The Fifth Cambridge Spy
How did a civil servant end up shaping the secrets of a global rivalry?
4.7 (28)
28 mins
Discover the life of John Cairncross, a brilliant but socially isolated civil servant who secretly passed wartime intelligence to the Soviets. Explore how ideology, opportunity, and personal frustrations drew him into the Cambridge spy network and how he struggled to break free from the consequences of his choices.
Ep 1:
Hunting the Fifth Man
As Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt fall one by one, Britain scrambles to identify a mysterious fifth Soviet agent—an outsider named John Cairncross recruited into treachery from Cambridge's shadows.
Ep 2:
Secrets from Bletchley's Shadows
Inside Bletchley Park, Cairncross secretly funnels Britain's deepest secrets to Moscow, tipping the scales at Kursk while ideology and Cold War code-breaking race toward exposing his double life.
Discussions (12)
Raymond
Level 6 · 7 mo agoIt’s crazy that a guy working at Bletchley Park couldn't even figure out how to use a simple spy camera.
Elaine
Level 2 · 7 mo agoHe was the boring one. 😄
Morgan
Level 9 · 7 mo agoActually patriotism and his actions are not mutually exclusive. He supported an ally against fascism when the survival of democracy was the priority.
