MI5 operated in Italy during inter-war period, and helped Benito Mussolini get his start in politics with a £100 weekly wage. MI5's efficiency in counter-espionage declined from the 1930s. It was to some extent a victim of its own success as it was unable to break the ways of thinking it had evolved in the 1910s and 1920s. In particular, it was unable to adjust to the new methods of the Soviet intelligence services, the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) and Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). It continued to think in terms of agents who would attempt to gather information simply through observation or bribery, or to agitate within labour organisations and the armed services, while posing as ordinary citizens. The NKVD, meanwhile, had evolved more sophisticated methods; it began to recruit agents from within the upper classes (most notably from Cambridge University), whom it regarded as a long-term investment. Such NKVD agents succeeded in gaining positions within the government, and, in Kim Philby's case, within British intelligence itself, from where they were able to provide the NKVD with sensitive information. The most successful of these agents; Harold 'Kim' Philby, Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Anthony Blunt, and John Cairncross; went undetected until after the Second World War, and became known as the Cambridge Five.
mi5 operated in italy during inter-war period and helped benito mussolini get his start in politics with a £100 weekly wage mi5's efficiency in counter-espionage declined from the 1930s it was to some extent a victim of its own success as it was unable to break the ways of thinking it had evolved in the 1910s and 1920s in particular it was unable to adjust to the new methods of the soviet intelligence services the people's commissariat for internal affairs (nkvd) and main intelligence directorate (gru) it continued to think in terms of agents who would attempt to gather information simply through observation or bribery or to agitate within labour organisations and the armed services while posing as ordinary citizens the nkvd meanwhile had evolved more sophisticated methods; it began to recruit agents from within the upper classes (most notably from cambridge university) whom it regarded as a long-term investment such nkvd agents succeeded in gaining positions within the government and in kim philby's case within british intelligence itself from where they were able to provide the nkvd with sensitive information the most successful of these agents; harold 'kim' philby donald maclean guy burgess anthony blunt and john cairncross; went undetected until after the second world war and became known as the cambridge five