Join Us for Our Talk Spies, Lies and Double Agents

Sophie Smiley and the Visit Cambridge Team will be exploring the intriguing world of the Cambridge Spies and the local wartime espionage history. Spying is often said to be the world’s second oldest profession. From the moment Odysseus secretly observed Penelope and her suitors on his return to Ithaca, the gathering of clandestine information has shaped history. Espionage has long played a role in warfare, politics, industry and even academia. Universities have been fertile recruiting grounds for spies for centuries – and Cambridge has been more generous than most. Since Tudor times, this has been a place where experts in espionage have learned their trade and where agents have been recruited to serve both the British government and its enemies.  In this fascinating talk, Cambridge Green Badge guide Sophie Smiley reveals the stories of spies and double agents linked to Cambridge, the organisations they served, and some of the discoveries made in the city that helped their work.  Discover how secrets are kept – and betrayed.