In November 1979, Margaret Thatcher exposed the distinguished art historian Anthony Blunt as a former Soviet spy - part of the infamous Cambridge Spy Ring who traded secrets with Moscow during the Second World War. Blunt’s unmasking provoked a media outcry that turned him into a national hate figure. In this 10-Minute Talk, President of the British Academy David Cannadine discusses the background to this extraordinary story. And he reveals how the British Academy itself got caught up in the public furore, leading to a showdown at its Annual General Meeting forty years ago this month, on the question of whether Blunt should be expelled from its membership.

'A Question of Retribution? The British Academy and the Matter of Anthony Blunt', edited by David Cannadine, was published on 23 July 2020.

Image: Anthony Blunt at a press conference, 20th November 1979 © Central Press / Stringer / Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Transcript: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/podcasts/10-minute-talks-art-historian-professor-writer-spy-the-extraordinary-story-of-anthony-blunt/