Agent Moliere: The Life of John Cairncross, the Fifth Man of the Cambridge Spy Circle

John Cairncross was a Cambridge Spy who worked alone and was driven by his hostility to Fascism rather than to the promotion of Communism. Geoff Andrews has access to the Cairncross papers and secrets and has spoken to friends, relatives, and former colleagues to reveal a complex individual whose motivations have often been misunderstood. After his resignation from the Civil Service, Cairncross moved to Italy and rebuilt his life as a foreign correspondent, editor, and university professor, but always lived with the fear that his earlier espionage would come to light.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

John Cairncross, one of the Cambridge Spies, has always been more enigmatic than the others. He worked alone and was motivated by his opposition to Fascism rather than the promotion of Communism. During World War II, he passed documents to the Soviets that influenced the Battle of Kursk. Now, Geoff Andrews has access to Cairncross's papers and secrets and has spoken to friends, relatives, and former colleagues. Cairncross was a complex individual who was often misunderstood. After resigning from the Civil Service, he moved to Italy and rebuilt his life as a foreign correspondent, editor, and university professor. This gave him new circles and friendships, including the writer Graham Greene, but he always lived with the fear that his earlier espionage would come to light. The full account of Cairncross's spying, confession, and dramatic public exposure as the "fifth man" will be told here for the first time, while also unveiling the story of his post-espionage life.

Weight: 526g
Dimension: 147 x 223 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781788311304