Michael Holzman
Author Michael Holzman, on his book, Spies and Traitors: Kim Philby, James Angleton and the Friendship and Betrayal That Would Shape Mi6, the CIA and the Cold War, which takes on a brilliant exposé of how Kim Philby – the master-spy and notorious double agent – became the mentor, and later, mortal enemy, of James Angleton, who would eventually become the long-serving chief of counterintelligence for the CIA.
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A brilliant exposé of how Kim Philby–the master-spy and notorious double agent–became the mentor, and later, mortal enemy, of James Angleton, who would eventually lead the CIA.
Kim Philby’s life and career has inspired an entire literary genre: the spy novel of betrayal. Philby was one of the leaders of the British counter-intelligence efforts, first against the Nazis, then against the Soviet Union. He was also the KGB’s most valuable double-agent, so highly regarded that his image is on the postage stamps of the Russian Federation even today.
Before he was exposed, Philby was the mentor of James Jesus Angleton, one of the central figures in the early years of the CIA who became the long-serving chief of the counter-intelligence staff of the Agency.
James Angleton and Kim Philby were friends for six years, or so Angleton thought. Then they were enemies for the rest of their lives. This is the story of their intertwined careers and a betrayal that would have dramatic and irrevocable effects on the Cold War and US-Soviet relations, and have a direct effect on the shape and culture of the CIA in the latter half of the twentieth century.
Spanning the globe, from London and Washington DC, to Rome and Istanbul, Spies and Traitors gets to the heart of one of the most important and flawed personal relationships in modern history.
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[Recorded on May 19, 2022.]