Anthony Blunt - Memoirs

Memoirs

Blunt withdrew from society and seldom went out after his exposure. His friend Tess Rothschild suggested that he occupy his time writing his memoirs. Brian Sewell, his former pupil, said they remained unfinished because he had to consult the newspaper library in Colindale, Edgware North London, to check facts. He was unhappy at being recognised. "I do know he was really worried about upsetting his family," suggests Sewell. "I think he was being absolutely straight with me when he said that if he could not verify the facts there was no point in going on." Blunt stopped writing in 1983 leaving his memoirs to his partner John Gaskin, who kept it for a year and gave it to Blunt's executor John Golding, a fellow art historian.

John Golding handed it to the British Library, insisting that it should not to be released for 25 years. It was finally made available to readers on 23 July 2009. Golding explains: " 'I did so because, although most of the figures mentioned were dead, their families might not like it. It covers his Cambridge days and there are a number of names. They weren't all spies, but Communism was common among intellectuals in the Thirties."

In the typed manuscript, Blunt conceded that spying for Communist Russia was "the biggest mistake of his life":

"What I did not realise is that I was so naïve politically that I was not justified in committing myself to any political action of this kind. The atmosphere in Cambridge was so intense, the enthusiasm for any anti-fascist activity was so great, that I made the biggest mistake of my life."

The memoir revealed little that was not already known about Blunt. When asked whether there would be any new or unexpected names, John Golding replied "I'm not sure. It's 25 years since I read it, and my memory is not that good." Although ordered by the KGB to defect with Maclean and Burgess to protect Philby, in 1951 Blunt realised "quite clearly that I would take any risk in, rather than go to Russia." After he was publicly exposed, he claims to have considered suicide but instead turned to "whisky and concentrated work".