A Spy Named Orphan

by Roland Philipps

  The gravestone of Sir Donald Maclean and his son, loyal servants to their causes. Penn, Buckinghamshire.

  Acknowledgements

  My first and greatest debt is to Ben Macintyre, a matchless friend and brilliant author, who not only first discussed the need for a book about Donald Maclean with me, and raised the prospect of the impending release of documents about him into the British National Archives, but has encouraged and enlightened me with his knowledge and flair throughout the writing of this book.

  I would also like to thank in particular Ben Maclean, who allowed me access to the uncatalogued papers of his father, Alan, in Cambridge University Library, lent me the unpublished memoir of his aunt Nancy, and gave up his time which added greatly to my understanding of his uncle. Andrew Lownie, biographer of Guy Burgess and espionage expert, has been unfailingly generous with his contacts and deep understanding of the subject. Geoff Andrews, in his book The Shadow Man and in our conversation, was enlightening about Maclean’s years at Gresham’s School and Cambridge.

  No book about Donald Maclean could be written without access to the uncatalogued diaries and papers of Philip Toynbee held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and for permission to view these I am very grateful to Jason Toynbee.

  The staff of the Bodleian Library, the Cambridge University Library, the British Library and the National Archives have been unfailingly helpful in the writing of this book. As have Liz Larby and Simon Kinder of Gresham’s School, Holt, and Alexandra Browne of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in showing to me and discussing the material in their archives. Rosalind Pulvermacher of the Foreign Office was unfailingly prompt in answering my queries about the history and make-up of that institution. Gleb Uspensky did valiant research in Russia.

  I would like to thank the following who generously helped with their time, knowledge, conversation, insights and questions: the late Dame Margaret Anstee; Terry Bushell; Colin Campbell; Nina Campbell; Miranda Carter; George Carey; Teresa Cherfas; Dermot Clinch; Daphne Coburn; David Cornwell; Melissa Cosby; Robert Elphick; Bob Evans; James Fox; the late Jeremy Hutchinson; Josh Ireland; Derek Johns; Linda Kelly; John Lanchester; Deirdre Levi; the late Viscountess Macmillan; Virginia Makins; John Miller; John Morrison; Richard Norton-Taylor; Mollie Norwich; Phyllis Parker; Michael Randle; Mrs Daniel Rodwell; Philip Short; Paul Strudwick; Inigo Thomas; Natasha Walter; Caroline Westmore and Anna Wheatcroft.

  Robert McCrum, Ben Macintyre, Giles Milton and John Julius Norwich were kind enough to read the manuscript of the book early on and forthright enough to suggest a great many improvements.

  After working as a publisher for so long I believe that I have a strong sense of what good publishing involves. And I have nothing but the highest praise and admiration for my publishers, Stuart Williams of the Bodley Head in London and John Glusman of W. W. Norton in New York. They have been totally supportive from the start, editorially astute and tenacious, collaborative and ima­ginative. Anna-Sophia Watts and Lydia Brents have been invaluable and tirelessly helpful in steering the book through the publishing process. Chloe Healy and Ceri Maxwell Hughes of the Bodley Head and Rachel Salzman of Norton have been energetic and creative in their marketing and publicity work. It has been a privilege to work with both houses. Peter James is a peerless copy-editor with whom I have worked on many books in the past and it has been a delight and an education to be on the other side of the text from him. Anthony Hippisley’s proofreading was rigorous and erudite, and saved me from many pitfalls. Christopher Phipps made an excellent index. Any mistakes remaining are entirely my responsibility, and any criticisms should be addressed to me alone. Juliet Brightmore is an outstanding picture researcher who left no stone unturned and made that part of the creation of the book very enjoyable.

  My agents, Natasha Fairweather of Rogers, Coleridge and White in London and Elyse Cheney in New York, have been encouraging throughout the book’s life, from first idea to publication, and I would like to thank them and their teams, especially Max Edwards at Rogers, Coleridge and White, for all their hard and creative work.

  Finally and most of all, I would like to thank my wife Felicity and my son Nat for their steadfast support during the writing of this book, as well as in the many years before and to come.

  For permission to quote from copyright material, the author and publishers would like to thank: the estate of Cyril Connolly c/o Rogers, Coleridge and White Ltd for permission to quote from The Missing Diplomats by Cyril Connolly; the estate of Louis MacNeice c/o David Higham Associates Ltd and Faber and Faber Ltd for permission to quote from Autumn Journal and Letters from Iceland by Louis MacNeice; Ben Maclean for permission to quote from No, I Tell a Lie, It was the Tuesday by Alan Maclean; Patrick Garrett for permission to quote from The Missing Macleans by Geoffrey Hoare; Veronica Rodwell for permission to quote from A Divided Life by Robert Cecil; Jason Toynbee for permission to quote from the diaries and letters of Philip Toynbee.

  Bibliography

  Archives

  Bodleian Library, Oxford

  British Library Newspaper Archive, London

  Cambridge University Library

  FBI Vaults online

  Gresham’s School

  National Archives, Kew

  National Archives, Washington, DC

  Trinity Hall, Cambridge

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