Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Allen Lane (2009), 1032 pages
Description
"Defend the Realm" reveals the precise role of the Security Service in twentieth-century British history, from its foundation by Captain Kell of the British Army in October 1909, through two world wars, up to and including its present roles in counterespionage and counterterrorism.
Media reviews
In order to write this compendious but highly readable book, Christopher Andrew, a professor of modern and contemporary history at Cambridge University, and his team of researchers plowed through some 400,000 MI5 files. Marking the 100th anniversary of the service, “Defend the Realm” shines a
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penetrating light into some of the darkest corners of a secret world. It is not only a work of meticulous scholarship but also a series of riveting and true spy stories. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member devenish
The full extent of the secret work of the British Security Service or MI5 will probably never be known. With the publication of this massive,1032 page book,the general public has the chance to read the fullest version of that work for some time yet. Detailed though it is,there is more missing than
The history of MI5 began in October 1909,when it was known as the Secret Service Bureau,and was staffed at the time by two people.
In the course of the book we are taken through both World Wars and between the Wars too. We then have sections about the Cold War and later. Finally we are taken right up to the events of 9/11.
The sections about the 'Cambridge Five' and the details of the 'Profumo ' affair were of particular note.
At the end of the book is a list of Directors and Director Generals 1909-2009 plus other lists about the Service and an excellent Bibliography.
I found this a wonderfully informative read,and although much is glossed over,or quite simply omitted,what is here is much more than we have known previously.
On a lighter note do not attempt to hold this volume in your normal reading position as after a few moments you will find yourself getting rather weary. Ideally find yourself a lectern or reading stand, Failing that,do as I did and read with it supported on your desk.
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is present here. This is of course very necessary for national security reasons and bearing in mind the fact that there are about 400,000 paper files in the archives,many of these are multi-volume.The history of MI5 began in October 1909,when it was known as the Secret Service Bureau,and was staffed at the time by two people.
In the course of the book we are taken through both World Wars and between the Wars too. We then have sections about the Cold War and later. Finally we are taken right up to the events of 9/11.
The sections about the 'Cambridge Five' and the details of the 'Profumo ' affair were of particular note.
At the end of the book is a list of Directors and Director Generals 1909-2009 plus other lists about the Service and an excellent Bibliography.
I found this a wonderfully informative read,and although much is glossed over,or quite simply omitted,what is here is much more than we have known previously.
On a lighter note do not attempt to hold this volume in your normal reading position as after a few moments you will find yourself getting rather weary. Ideally find yourself a lectern or reading stand, Failing that,do as I did and read with it supported on your desk.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CliffordDorset
It would be naïve to expect a history of an intelligence operation to say everything that ought to be said, even when relating to a time frame for which the principal participants are no longer with us. As this book aims to include the very recent past, as well as relating to the philosophy,
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strategy and tactics of the British approach to security, it is important to bear this in mind when reading this weighty tome. What it has to say on the 100-year old origins of MI5 is probably close to what we would recognise as the truth, and even up to WWII the gentle mocking of many of the key figures suggests a reasonable degree of reliability. In the discussion of the early Cold War, however, which deals with the deeply entrenched Soviet spies, and the conspiracy theories that muddied the investigatory waters, we start to leave behind this relative certainty. It is nonetheless helpful to have such an authoritative review of the sequence of events relating to the Communist Party of Great Britain, the labour strife of the seventies, the break-up of Empire, and the emergence of Northern Irish terrorism. What is not mentioned, though, seems as indicative as what is mentioned, and this is where conspiracy theorists will feed. Thus, the relevant issue of relationships with other agencies is only sparsely treated. FBI gets some attention, but with little about the CIA; the South African BOSS attracts a mention, but there are no mentions of the Israeli MOSSAD. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the concluding remarks, summarising 'lessons to be learned' from the history. Much of the supporting evidence is reviewed in the main part of the book, but I felt that more could have been said. However, within the authoritarian constraints that also must be imagined, this is a valuable book, and an illuminating contribution to 20th Century British history. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrianHostad
Although a large tome, the book spends too much time on the early part of the operation which I found of less interest then the post war (WW2) stuff. Also the structure whereby, for a period there is an overview of the managment of MI5 followed by specific aspects of their operation leads to some
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frustration. A case is mentioned in the overview section, but then only dealt with in detail later, when the reader wants the full detail on the first mention. Show Less
LibraryThing member aadyer
Absolutely superb, very interesting, although this was taken as an overview, I found it comprehensive and relatively non sparing of criticism with regards to the controversies surrounding the security service. An excellent read for anyone interested in the subject
LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is a scrupulously well researched account of the history of the Security Service MI5 and the operations in which it has been involved. The author has been given access to the great majority of historical files, while forming his own conclusions about the significance of their contents.
Finally, one aspect of the book's structure was a little less than helpful, that is the fact that each major section, e.g. WWII, early Cold War, etc. began with a chapter covering how MI5 evolved during that era, before the other chapters giving the detail. This led to a slight confusion on timing in some places and some duplication of material. Usefully, there is a concluding chapter detailing the main points covered in the text. The index could have been more thorough.
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Inevitably coverage of some recent events is less thorough due to current national security requirements and the need to protect active sources, but is still insightful and sober in its conclusions. The book will not of course satisfy conspiracy theorists of one stripe or another, but the author's judgements seem shrewd and pretty balanced to me, pointing out intelligence successes (e.g. the Double Cross turning of German agents in WWII, or the tracking down and surveillance of Islamic ricin and homemade bomb-making plotters) and failures such as the slowness in identifying the Cambridge spy ring, the over-estimation of the strength of the KGB's analysis of the intelligence they acquired from the West and more recently the relative slowness in the 1990s of perceiving the worldwide reach of Islamic terror plots. The book clearly shows the insubstantial nature of most intelligence and the difficulty of assessing its reliability, points often lost on politicians and the general public who desire certainty and clearcut information.Finally, one aspect of the book's structure was a little less than helpful, that is the fact that each major section, e.g. WWII, early Cold War, etc. began with a chapter covering how MI5 evolved during that era, before the other chapters giving the detail. This led to a slight confusion on timing in some places and some duplication of material. Usefully, there is a concluding chapter detailing the main points covered in the text. The index could have been more thorough.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
An exhaustive and intriguing history of MI5 for which the author was given extensive access to the agency's archives.
I found it fascinating but was often almost overwhelmed by the extraordinary amount of detail that was offered up.
However, I am very glad that I read it and would definitely
I found it fascinating but was often almost overwhelmed by the extraordinary amount of detail that was offered up.
However, I am very glad that I read it and would definitely
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recommend it to anyone else interested in this field. Show Less
LibraryThing member Doey
Chock full of details. Not an easy read,but ultimately rewarding. Must information is obscure to a non-British reader, but the author manages to provide sufficient, although limited, detail to help those of us from across the pond to understand. There are many assumptions in the book that he is
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writing for (and he clearly is) a British-based audience. Lots of really good footnotes. Wish there had been more pictures of Prime Ministers and a list of the years they were in office. Just not info that I can readily retrive from my stored knowledge while reading! Hpwever, I do look forward to reading his other books. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009-10-05
Physical description
1032 p.; 6.38 inches
ISBN
9780713998856
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DDC/MDS
| 327.1241 |