A Review of The Defence of the Realm
A review of the new book by Professor Christopher Andrew….
Here’s a book review you probably wouldn’t be expecting….an authorized history of MI5, the British Secret Service by Christopher Andrew.
I am ‘blogging’ this because I have long been a fan of Christopher Andrew’s work, his books on the Cold War are, in my opinion without compare and in particular his astonishing collabration with the KGB defector, Vassilli Mitrokhin which caused many an ex-spy to look over their proverbial shoulder.
I enjoy reading about the Cold War period,I lived in it and have relatives who, in one way or another were affected by it more than most. I found it a particularly interesting time in our history and Professor Andrew manages to articulate well researched facts into compelling paragraphs which demonstrate just how the world’s intelligence agencies often worked and some of the conclusions they rightly or wrongly came to.
To celebrate its founding in 1909 the service opened up its files to Professor Andrew and his book charts the history of the service from its first forrays by Captain Kell of the British Army through the Second World War, into the Cold War and its relationship with the British governments of the time. The period of the troubles in Northern Ireland and counter terrorism operations on the mainland and elsewhere are well documented as is the most recent activity of Al Queda and its followers on UK soil.
It is a fascinating read and an important one for it shows the reader how we, the public are served by those who set out to protect us or more specifically our country’s interests with hits and near misses along the way. This is a serious piece of writing, low on headline grabbing, high on facts. A worthwhile read for anyone who wants to know a little about the workings of our most secret of services.
The Defence of the Realm (an authorized history of MI5) by Christopher Andrew
published by Allen Lane
ISBN: 978-0-713-99885-6
Miles,
sounds like agreat read - I’ll put it on my reading list
Cheers
Rod
November 30, 2009 @ 9:04 am
Rod,
I’ll sell you a copy, discount for relatives (2%)
Miles
November 30, 2009 @ 9:34 am
Got a copy under the tree already - for my better half! Will hear about it episodically as I inquire as to the meanings of his comments as he reads. . .
Thanks Miles - hope things are looking up for you.
Laura
November 30, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
Laura,
Thought you might
I’m good thanks, hope you are too.
Miles (writing in secret ink)
November 30, 2009 @ 10:24 pm
Miles:
In my last comment, I forgot to shamelessly plug my hubby’s book, Big Machines - which Louis Kruh reviewed in April 2002 Cryptologia. The book compares three of the big crypto systems of WWII and discusses why some were broken and others weren’t . . . A bit technical in parts, but if you like cloak and dagger stuff - you might like the bit of code-making and breaking history in Big Machines.
Night . . . Night
November 30, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
Laura,
I shall look that up and plug it if I can get hold of a copy. I can send you a hundred email questions when I get to the technical stuff…you’ll like that
Miles
December 1, 2009 @ 7:26 am