July 22nd 2024.
Newly released government files have revealed that the British Library was interested in acquiring the personal archive of notorious double agent Kim Philby. This deal was worth tens of thousands of pounds and caused quite a stir at the time. Philby, who was recruited by the KGB in the 1930s as part of the infamous Cambridge spy ring, had risen to become a senior officer in MI6. However, in the 1950s, he came under suspicion and his treacherous actions were blamed for countless agent deaths.
The British Library's attempt to purchase Philby's archive involved offering a substantial sum of money to his widow. This caused quite a commotion among government officials, who were outraged at the thought of the library enriching the family of a man responsible for such betrayal. In an attempt to ease these concerns, the library assured the government that no public money would be involved and that they were simply looking for a "benefactor" to finance the purchase.
Despite this reassurance, the then cabinet secretary, Sir Robin Butler, deemed the transaction unacceptable and wrote, "I doubt whether this is a transaction that the British Library should promote or even whether they should agree to receive the papers." The library had initially been approached by Philby's Russian fourth wife, Rufina, in 1993 - five years after his death and 30 years after he fled to Moscow. She was asking for £68,000 for the collection, which included details of a course Philby had run for KGB agents preparing to deploy to the UK. The archive also contained letters from his former MI6 colleague and friend, novelist Graham Greene, as well as a history of the Communist Party signed by fellow defector and double agent Guy Burgess.
Michael Borrie, a senior member of the library staff, contacted the Cabinet Office to express their interest in the archive, provided suitable arrangements could be made. He stated that the library believed these papers should be in a British public institution, as long as they were authentic and not tampered with. However, they were not willing to use public funds for this acquisition and were looking for a benefactor. But before any further steps could be taken, Mrs. Philby was asked to send the papers to London for thorough inspection.
It was not mentioned who the library had in mind as a potential benefactor, but Cabinet Office officials suspected that they may have been thinking of Max Hastings, the editor of The Daily Telegraph at the time. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Sir Max was aware of this proposal. Despite this, officials were apprehensive about the potential backlash from the public if the library were to proceed with the deal, even without using public money.
One official, Jon Sibson, expressed concern, stating, "I suspect that there might be something of an outcry if it became known that a public body was involved even in this way in a transaction which would enrich a traitor's widow." However, they were hesitant to confront the library directly, as it was fiercely protective of its independence. Instead, it was decided that the top civil servant at the Department of National Heritage, Hayden Phillips, would have an informal meeting with the chairman of the trustees, Sir Anthony Kenny, to discreetly discourage them from pursuing the acquisition.
While Sir Anthony initially saw no issue with the papers "finding their way" to the library, he eventually agreed that the British Library should not be involved in any way in manipulating the acquisition of the archive. This intervention had the desired effect, and the library quietly dropped their interest in the proposal. However, Mrs. Philby did not lose out, as the various items in the collection were later sold for £150,000 at an auction held by Sotheby's.
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