ABSTRACT
In the West, the Kuczynski family is known primarily, if not exclusively, for its association with espionage, although emphasis on this aspect has served to distract from, and obscure, the family's overall achievements and its contribution to our humanistic legacy. Labelling and categorising them as 'spies' has done more to feed the insatiable industry in Soviet spy stories than it has to enrich our historical knowledge. Various academic papers have also been written about the Kuczynski family and their involvement in the spying business. The well-known British writer on espionage, Chapman Pincher, whose writing focused mainly on espionage and defence issues, described the Kuczynskis as 'that malevolent family'. The released files in the MI5 archive on communists, sympathisers and left-wing individuals cover several hundred people, including the Kuczynskis. The government archive of the secret services (MI5) - those of MI6 are not accessible - holds ninety-four files on the Kuczynski family.
