Cold War Spies: Donald Maclean (1913-83)

Figure 1.-- Cambridge Five spy Donald Maclean was educated at Gresham's School, one of England's piblic schools, meaning a private secondary-level boarduing schools--but not one of the most prestigious public schools. This is oart of a group portrait at Gresham's, but we re not dure what the group was.

Donald Maclean was one of the Canbridge Five, upper-middle class Brits who believed that capitalism and democracy had failed. Donald was born in London (1913). He was the son of of the Liberal cabinet minister, Donald Maclean. Donald was educated at Gresham's School, one of England's piblic schools, meaning a private secondary-level boarduing schools--but not one of the most prestigious public schools. A friend who became his biographer writes, "Maclean was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, where the headmaster, J. R. Eccles, enforced the so-called 'honour system’ with the aim of maintaining the highest moral standards. It may well be supposed that this system, allied to a strict upbringing at the hands of Sir Donald, a non-smoker, temperance advocate, and severe sabbatarian, may have brought out in his son the tendency both to rebel and to deceive authority." [Cecil] Maclean enrted Trinity College to study modern languages (1931). He had alreasy devceloped decidely left-wing views. He joined the Cambridge University Socialist Society (CUSS). Most of the fiends he associated wuth hadradical political views. This included Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, Kim Philby and James Klugmann. He openly expressed a commitment to Communism and was recruited by the KGB. After Cambridged he joined the Foreign Office abd advanced to a senior position. . Philby tipped him and Burgess that they were suspected. They defected toether. He left Melinda and the the children behind (1951). He was seen as a cad as a result. Melinda was not suspected, but we now know she knew all mabout it. She followed him with the children (1963). The children grew up in the Soviet Union and married Russians. But they and their mother eventually made their way to the West. Maclean has been described as stiff, ideological and forbidding. He made a career as 'Mark Frazer', instructing Soviet diplomats and doing his best to avoiding British journalists. Some experts say he did the most danage. His position as a senior diplomat in the Foreign Office gave access to more information than what was available to the others. He thus provided a lot of information about nuclear strategy and NATO. A lot of that would have suggested that America and Britain were not an offensive threat which actually may have been of great benefit. Gresham's School was accused of 'tarnishing' the school's istory after it proposed putting up a blue plaque to honor Maclean who was an Old Greshamian (2021).

Sources

Cecil, Ribert. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004-14).

Created: 4:03 AM 8/9/2021
Last updated: 4:03 AM 8/9/2021