From the Soviet Union, Philby looked back with contempt at all of Hoover’s posturing and missteps as an intelligence chief. But he gave Hoover credit for savvy political judgment—for knowing when to fight and when to fold, when to keep secrets and when to reveal them. “Hoover is a great politician,” Philby concluded. “His blanket methods and ruthless authoritarianism are the wrong weapons for the subtle world of intelligence. But they have other uses.”[36]
