The secret history of mi6: 1909-1949

Description

"Jeffery's book is perhaps the most authentic account one will ever read about how intelligence really works."--The Washington Times Britain 's Special Intelligence Service, commonly called MI6, is not only the oldest and most storied foreign intelligence unit in the world-it is also the only one to open its archives to an outside researcher. The result, in this authorized history, is an unprecedented and revelatory look at an organization that essentially created, over the course of two world wars, the modern craft of spying. Examining innovations from invisible ink and industrial-scale cryptography to dramatic setbacks like the Nazi sting operations to bag British operatives, this groundbreaking history is as engrossing as any thriller-and much more revealing.;Part One. Early Days -- 1. The beginnings of the Service -- Part Two. The First World War -- 2. Status, organisation and expertise -- 3. Operations in the West -- 4. Working further afield -- Part Three. The Interwar Years -- 5. The emergence of SIS -- 6. From Boche to Bolsheviks -- 7. Domestic matters -- 8. Existing on a shoestring -- 9. Approaching war -- Part Four. The Impact of War -- 10. Keeping afloat -- 11. The European theatre -- 12. From Budapest to Baghdad -- 13. West and East -- Part Five. Winning The War -- 14. The tide turns -- 15. From Switzerland to Normandy -- 16. Victory in Europe -- 17. Asia and the end of the war -- 18. Postwar planning -- Part Six. From Hot War To Cold War -- 19. Adjusting to peace -- 20. Deployment and operations in Europe -- 21. A worldwide Service -- Part Seven. Conclusion -- 22. SIS: leadership and performance over the first forty years. Part One. Early Days -- 1. The beginnings of the Service -- Part Two. The First World War -- 2. Status, organisation and expertise -- 3. Operations in the West -- 4. Working further afield -- Part Three. The Interwar Years -- 5. The emergence of SIS -- 6. From Boche to Bolsheviks -- 7. Domestic matters -- 8. Existing on a shoestring -- 9. Approaching war -- Part Four. The Impact of War -- 10. Keeping afloat -- 11. The European theatre -- 12. From Budapest to Baghdad -- 13. West and East -- Part Five. Winning The War -- 14. The tide turns -- 15. From Switzerland to Normandy -- 16. Victory in Europe -- 17. Asia and the end of the war -- 18. Postwar planning -- Part Six. From Hot War To Cold War -- 19. Adjusting to peace -- 20. Deployment and operations in Europe -- 21. A worldwide Service -- Part Seven. Conclusion -- 22. SIS: leadership and performance over the first forty years.