Major French magazine L’Express has revealed that its former editor, Philippe Grumbach, was a spy for the KGB for 35 years. Grumbach was a well-known and respected figure in French society, with close relationships to presidents, actors, and literary giants. He shaped the editorial direction of one of France’s most successful publications. However, behind this public persona, Grumbach was known as “Brok”, the KGB spy.
Extensive evidence of Grumbach’s double life can be found in the Mitrokhin archives, a collection of documents smuggled out of Soviet archives and later compiled into a book. These documents mention an agent with the code-name Brok who worked for the KGB and shared biographical details that matched Grumbach’s. This information was confirmed by the French secret service.
Grumbach was born in Paris in 1924 and fled to the US with his family in 1940 when Nazi Germany invaded France. He joined the US army and fought with the resistance in Algeria during World War II. After the war, he worked at the AFP news agency before joining L’Express in 1954. Throughout his career, Grumbach was close to influential figures such as Francois Mitterand, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, and Pierre Mendès France.
The Mitrokhin files show that Grumbach spied for the Soviet Union for financial gain rather than ideological reasons. He received substantial payments for his services, often ranking among the top Soviet spies in France. However, there is little concrete evidence of the specific missions he carried out for the KGB. The relationship between Grumbach and the KGB ended in the early 1980s, with the KGB deeming him “insincere” and exaggerating his abilities.
Grumbach’s widow revealed that he had admitted to working for the KGB before they were married. He mentioned being “revolted” by racism in the US army and implied that this led him to collaborate with the USSR. However, he wanted to stop soon after starting but claimed he had been threatened.
The revelation of Grumbach’s double life has caused a stir in France, with many media outlets picking up the story. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Grumbach used his position at L’Express to spread Soviet propaganda. He kept his work as a spy separate from his role as an editor, which allowed him to fly under the radar and maintain his cover as a centrist bourgeois figure.
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