MI5 in the Great War

(Hardback)

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Description

In 1921 MI5 commissioned a detailed review of the organisation's operations during the First World War. The survey, amounting to over 270,000 words in seven volumes, plus appendices, remained classified in MI5's registry and was only used in Whitehall to argue against budget cuts. MI5 in the Great War is a version of that top-secret history, concentrating on the main narrative of the Secret Intelligence Service's activities in the war, edited and brought up to date by bestselling writer and historian Nigel West.

Reviews

A fascinating and authoritative account of the early days of modern espionage - there is material here for a dozen thrillers. Robert Harris Once again our foremost chronicler of MI5, Nigel West, has pulled off another literary coup in a career full of them. Just in time for the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War, West proves beyond doubt both that German Intelligence mounted a massive intelligence operation in Britain, and that MI5 responded with impressive efficiency and on occasion ruthlessness - Fascinating and invaluable.' Andrew Roberts 'This edited account of MI5's bureaucratic structure and investigatory strategies is fascinating.' The Times "[T]his precis is just the ticket, and has the feel of a fictional adventure." The Independent "Nigel West makes full use of declassified documents and letters to reveal the full scope of this second front, and transforms the complex ups and downs of espionage into a gripping tale of subterfuge that stretches across the globe." Good Book Guide "Overall this is a fascinating read." Britain at War

Author Bio

Nigel West is the pen name of Rupert Allason, an author specialising in security, intelligence, secret service and espionage issues.