Tom Driberg (1905–1976) was a British journalist and politician who was a Labour Party MP between 1942 and 1974. On retirement he was raised to the peerage, with the title of Baron Bradwell. After his death, allegations were published about his long-term role as an MI5 informant, or a KGB agent, or both; however, the extent of his involvement with these agencies remains uncertain. Driberg never held ministerial office, although he rose to senior positions within the Labour Party and was a popular and influential figure in left-wing politics for many years. After leaving Christ Church, Oxford, in 1927 he joined the Daily Express and in 1933 began the "William Hickey" society column; he later contributed regularly to various left-leaning journals. As a biographer his subjects included the press baron Lord Beaverbrook and the fugitive British diplomat Guy Burgess. Driberg was a practising homosexual whose risky and often brazen behaviour frequently shocked or amused his colleagues. His friends included respected figures from literature and politics alongside outsiders such as the black magic practitioner Aleister Crowley and the Kray twins. Throughout his life he maintained an unvarying devotion to Anglo-Catholicism. (more...)
Recently featured: Cattle Egret – Piano music of Gabriel Fauré – The Red Badge of Courage Archive – By email – More featured articles... Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Driberg> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1898: The United States Navy battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana, Cuba, killing more than 260 people and precipitating the Spanish–American War. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_%28ACR-1%29> 1900: Second Boer War: British cavalry under Major-General John French defeated Boer forces to end a 124-day siege of Kimberley, present-day South Africa. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kimberley> 1989: The Soviet Union officially announced that all of its troops had withdrawn from Afghanistan after a nine-year conflict. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan> 1995: Kevin Mitnick, the most wanted computer hacker in the United States at the time, was arrested and charged with computer fraud and wire fraud. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick> 2005: Three former PayPal employees launched the popular website YouTube, where individuals and companies can upload, view and share videos. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: Cisatlantic (adj): Situated on the same side of the Atlantic Ocean <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Cisatlantic> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Religion will not regain its old power until it can face change in the same spirit as does science. Its principles may be eternal, but the expression of those principles requires continual development. --Alfred North Whitehead <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
