A Spy Among Friends by Ben MacIntyre
As I was reading The Prize by Daniel Yergin, I stumbled upon the story of Harry St. John Bridger Philby, the man credited with opening up Saudi Arabia to the West. British in upbringing but not always in loyalties, John Philby was a stubborn and adventurous man with a love for Arabic and the cultures of the Middle East. After 34 hours of personal interviews, John became a confidant and friend of King Ibn Saud, the towering man who had grown up in exile in the neighboring Kuwait and through sheer force of will and mastery of realpolitik, united his kingdom. John connected King Ibn Saud to Charles Crane, an American plumbing tycoon, and then Karl Twitchell, a engineer in Yemen drilling for water -- eventually leading the way to one of the first oil concessions.
Philby worked as a paid agent for Socal, acting as an advisor to the Saudis, coaching IPC and serving as Longrigg's confidant, and casually dropping in conversation with various oil men what the King had said to him on their most recent auto ride up to Mecca.
With all this -- it seems natural that John Philby's son would also gravitate towards a life with an eccentric and mysterious taste. His son, Kim Philby, was one of the most legendary double-agents of modern spycraft. Spying for the soviets after reaching a firm resolution at the age of 21, the younger Philby used his aristocratic English upbringing to worked his way up MI6 and supply the KGB with invaluable intel for over three decades before escaping to Moscow. He had everyone fooled -- colleagues, friends, and family-- even after coming inches away from certain doom.
A Spy Among Friends by Ben MacIntyre is a thrilling and context-filled, in-depth account of the life of a spy that nobody ever truly knew. Philby was paradoxical in his existence and the times he represented shaped him but were also forever changed by his larger than life impression. He had impeccable luck and a charming personality; one that led him infiltrate MI6 and the CIA to the pleasure of his KGB handlers.
Main characters: Kim Philby, Nicholas Elliot, James Angleton, Anthony Blunt, Elizabeth Elliot, Konstantin Volkov, George Blake.
I read this on audiobook -- so no quotes this time.
Currently reading :
Drug Wars: How Big Pharma Raises Prices and Keeps Generics off the Market by Robin Feldman
Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban
On Pause: The Prize by Daniel Yergin