.
Incredibly authentic and detailed picture of the world of espionage
Subtitle: The Candid Autobiography of
a Senior Intelligence Officer
The author was British MI5 secret service operative and Assistanat Director for several years in the second half of the previous century (1954 – 1976). He gives a general picture of British intelligence since 1930s but he mainly describes in a fairly detailed way various operations of the service during cold war period; operations - which he participated in or was in charge of them. His main effort, presented in the book, was to uncover a secret Soviet mole in the organization. He was sure that Soviet agent was among senior MI5 employeess because for many years the service was not able to perform any successful intelligence operation against Soviets. Unfortunately, in spite of his extensive investigations, identity of this mole remained still a mystery when he was leaving the service. Few years later it became clear that he was right, that there was Soviet agent in MI5 and that it was Kim Philby.
He describes various methods and techiniques used by intelligence service to get information as well as various, sometimes very clever, electronics based, technologies used by the services for bugging. He reveals also principles of certain sophisticated cryptography methods. Reader accompanies him to perform intelligence operations, becomes acquainted with the ethics of the service and learns the basic rule of the service: do not get caught. The author reveals many top secrets of British intelligence; most shocking among them are: there was an MI6 plot to kill president Nasser of Egypt during Sues crisis; there was a plot prepared MI5 together with American CIA against British prime minister Harold Wilson (accused by Soviet defector Anatoli Golitsyn to be a KGB agent); several high – level British Commonwealth conferences were bugged by MI5.
These scandalous allegations, disclosure of various secrets and discrediting picture of British intelligence were the reasons that British government lead by Margaret Thatcher attempted to ban the book – unsuccessfully. It was published in Australia and the United States, became famous being still banned in UK and finally, after three year battle (1985 – 1988) was allowed to be sold in Britain. An interesting and funny detail associated with this book is that as the author explains he decided to write it to make up for lost income due to the British government ruling that his pension was not transferable from his early work at Government Communications Headquarters; because of it his pension was severely shortened. Results exceeded his expectations: profits from this book made him a millionaire.
Published: August 14, 2007
More summaries by BBbb77
More