The Cambridge spies: confessions in MI5 files
Verified: Documented in primary records or confirmed by reputable inquiry/reporting.
Cambridge graduates were recruited by Soviet intelligence in the 1930s. The National Archives publishes MI5 records in which Kim Philby gave a partial confession on 11 January 1963 and Anthony Blunt confessed on 23 April 1964. Blunt was given immunity from prosecution in return for confessing.
Documented
MI5 files (KV 2/4737 and KV 2/4705) record the confessions, and The National Archives states the immunity. The sources opened do not name the Soviet handlers, so none are named here.
Claimed, disputed or not established
Philby’s own account, as summarised by the Archive, was that he spied from 1934 to 1946. That is his claim, not an audited finding.
Sources (opened in a new tab)
- The National Archives: Confessions from the Cambridge Five ↗https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/the-collection-blog/confessions-from-the-cambridge-five/
- The National Archives: Anthony Blunt’s confession ↗https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/stories/anthony-blunt-confession/
- The National Archives: latest release of MI5 files (14 Jan 2025) ↗https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/news/document-releases/latest-release-of-files-from-mi5/
Connected
- Section: United Kingdom
- Agencies: MI5, KGB
- Vault documents: Latest release of files from MI5 ↗
- Case board · Timeline (1963) · Document vault