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Guy BurgessSoviet intelligence officer, member of the Cambridge Five
Date of Birth: 16.04.1911
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Recruitment by Soviet Intelligence
- Career in Broadcasting and Government
- Double Life in London
- Diplomatic Post in Washington
- Fleeing to the Soviet Union
- Life in the USSR
Early Life and Education
Guy Burgess was born in Devonport, England, in 1911. His father was a naval officer, and Burgess attended Eton College and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. In 1934, he graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the Cambridge Apostles, a secret intellectual society with Marxist leanings.
Recruitment by Soviet Intelligence
While at Cambridge, Burgess met other members of the "Cambridge Five" spy ring, including Arnold Deutsch, a Soviet agent who recruited him to work for Soviet intelligence. To conceal his left-wing views, Burgess joined the pro-Nazi Anglo-German Fellowship.
Career in Broadcasting and Government
After university, Burgess worked as an assistant to Colonel John Macnamara. From 1936 to 1944, he worked for the BBC, producing the program "The Week in Westminster." He also worked part-time for MI5's propaganda division from 1939 to 1941. In 1944, he joined the British Foreign Office.
Double Life in London
In London, Burgess lived with Anthony Blunt in a flat owned by Victor Rothschild. Despite both men being homosexual, Blunt claimed that their relationship "had nothing of a sexual nature."
Diplomatic Post in Washington
In 1947, Burgess was sent to Washington as second secretary to His Majesty's Embassy.
Fleeing to the Soviet Union
In March 1951, Kim Philby warned Burgess and Donald Maclean that they were under suspicion. In May 1951, both men fled England and were smuggled to Kuibyshev, Soviet Union.
Life in the USSR
In 1956, Burgess was allowed to settle in Moscow and was given a passport under the name Jim Andreas Eliot. He struggled to adapt to life in the USSR and died of alcoholism in 1963. According to his will, his ashes were returned to his family in the UK.
