Snitch!: A History of the Modern Intelligence Informer

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Description

Snitch! offers a vivid account of how some citizens actively assist state surveillance by "informing" on others.

Reviews

"Snitch! is a concise and fluent reminder that, for all the publicity about increasing technical surveillance, informers were not just the first way by which states sought security information but are now re-emphasised as a critical feature of countering terrorism. Through examining famous cases and general aspects of the recruitment and use of informers, Steve Hewitt has provided an excellent survey of their utility for authorities' and the personal and social costs entailed." --Peter Gill, University of Liverpool
Fascinating, original and carefully researched, 'Snitch!' is an intelligent and superbly readable book on a subject that could not be more timely. --Richard J. Aldrich, Professor of International Security, University of Warwick
"A UK expert on security and intelligence contributes to the little existing scholarship on informers with a survey that provides social and historical context on those who supply information to government agencies on intelligence matters rather than crime. From case studies of famous informers (e.g., Ronald Reagan), informer states, and the use of informers in the current 'war on terror,' Hewitt concludes that snitching is a state activity to be feared because of the existing lack of limitations and transparency." -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.
This important study aims at a broad, international and accessible survey' that places informers in the context of their times and places.' -- Contemporary Review
Reviewed in French in Veille Magazine.

Author Bio

Dr Steve Hewitt is an expert on security and intelligence and Senior Lecturer in the Department of American and Canadian Studies at the University of Birmingham. Among the courses he teaches are a history of American intelligence, including the Central Intelligence Agency. Steve Hewitt regularly appears on television and radio commenting on issues of terrorism and security.