| Physical description |
xxiii, 1032 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
Foreword / Director General of the Security Service -- Sect. A. The German Threat, 1909-1919 -- Introduction. The Origins of the Secret Service Bureau -- 1. 'Spies of the Kaiser': Counter -Espionage before the First World War -- 2. The First World War: Part 1 - The Failure of German Espionage -- 3. The First World War: Part 2 - The Rise of Counter-Subversion -- Sect. B. Between the Wars -- Introduction. MI5 and its Staff - Survival and Revival -- 1. The Red Menace in the 1920s -- 2. The Red Menace in the 1930s -- 3. British Fascism and the Nazi Threat -- Sect. C. The Second World War -- Introduction. The Security Service and its Wartime Staff: 'From Prison to Palace' -- 1. Deception -- 2. Soviet Penetration and the Communist Party -- 3. Victory -- Sect. D. The Early Cold War -- Introduction. The Security Service and its Staff in the Early Cold War -- 1. Counter-Espionage and Soviet Penetration: Igor Gouzenko and Kim Philby -- 2. Zionist Extremists and Counter-Terrorism -- 3. VENONA and the Special Relationships with the United States and Australia -- 4. Vetting, Atom Spies and Protective Security -- 5. The Communist Party of Great Britain, the Trade Unions and the Labour Party -- 6. The Hunt for the 'Magnificent Five' -- 7. The End of Empire: Part 1 -- 8. The End of Empire: Part 2 -- 9. The Macmillan Government: Spy Scandals and the Profumo Affair -- 10. FLUENCY: Paranoid Tendencies -- 11. The Wilson Government 1964-1970: Security, Subversion and 'Wiggery-Pokery' -- Sect. E. The Later Cold War -- Introduction. The Security Service and its Staff in the Later Cold War -- 1. Operation FOOT and Counter-Espionage in the 1970s -- 2. The Heath Government and Subversion -- 3. Counter-Terrorism and Protective Security in the Early 1970s -- 4. The 'Wilson Plot' -- 5. Counter-Terrorism and Protective Security in the Later 1970s -- 6. The Callaghan Government and Subversion -- 7. The Thatcher Government and Subversion -- 8. Counter-Terrorism and Protective Security in the Early 1980s -- 9. Counter-Espionage in the Last Decade of the Cold War -- 10. Counter-Terrorism and Protective Security in the Later 1980s -- 11. The Origins of the Security Service Act -- Sect. F. After the Cold War -- 1. The Transformation of the Security Service -- 2. Holy Terror -- 3. After 9/11 -- Conclusion: The First Hundred Years of the Security Service -- Appendix 1. Directors and Director Generals, 1909-2009 -- Appendix 2. Security Service Strength, 1909-2009 -- Appendix 3. Nomenclature and Responsibilities of Security Service Branches/Divisions, 1914-1994. |
| Summary |
"To mark the centenary of its foundation, the British Security Service, MI5, has opened its archives to an independent historian, the first time any of the world's leading intelligence or security services has taken such a step. The Defence of the Realm, the book which results, is an unprecedented publication. It reveals the precise role of the Service in twentieth-century British history, from its foundation by Captain Kell of the British Army in October 1909 to root out 'the spies of the Kaiser' up to its present role in countering Islamic terrorism. It describes the distinctive ethos of MI5, how the organization has been managed, its relationship with government, where it has triumphed and where it has failed."--BOOK JACKET. |
| Subject |
Great Britain. MI5 -- History.
|
| Variant Title |
Defense of the realm. |
| ISBN |
9780713998856 (hardback) |
|
0713998857 (hardback) |
|
