They Spied for the Enemy - Stories of Traitors

Amidst the war in Ukraine between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, British news outlets published a piece of small yet possibly significant news. On Friday, the 17th of February 2023, British High Court found David Ballantyne Smith guilty of charges of spying for Russia. Smith, a former aircraftman with the Royal Air Force (RAF), worked as a security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin when he committed the offence.

Smith, photo taken by undercover agents during the sting operation. Photo credit: The Guardian.

 British Security Services (better known as MI5) uncovered Smith's treachery after they received tip-offs from their sister agency, British Foreign Intelligence Service (also known as MI6). Smith's Russian handlers were likely careless in updating Moscow of Smith's treachery, allowing MI6 to intercept the report. 

MI5 set up a sting operation to entrap Smith and collected sufficient details to prosecute him in court. MI5 investigation revealed that Smith was not only supportive of Russia but also paid for his treacherous work. 

With the revelation, Smith enters the infamous list of British citizens caught spying for Russia. 

Not The First, Unlikely to be the Last

Smith's action was not the most damaging to the British interest. That dishonour (or honour, depending on your stand on this issue) belongs to Kim Philby. 

Kim Philby as he was granted asylum by Russia. Photo credit: Unknown. Public domain photo.

Born Harold Adrian Russell Philby in 1912, he came from an aristocratic family. During his youth, while studying at Cambridge, he identified himself as a communist. He entered MI6 during the Second World War. He climbed the ladder and became the Head of MI6.

In 1951, Philby was heading an investigation into Donald MacClean and Guy Burgess, both British diplomats, for suspicion of spying for Soviet Russia. Both men had suddenly gone missing before turning up alive in Moscow. Both men were Philby's close friends at Cambridge. Due to his 'failure' to arrest the two diplomats and the subsequent belief that he was also involved, Philby had to step down. 

In 1961, A KGB defector formerly with the First Directorate (Foreign Intelligence), Anatoliy Golitsyn, confirmed that Philby had spied for Russia. As MI6 personnel tried to get Philby to confess, he escaped and resurfaced in Russia. 

Due to his actions and his friends from their days in Cambridge, they have been named the Cambridge Five. Two other members are Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross.  

Oleg Penkovsky

A name forgotten by history, the information he provided to the United States assured that the Soviet Union did not intend to start a war, much less that of a nuclear war. 

Colonel Oleg Penkovsky, Photo credit: All Things Interesting

GRU (Russian Army Military Intelligence) Colonel Oleg Penkovsky spied for the United States with the help of British Foreign Intelligence. He tipped off the United States of a Soviet nuclear missile base in Cuba, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis. The same information made the US realise that the Soviet was not readying for war.  

While he managed to avert a nuclear war, the USSR did not view his actions favourably. They sentenced him to death. Details of his execution are murky; most records recorded that he had been shot dead. Some claimed that his executor had incinerated him alive. 

Siddiq Ghouse

Despite being a neutral country, Malaysia is not immune from foreign intelligence activities. Malaysia is one of the three countries that control the Straits of Malacca. The strait is vital for global trade and forms a natural chokepoint that can restrict trading activities.

News report on Siddiq Ghouse and the three KGB agents.  Photo credit: Capt (R) Abdul Rahmat of Seademon. 

One Malaysian found himself recruited by KGB in the 70s. Siddiq Ghouse was the personal secretary to the then-Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir.  

Royal Malaysian Police Force (RMPF) Special Branch (SB) did not reveal how they discovered him, except that they had arrested him with devices used to perform his nefarious activities. Tun Dr Mahathir claimed Siddiq did not have access to sensitive information. He had fired Siddiq days before the arrest.   

The issue was closed with the Government exiling Siddiq to Soviet Russia and declaring three Soviet diplomats as persona non-grata. 

Heroes or Traitors

Despite their respective treachery to their nations, there are always two sides to a coin. Some see them as heroes, others as traitors. How you see them depends on your inclination.