Tomás "Tommy" Joseph Harris was a Spanish-speaking MI6 officer who worked with Juan Pujol García, an important double agent for the British during World War II, in what became known as the Garbo deception. Harris continued his father's successful art dealing business, and was an essentially amateur artist himself. Harris had an important collection of Spanish prints, especially those of Goya, which was mostly acquired by the British Museum after his death. The British Museum has 708 objects formerly in his collection, including 22 prints he made himself, and in 1981 published Juliet Wilson Bareau's, Goya's Prints, The Tomás Harris Collection in the British Museum. He had five sibling: William, Morris, Violeta, Conchita, and Enriqueta Harris, an art historian specializing in Spanish art.
Possible double agent
In 1962, Flora Solomon – a friend of Kim Philby – told Victor Rothschild, who had worked with MI6 during World War II, that she thought that Philby and Tomás Harris had been Soviet spies, since the 1930s. "Those two were so close as to give me an intuitive feeling that Harris was more than a friend." As a result of this information, MI5 sought to interview Harris. However, Harris was killed in a motor accident at Llucmajor, Mallorca, before an interview could occur. It has been suggested that Harris was murdered. For example, Chapman Pincher suggested that Harris was killed by Soviet agents to prevent him speaking to MI5: Pincher pointed out that the most likely source of any leak was Roger Hollis, then director-general of MI5 and later revealed to be a Soviet agent.
Harris and Pujol
Together they made up a fictional team of 27 fake sub-agents, who were created in order to convince German intelligence that Garbo was a reliable spy. This resulted in what became known as the Garbo deception.
Pujol's and Tomás' Network of Fictitious Agents
AGENTSUB-AGENT |Agent ONE -------------------------|JKLMpilot and courier |KLM steward | |-resigned in 1943 |J Head of Spanish MOI Section | | | |J Censor in MOI | | | |J Secretary in Cabinet Office | |Agent TWO -------------------------|2 WIDOW |William Gerbers | Mrs. Gerbers |-died in Bootle, England in 1942 | |Agent THREE -----------------------|3 Pilot Officer |BENEDICT | |-"Carlos", a Venezuelan student |3 Officer in British 49th Infantry Division | in Glasgow, Scotland | | |3Greek seaman and deserter | GARBO/ARABEL --|Agent FOUR ------------------------|4 ALMURA |CHAMILLUS | radio operator |-Gibraltarian NAAFI waiter based | | in Chislehurst, England |4 Guard based in Chislehurst | | | |4USNCO based in London | |Agent FIVE ------------------------|5 Agent FIVE's cousin in Buffalo, USA |MOONBEAM |-a Venezuelan based in Ottawa, | Canada |-brother of "BENEDICT" | |Agent SIX |Field Security NCO |-died in 1943 | |Agent SEVEN -----------------------|7Soldier in British 9th Armoured Division |DAGOBERT | |-Ex-seaman in Swansea, Wales |7 DONNY | Leader of World Aryan Order | |7Wren in Ceylon | |7 DICK | Indian fanatic | |7 DRAKE in Exeter, England | |7 Welsh fascist in South Wales | |7 DORICK in Harwich, England
