British Intelligence Secrets, Spies and Sources

While other books have speculated on the history and nature of the British intelligence services, this is the first to tell the story through the documents themselves. Only ten years ago, access to these original sources would have been impossible. Now experts Stephen Twigge and Graham Macklin draw on the spies' and the spymasters' own words as contained in the National Archives' intelligence holdings. Historical narrative is interwoven with colorful tales from the past that highlight some of the greatest successes'”and failure'”along the way, as well as the motives and machinations of those responsible for them. And readers who want to discover more through the sources themselves are given all the guidance they need.

Stephen Twigge is Official Historian at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a former Head of Academic and Archival Services at the National Archives. He has written widely on nuclear history and international relations. Edward Hampshire is a Modern Records Specialist at the National Archives, specialising in defence and diplomatic records. He took a history degree at Magdalene College, Oxford, and holds a PhD on British naval policy from King's College, London. Graham Macklin is an Honorary Research Fellow at Parkes Institute, University of Southampton, and the author of Neville Chamberlain (2006).