The Secret World: Behind the Curtain of British Intelligence in World War II and the Cold War

(Hardback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

During World War II, Britain enjoyed spectacular success in the secret war between hostile intelligence services, enabling a substantial and successful expansion of British counter-espionage which continued to grow in the Cold War era. Hugh Trevor-Roper's experiences working in the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) during the war left a profound impression on him and he later observed the world of intelligence with particular discernment. To Trevor-Roper, who was always interested in the historical dimension of the present and was fully alive to the historical significance of the era in which he lived, the subjects of wartime intelligence and the complex espionage networks that developed in the Cold War period were as worthy of profound investigation and reflection as events from the more-distant past. Expressing his observations through some of his most ironic and entertaining correspondence, articles and reviews, Trevor-Roper wrote vividly about some of the greatest intelligence characters of the age - from Kim Philby and Michael Straight to the Germans Admiral Canaris and Otto John.
The coherence, depth and historical vision which unites these writings can only be glimpsed when they are brought together from the scattered publications in which they appeared, and when read beside his unpublished, private reflections. The Secret World unites Trevor-Roper's writings on the subject of intelligence - including the full text of The Philby Affair and some of his personal letters to leading figures. Based on original material and extensive supplementary research by E.D.R Harrison, this book is a sharp, revealing and personal first-hand account of the intelligence world in World War II and the Cold War.

Reviews

'superlatively entertaining' John Banville, the Guardian 'An extraordinarily rich record of an unusually rich mind- one of the most interesting people in recent English intellectual life, caught at one of the most vital moments in English history.' Standpoint 'A humorous, waspish and intriguing performance.' The Times

Author Bio

Hugh Trevor-Roper was the most brilliant historian of his generation. An expert in the history of early modern Britain and Nazi Germany, he was Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford University and latterly Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge. He received a life peerage in 1979. He was the author of numerous books, including his famous investigation of Hitler's last days. During World War II, Trevor-Roper served in the Secret Intelligence Service, giving him a remarkable insight into the work of the intelligence services in Britain. A collection of his diaries - The Wartime Journals (I.B.Tauris) - has recently been published. E.D.R Harrison is an historian and writer specialising in World War II. He attended Trevor-Roper's lectures while at Oxford University and has taught history at universities in Britain and the US. He has held the Laming Junior Fellowship, the Alistair Horne Visiting Fellowship at Oxford University and an Anthony de Rothschild Fellowship in History of the Churchill Trust. He is the author of The Young Kim Philby: Soviet Spy and British Intelligence Officer.