Morris Riley
Janus Publishing, London, 1999,
£9.95 pb
I know occasional Lobster contributor Morris Riley has waited a long time and overcome legal obstacles to get this out but I have to say this isn’t very good. The ‘hidden years’ in the title refers to the years Philby spent in Beirut, parked there by SIS. Thus we get short chapters on the overthrow of the Mossadeq government in Iran (which occurred before Philby arrived in Beirut); the curious ‘invasion’ of Lebanon by the US in 1958, in which, according to Riley, Philby played no role; and the David Smiley/Billy McLean operation in Yemen in which Philby played no role that I can see, and about which Riley has written elsewhere at greater length.
Riley is determined that Philby, while in Beirut, continued to work for what he insists on calling the RIS (Russian Intelligence Service) but has virtually no evidence to back up this view.
There is some speculation about the allegiance of Lord Rothschild which has been floating around in certain sections of the British Right for about 45 years since the late and unlamented Kenneth de Courcy first alleged that Rothschild was a Soviet agent. But apart from that – I basically don’t ‘get’ this book. If there is someone reading this with more knowledge – and more interest – in the never-ending English drama of class betrayal that the Philby story represents who would like to read this book, please get in touch.