George Blake

George Blake (born George Behar 11 November 1922), is a former British spy who worked as a double agent for the Soviet Union. He became a Communist and decided to work for the KGB while a prisoner during the Korean War. Discovered in 1961 and sentenced to 42 years in prison, he escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in 1966 and fled to the USSR. He was not one of the Cambridge spies, although he associated with fellow double agents Donald Maclean and Kim Philby after reaching the USSR.

Biography

Early life

Blake was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands in 1922, the son of a Protestant Dutch mother, and an Egyptian Jewish father who was a naturalised British subject. He was named George after King George V of the United Kingdom. His father, Albert Behar, served in the British Army in the First World War. While he received the Meritorious Service Medal, he embellished his war service when recounting it to his wife and children, and also concealed his Jewish background up until his death. The Behars lived a comfortable existence in the Netherlands until Albert's death in 1936. The thirteen-year-old Blake was sent to live with relatives in Egypt, where he continued his education at the English School in Cairo. While in Cairo, he was close to his cousin Henri Curiel, who was later to become a leader of the Communist Democratic Movement for National Liberation. In 1991, Blake said that his encounter with Curiel, who was a decade older and already a Marxist, shaped his views in later life.

George Blake (disambiguation)

George Blake (born 1922) is a former British spy and a double agent for the Soviet Union.

George Blake may also refer to

See also

George Blake (athlete)

George Bernard Blake (4 September 1878 – 6 February 1946) was an Australian sportsman who competed in the 1906 Intercalated Games and 1908 Summer Olympics as a long distance runner. He also played Australian rules football with St Kilda and Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Biography

Blake, the son of Irish immigrants, had 10 siblings. One of them, Tom Blake, was also a league footballer and distance runner of note. Another, Mick Blake, also played in the VFL.

In 1897, Blake made three appearances for St Kilda, in the inaugural VFL season. He played three more games in 1898 and then, due to his running career, had to wait five years for his seventh and final league game with St Kilda. He returned for the 1905 to play one more game, this time at Carlton.

A national record holder for the 10 miles, Blake was one of Australia's leading long distance runners of the early 1900s and was a member of the East Melbourne Harriers Athletic Club. He went to Auckland in 1901 for the Australasian Championships and finished second in the three miles, but was the first placed Australian.