed Philby’s second wife, Aileen, and it was she who had first introduced her to Philby. It seemed that before the war Philby had had occasion to confide in her and ask for her help. She had not come forward with the information because she had, of course, been unaware of the secret investigation and interrogation of her friend which had taken place in 1951. However, some of his recent pro-Nasser and anti-Zionist newspaper dispatches from Beirut had prompted her to denounce him as a KGB agent. The former MI5 officer immediately recognized the gravity of her evidence and introduced her to Dick White, the Chief of MI6. Mrs Solomon provided damning testimony against Philby and White decided that the evidence should be given to his former colleagues in MI5.

Accordingly Mrs Solomon was interviewed by Arthur Martin and he concluded that the case against Philby was now undeniable. The remaining problem was how to lure Philby back to London or extract a confession from him abroad. The matter was discussed by just a handful of officers: Hollis, Mitchell, the Director ‘D’ and two members of the D1 section. It was agreed that Martin should proceed to Beirut and offer Philby a formal immunity from prosecution in return for a complete confession. At the last moment White intervened and stated that it would be more appropriate if the case was handled by an SIS officer, and Nicholas Elliott, an old friend of Philby’s, volunteered for the job. Elliott was duly dispatched to the Lebanon shortly before Christmas 1962.

Elliott’s meeting with Philby appeared to go according to plan. Philby admitted espionage for the Russians and seemed to be anxious to take up the offer of immunity. He also begged Elliott to break the news to his American third wife, Eleanor. Elliott first went to the British Embassy and announced himself to Peter Lunn, who had succeeded him as the MI6 Head of Station in Beirut. Using Lunn’s facilities he enciphered a telegram to London informing White of his success. He then returned as agreed to Philby’s flat where Elliott found Philby dead drunk. Elliott then described to Eleanor his conversation earlier in the day with her husband. Elliott had one further meeting with Philby and then returned to London. On the evening of 23 January 1963 Philby vanished.

Philby’s extraordinary volte-face served only to heighten MI5’s suspicions of his somewhat limited ‘confession’ of the previous month. Indeed, Elliott was certain Philby was expecting him and had prepared his confession in advance. If his sudden departure from Beirut had been executed under KGB control, as seemed increasingly likely, then it followed that Philby’s confession might also have been controlled. This view

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