called ▁' Th ird ▁Man ', ▁if ▁indeed ▁there ▁was ▁one ." ▁Following ▁this , ▁Phil by ▁gave ▁a ▁press ▁conference ▁in ▁which ▁– ▁calm ly , ▁confident ly , ▁and ▁without ▁the ▁stam mer ▁he ▁had ▁strugg led ▁with ▁since ▁child hood ▁– ▁he ▁re iter ated ▁his ▁innoc ence , ▁declaring , ▁" I ▁have ▁never ▁been ▁a ▁commun ist ." ▁ ▁Later ▁life ▁and ▁defe ction ▁ ▁Be ir ut ▁After ▁being ▁ex on er ated , ▁Phil by ▁was ▁no ▁longer ▁employed ▁by ▁M I 6 ▁and ▁Soviet ▁intelligence ▁lost ▁all ▁contact ▁with ▁him . ▁In ▁August ▁ 1 9 5 6 ▁he ▁was ▁sent ▁to ▁Be ir ut ▁as ▁a ▁Middle ▁East ▁correspond ent ▁for ▁The ▁Ob server ▁and ▁The ▁Econom ist . ▁There , ▁his ▁journal ism ▁served ▁as ▁cover ▁for ▁renew ed ▁work ▁for ▁M I 6 . ▁ ▁In ▁Leb anon , ▁Phil by ▁at ▁first ▁lived ▁in ▁Mah alla ▁J amil , ▁his ▁father ' s ▁large ▁household ▁located ▁in ▁the ▁village ▁of ▁A j alt oun , ▁just ▁outside ▁Be ir ut . ▁Following ▁the ▁departure ▁of ▁his ▁father ▁and ▁step bro thers ▁for ▁Sa udi ▁Arab ia , ▁Phil by ▁continued ▁to ▁live ▁alone ▁in ▁A j alt oun , ▁but ▁took ▁a ▁flat ▁in ▁Be ir ut ▁after ▁beginning ▁an ▁affair ▁with ▁Ele an or , ▁the ▁Seattle - born ▁wife ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁correspond ent ▁Sam ▁Pope ▁Bre wer . ▁Following ▁A ile en ▁Phil by ' s ▁death