An evening with Kim Philby (186)

Ben Brown is the writer of A Splinter of Ice, a play that portrays the meeting in Moscow in 1987 of one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century, Graham Greene and his old MI6 boss, Kim Philby, one of Britain's most notorious spies... and a traitor. 

Graham Greene never divulged any details of the meeting and Ben’s play imagines what might have been. We discuss the play, as well as how Philby and Greene’s lives intertwined. 

It’s a story of two men catching up on old times, but with a new world order breaking around them how much did the writer of The Third Man know about Philby's secret life as a spy? Did Philby betray his friend as well as his country..?

 A trailer and other videos are available in our episode notes here www.coldwarconversations.com/episode186/

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I am delighted to welcome Ben Brown to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information on this episode here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode186/

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0:00 Introduction to the episode and discussion on "A Splinter of Ice"

3:07 Deep dive into Kim Philby’s life, his relationship with Graham Green, and their portrayal in the media

17:25 Exploration of Philby's rise in the security services and overlooked communist credentials

25:05 Discussion on why Green left MI6 and the research used for the play

31:05 Examination of John La Carre's opinion of Philby and his influence on La Carre's work

35:04 Discussion on the political climate in the 1930s, the rise of fascism and its impact

44:59 Discussion on actors' preparation for their roles in the play

51:35 Exploration of Philby's life in Russia, his struggles and the role of Ruth in his life

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