Charlotte Philby talks about her grandfather Soviet spy Kim Philby & her book "Edith & Kim" (228)

Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

Ian Sanders

History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 865 Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2022

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In June 1934, Kim Philby met his Soviet handler, the spy Arnold Deutsch. Kim Philby was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union. In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring that had divulged British secrets to the Soviets during World War II and in the early stages of the Cold War. The woman who introduced Philby to Deutsch was Edith Tudor-Hart and her story has never been told. Edith Tudor Hart changed the course of 20th-century history. Then she was written out of it. I speak with Charlotte Philby, granddaughter of Kim Philby. Charlotte has written "Edith and Kim" which draws on the Secret Intelligence Files on Edith Tudor Hart, along with the private archive letters of Kim Philby. This finely worked, evocative and beautifully tense novel tells, for the first time, the story of the woman behind the Third Man. We also hear from Charlotte what it was like having Kim Philby as her grandfather, including details of visits to see him in Moscow during the Cold War. It’s a fascinating insight into one of the most notorious spies of the Cold War. Now, this podcast relies on your support to enable me to continue to capture these incredible stories and make them available to you. If you’d like to continue to hear the podcast and help preserve Cold War history, you can support me via one off or monthly donations. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ for more details. If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social media. It really helps us get new guests on the show. I am delighted to welcome Charlotte Philby to our Cold War conversation… Book giveaway details further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode228/ If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. 0:00 Introduction and reflections on Kim Philby's legacy 1:03 Discussion on Kim Philby and his Soviet handler, Arnold Deutsch 4:21 Exploration of Edith Tudor-Hart's life and her connection to Kim Philby 15:27 Edith Tudor-Hart's involvement in left wing politics and the rise of fascism 18:28 Gender inequalities during the Cold War 22:31 The significance of Edith's portrait in Kim's study 31:43 Charlotte's memories of Kim Philby 35:15 The impact of Kim Philby's legacy on Charlotte's career 57:55 Edith's life as depicted through her photos 1:02:19 Comparing Edith and Kim Philby's experiences in concealing their beliefs Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:06.1	But Kim used to say to my mum, even at the bitter end, history will judge me kindly.
0:11.7	He really believed, or at least he definitely was convinced.
0:16.3	He believed that they've done the right thing.
0:18.4	And I think in many ways he probably did, but I do think there also must have been nights
0:22.5	where he struggled to sleep.
0:26.1	This is Cold War Conversations.
0:30.3	If you knew here, you've come to the right place to listen to firsthand Cold War history accounts.
0:36.3	Do make sure you follow us in your podcast app so that you
0:39.3	don't miss out on future episodes. In June 1934, Kim Filby met his Soviet handler, the spy Arnold
0:49.3	Deutsch. Philby was a British intelligence officer and a double agent for the Soviet Union.
0:55.0	In 1963 he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring,
1:01.0	which had divulged British secrets to the Soviets during World War II and the early stages of the Cold War.
1:08.0	The woman who introduced Philby to Deutsch was Edith Tudor Hart, and her story has never
1:14.8	been told.
1:17.0	Edith Tudor Hart changed the course of 20th century history, and then she was written out of it.
1:24.1	I speak with Charlotte Filby, brand daughter of Kim Filby.
1:28.6	Charlotte has written Edith and Kim, which draws on the secret intelligence files on Edith
1:33.8	Tudor Hart, along with the private archive letters of Kim Filby.
1:38.2	This finely worked, evocative and beautifully tense novel tells for the first time the story of the woman behind the third
1:46.0	man. We also hear from Charlotte what it was like having Kim Filby as a grandfather, including
1:53.0	details of her visits to see him in Moscow during the Cold War. It's a fascinating insight into
	...

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