Spy Had a Menagerie of Animals

The Cambridge spies—Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross—who burrowed into the heart of the British establishment and betrayed its secrets to the Soviet Union have been the subjects of dozens of nonfiction books and inspired numerous novels, including some by the great John le Carré. Henry Hemming, in his new book Agent M, offers the flip side of the United Kingdom's battle with internal subversion: the story of the government moles who infiltrated Communist and fascist organizations. They have largely remained anonymous, unlike the notorious Philby and his comrades, and Hemming's herculean efforts to link codenames to real names in British archival records are welcome, even if few people will ever find these individuals as fascinating as their traitorous counterparts. For most readers, however, the charm and interest of Hemming's book will come from learning about the eccentric man who directed their activities.