a spy named orphan the enigma of donald maclean

Donald Maclean was one of the most treacherous spies of the Cold War era. Taking us back to the golden age of espionage, A Spy Named Orphan reveals the impact of one of the most dangerous and enigmatic Soviet agents of the 20th century, whose actions heightened the tensions of the Cold War. A Spy Named Orphan - The Enigma of Donald Maclean by Roland Philipps. Philipps unravels Maclean?s character and contradictions: a childhood that was simultaneously liberal and austere a Cambridge education mixing in Communist circles a polished diplomat with a tendency to wild binges a marriage complicated by secrets an accelerated rise through the Foreign Office and, above all, a gift for deception. Moments before he was unmasked, Maclean vanished.ĭrawing on a wealth of previously classified material, Roland Philipps now tells this story for the first time in full.

Additionally, it gives great insight into other infamous spies of the 1940’s/50’s to such an extent that it’s akin to being a fly on the wall. But as he leaked huge amounts of top-secret intelligence, an international code-breaking operation was rapidly closing in on him. A tale of the tangled web spun by a Briton who spied for the Soviet Union and ended his days in Moscow exile. 4/5: 3.5 Stars If you’re wanting an in-depth look at what made real-life spy Donald Maclean tick, then A Spy Named Orphan will not disappoint.

He was also a Russian spy, driven by passionately held beliefs, whose betrayal and defection to Moscow reverberated for decades.Ĭhristened ?Orphan? by his Russian recruiter, Maclean was the perfect spy and Britain?s most gifted traitor. Moments before he was unmasked, Maclean escaped to Moscow. Print Spy Named Orphan, A: The Enigma of Donald Macleanĭonald Maclean was a star diplomat, an establishment insider and a keeper of some of the West's greatest secrets.

A spy named orphan the enigma of donald maclean