Treason in the Blood

In this dual biography of H. St John Philby and his son, Kim Philby, highly dramatic and rich in intimate detail, the book tells the story of two men whose lives were directly opposed to the establishment into which they were born and for which they were bred. The author followed research trails leading from the United States to Great Britain, Switzerland, France and finally Moscow with interviews, examinations of private papers, photographs and KGB memoranda. After years of working with Lawrence of Arabia in British imperial intelligence and the military St John turned against Britain when it failed to honour the promises of full autonomy made to the Arabs. Acting as an agent of King Ibn Saud, he arranged affairs so that the precious Saudi oil leases went not to a British oil company, but Standard Oil of California. Later, he was suspected by the US of being either a British or Russian spy or both, operating from the Privy Council of Saudi Arabia against the Arabian-American Oil Company.
This treachery extended from father to son, as Kim Philby became the foremost British Secret Service agent of his generation until, in 1963, he was exposed as a secret communist working as a secret agent of the Kremlin.