Secret Service; The Making of the British Intelligence Community

xviii, 616, [6] pages. Illustrations. Abbreviations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. The dust jacket has some wear and soiling. Comprehensive history of the development of the British secret service, with particular emphasis on its rapid development during World War II and its post-war activities. Christopher Maurice Andrew, FRHistS (born 23 July 1941) is an Emeritus Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Cambridge with an interest in international relations and in particular the history of intelligence services. Andrew is a former Chair of the History Faculty at Cambridge University, Official Historian of the Security Service (MI5), Honorary Air Commodore of 7006 (VR) Intelligence Squadron in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Chairman of the Cambridge Intelligence Seminar, and former Visiting Professor at Harvard, Toronto and Canberra. Andrew served as co-editor of Intelligence and National Security, and a presenter of BBC radio and TV documentaries, including the Radio Four series What If? His twelve previous books include a number of studies on the use and abuse of secret intelligence in modern history. In February 2003, Andrew accepted the post of official historian for the Security Service MI5 to write an official history of the service due for its centenary in 2009. The appointment, which entailed Andrew's enrollment into the Security Service, was criticized by some, that he was too close to MI5 to be impartial and that his link with the Service (formalized with his privileged access to the defectors Gordievsky and Mitrokhin) made him a "court historian", instead of an objective scholar. Derived from a Kirkus review: The first comprehensive history of the British Secret Service, compiled by an Cambridge scholar with a keen eye for colorful information. After complaining about "dotty" rules of secrecy that interfered with his research, Andrew unwinds a complex and often bizarre tale of international intrigue that speaks well for his own ability to ferret out elusive data. The British intelligence network evolved in response to foreign menace: German militarism in World Wars I and II, the specter of communist subversion during times of peace. To combat these threats, the elite dispatched into espionage work some of its best and most eccentric men, including "Dilly" Knox, who liked to crack codes while soaking in a steamy tub; Somerset Maugham, and Mervin Minshall, the true-life prototype for James Bond. Andrew captures their exploits in gripping fashion, as well as recounting some of the Secret Service's more unusual triumphs, such as its use of a "carrier pigeon corps" during WW II to transmit vital information. He is less enthused about the postwar work of MI 5 (counterespionage) and MI 6 (espionage), which includes assassinations, coups, and extensive use of satellite reconnaissance. The days of trench-coated, cloak-and-dagger tradecraft and of pipe-smoking professors sent down from Oxford to outfox the enemy are probably gone forever. Andrew's book remains as a first-rate history and a superb memorial. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence on foreign nationals in support of its Five Eyes partners. SIS is one of the British intelligence agencies and the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service ("C") is directly accountable to the Foreign Secretary. Formed in 1909 as the foreign section of the Secret Service Bureau, the section grew greatly during the First World War, officially adopting its current name around 1920. The name "MI6" originated as a convenient label during the Second World War, when SIS was known by many names. It is still commonly used today. The existence of SIS was not officially acknowledged until 1994. That year the Intelligence Services Act 1994 (ISA) was introduced to Parliament.…