The Last Cambridge Spy

John Cairncross, Bletchley Park Mole and Soviet Agent

Chris Smith

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Paperback

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English

HISTORY PRESS
01 April 2022

Biography: historical, political & military; History; British & Irish history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; The Cold War; Espionage & secret services

The first biography of John Cairncross, the fifth member of the Cambridge spy ring and colleague of Alan Turing.

John Cairncross was among the most damaging spies of the twentieth century. A member of the infamous Cambridge spy ring, he leaked highly sensitive documents from Bletchley Park, MI6 and the Treasury to the Soviet Union including the first Atomic secrets and raw decrypts from Enigma and Tunny that influenced the outcome of the Battle of Kursk. Based on newly released archival materials, this biography will be the first to cover the life and espionage of this singularly important spy. In 2014 Cairncross appeared as a secondary, though key, character in the biopic of Alan Turing's life, The Imitation Game. The result was considerable negative reaction within the national press. Despite this clear interest, the function filled by Cairncross remains an untold story. Where all of the other members of the Cambridge spy ring have been the subject of extensive biographical study, Cairncross has largely been omitted by both academic and popular writers, and no biography has yet been penned of his life.

AUTHOR: Chris Smith is a lecturer in Modern British and European History at the University of Kent. He has published a monograph (with Palgrave Macmillan, entitled The Hidden History of Bletchley Park) on the history of Bletchley Park and several related articles in journals, not least History of Science. As a professional academic historian he has extensive experience of lecturing and has also appeared on BBC Radio 4's Making History.

By: Chris Smith
Imprint: HISTORY PRESS
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd New edition
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9780750998604
ISBN 10: 0750998601
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 01 April 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

DR CHRIS SMITH is a Lecturer in History at Coventry University. He is the author of The Hidden History of Bletchley Park (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) as well as several related articles that have been published in journals such as History of Science.

Reviews for The Last Cambridge Spy: John Cairncross, Bletchley Park Mole and Soviet Agent

The Last Cambridge Spy is not just a fascinating, well-placed book about an interesting individual, but is also invites us to re-appraise the very idea of the 'Cambridge spy ring' -- Sir Dermot Turing Chris Smith offer us a remarkable account of John Cairncross...he has captured him at last - a riveting read -- Professor Richard Aldrich