Kim Philby

Press, 11 February 1981, Page 18

Kim Philby

Sir, — When I read in “The Press” that officials of the S.U.P. will attend the twenty-sixth congress of the Communist Party in Moscow, I wondered if they would meet a master spy. Kim Philby, wanted in Britain for treason and other crimes, and now acclaimed by the Soviets as one of their own patriotic heroes, Philby, I am informed, is trotted out to meet visitors from the countries of the old British Empire; this is done, no doubt, to show the faithful just how splendid life can be under the hammer and sickle, and how good the rewards are for loyal c verseas service. Certainly Philby is in a unique position to brief Englishspeaking visitors on every aspect of local homeland sabotage; his autobiography, “My Silent War,” is required reading for those working for a new shape of things to come without regard for traditional loyalties such as family ties, marriage, friendship, or allegiance to a land of birth.—Yours, etc.,' J. MACKAY. February' 8, 1981.