My Mother, The Spy The Daring and Tragic Double Life of ASIO Agent Mercia Masson

The true story of the female agent who was hung out to dry by ASIO in the Cold War.

'I have lost everything in coming here - everything that I had up till Monday. I have lost my friends... I have probably lost my position; I shall probably have to remove my child from the school and my mother from the house in which she lives. I do not think there is anything else I can possibly lose.'


She dressed stylishly and loved to host a party. She was a journalist in an era when there were few female journalists, she always wanted to be in the thick of things, and she knew people in very high places. She also led a dangerous double life. 


This is the remarkable story of an ASIO agent who was hung out to dry. She was betrayed by ASIO at a Royal Commission that was partly intended to undermine public confidence in the ALP and its leader, Doc Evatt (in which it succeeded). With the revealling memories of her daughter Cindy, this story goes beyond its political impact and brings to life a determined woman at the centre of dramatic events in Australian politics during the Cold War.

Cindy Dobbin is the daughter of ASIO agent Mercia Masson. Freda Marnie Nicholls is the author of The Amazing Mrs Livesey, Love, Sweat & Tears, and Back of Beyond.