Donald Maclean
| Donald Maclean link Spartacus (Spook) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Donald Duart Maclean 25 May 1913 Marylebone, London, England |
| Died | 6 March 1983 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge/Trinity Hall, Gresham's School |
British diplomat who conveyed government secrets to the Soviet Union | |
Donald Duart Maclean was a British diplomat who conveyed government secrets to the Soviet Union, as part of the Cambridge Five.
As an undergraduate, Maclean openly proclaimed his left-wing views, and was recruited into the Soviet intelligence service, then known as the NKVD. He entered the Civil Service and in 1938, he was made Third Secretary at the Paris embassy. He then worked in London and was sent to Washington, D.C. from 1944 to 1948, achieving promotion to First Secretary. He was posted to Egypt and then was appointed head of the American Department in the Foreign Office.
The Soviets helped Maclean to defect to Moscow in 1951. In Moscow, Maclean worked as a specialist on British policy and relations between the Soviet Union and NATO. He died there on 6 March 1983.[1]