At Her Majesty's Service: The Chiefs of Britain's Intelligence Agency, M16 - Couverture rigide

West, Nigel

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1591140099 ISBN 13 : 9781591140092

Editeur : Naval Institute Press, 2006

Synopsis

This is the only history that exists of the famed British secret intelligence agency, MI6, the service responsible for gathering intelligence overseas. Chapters focus on each of the reigning MI6 chiefs, beginning with Sir Mansfield Cumming, and describe clandestine operations that took place during each chief's tenure through 2004. Made famous by the wildly popular James Bond 007 movies, the London-based organization--known internally as The Firm and to other agencies as The Friends--has attracted a great deal of attention over the years as it collected secret foreign intelligence around the world. Until the publication of this book in 1983, however, the truth about the service's past had remained largely unwritten. Nigel West, the author, is the pseudonym of Rupert Allison, a Conservative ex-MP who has written numerous spy books under the West name. Until 2010, when an "official" history of MI6 through the early Cold War is scheduled to be published, this book remains the only source to turn to.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

In August 1909, a kindly, balding figure named Mansfield Smith-Cumming was summoned to London by Admiral Alexander Bethell, Director of Naval Intelligence. He was to assume the inaugural position of Chief or C of what has become the world's most celebrated intelligence agency, the British Secret Intelligence Service. And, while the organisation has developed in the near one hundred years since its inception, the role of C, currently fulfilled by John Scarlett, is in many respects unchanged from that of Smith-Cumming's. This remarkable book tells the story of that role, from Smith-Cumming to Scarlett, and each of the other twelve C's in between, all of whom still get reports headed CX - Cumming Exclusively. For the first 85 years of the SIS, known variously as 'the firm , 'the funnies and, within the Foreign Office, 'the friends , its existence and the identity of its Chief were subject to the strictest secrecy. Its only official recognition was the wartime designation MI6, by which the service continues to be commonly known today. For an agency that was not, until the Intelligence Services Bill of 1994, formally recognised by the government its notoriety is then something of a paradox. It was, perhaps, Britain's worst-kept secret, let slip by a succession of novelists, most notably Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond - a character whom former C Colin McColl dubbed 'our best recruiting sergeant . But while Bond was a fiction, the flamboyant personalities and clever, or comical, subterfuges were not for many years the SIS headquarters at 54 Broadway bore a brass plate proudly declaring the premises to belong to the 'Minimax Fire Extinguisher Company . On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a revealing, detailed and highly entertaining account of the heads of Britain's most secret service. Written by the critically acclaimed author and intelligence expert Nigel West, it is compelling reading.

Revue de presse

Nigel West s latest book on the world of spies , At Her Majesty s Secret Service: The Chiefs of Britain s Intelligence Agency, MI6, is a revelation not least because I discovered, to my total astonishment, that I actually knew one of the chiefs quite well. --William Boyd, The Guardian

The Quality of the research, largely based on original documentation is exceptional, and shines through in each of the chapters. The great British spy scandals are also covered in depth as well as lesser-known successes. This is an interesting read, especially so if you have any interest in security matters and British 20th Century History. No James Bond s in it though --Military Modelcraft International, 08/2008

When the noted authority Nigel West writes a book on espionage, it is sure to be heeded and praised. This book is no exception. One wonders how the author was able to assemble such in-depth biographical details on the secret lives of the fourteen chiefs of the British Secret Intelligence Service or M16.A glossary of intelligence community abbreviations, a map of historical SIS sites in Central London and a listing of SIS stations add to the already high level interest of the text and make this a highly recommended reference. --Syd Wigzell, Arms and Militaria

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Naval Institute Press
• Date d'édition: 2006
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1591140099
• ISBN 13: 9781591140092
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 320
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible