The story of KGB spies in Hampstead that helped to leak the atomic bomb secrets has been uncovered by a former broadcaster.
Stewart Purvis CBE, spent a successful career in journalism, rising up the ranks to become Editor and eventually Chief Executive of ITN.
But since hanging up the pen and pad, the 78-year-old found his new passion: Soviet spies in North West London.
His new tour called ‘Hampstead Spies – The Atomic Secrets’ starts in April and explores the stories of Communists who acted as KGB spies and recruiters in Hampstead throughout the 1930’s and 1940’s, that leaked vital information about the nuclear bomb development projects.
Starting in Belsize Park, he takes you around the former homes of agents, before finishing in Swiss Cottage, home to the former headquaters of the Communist Austrians in London.
Stewart said: “It’s a bit of an odd way of learning about the atomic bomb, walking around NW3.”
“The National Archive are always releasing new information, so I am always trying to make the tour as interesting as possible.”
Stewart became obsessed with the topic while co-writing a book about Guy Burgess – a member of the infamous “Cambridge Five”, a Soviet spy ring within British intelligence composed of Cambridge University graduates.
Interestingly, his research kept bringing him back to North West London.
He said: “While researching for the book, I realized that a man called James Klugmann, who persuaded Burgess to become a Communist, used to live in the house across the road to me in Belsize Park Gardens.”
“I then began to go through lots of other files and discovered the connections between all these people.”
Along with more infamous KGB double agents such as Kim Philby – who was originally from West Hampstead – the tour touches on the less well-known figures who had also lived in the area.
Engelbert Broda, Klaus Fuchs and Edith Tudor-Hart are just some of the names that were involved in the leaking of nuclear secrets to Moscow.
“Fuchs actually worked on Manhattan Project with Robert Oppenheimer,” Stewart said.
The Isokon Flats on Lawn Road was one of the hubs for spies during that time. It was home to Tudor-Hart and Arnold Deutsch, both of whom helped to recruit Philby.
“About five different people connected with spying lived in that building.”
Stewart has travelled all over the world, gathering more information on the topic and recently he returned from Los Almos, USA, visiting the site where the first atomic bomb was developed.
He said: “I have been to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and I have also done research on the informers in Germany and Austria where they originally came from.”
“So, yeah, I think that’s an obsession.”
If you are interested in Stewart’s tours, you can book here using this link.
Featured image credit: Stewart Purvis
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