Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War, and the Twilight of Empire
Oct 2014 · ABRAMS
Ebook
448
Pages
About this ebook
The renowned espionage historian offers "a gripping account of British intelligence during the last days of empire" ( The Daily Telegraph).
Drawing on a wealth of newly declassified records and hitherto overlooked personal papers, intelligence expert Calder Walton offers a compelling and authoritative history of Britain's espionage activities after World War II. A major addition to intelligence literature, this is the first book to utilize records from the Foreign Office's secret archive, which contains some of the darkest and most shameful secrets from the last days of Britain's empire.
Working clandestinely, MI5 operatives helped to prop up newly independent states across the globe against a ceaseless campaign of Communist subversion. Though the CIA is often assumed to be the principal actor against the Soviet Union through the Cold War, Britain plays a key role through its so-called "special relationship" with the United States.
In Empire of Secrets, Walton sheds new light on everything from violent counterinsurgencies fought by British forces in the jungles of Malaya and Kenya, to urban warfare campaigns conducted in Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula. The stories here have chilling contemporary resonance, detailing the use and abuse of intelligence by governments that oversaw state-sanctioned terrorism, wartime rendition, and "enhanced" interrogation.
"An important and highly original account of postwar British intelligence." — The Wall Street Journal
Drawing on a wealth of newly declassified records and hitherto overlooked personal papers, intelligence expert Calder Walton offers a compelling and authoritative history of Britain's espionage activities after World War II. A major addition to intelligence literature, this is the first book to utilize records from the Foreign Office's secret archive, which contains some of the darkest and most shameful secrets from the last days of Britain's empire.
Working clandestinely, MI5 operatives helped to prop up newly independent states across the globe against a ceaseless campaign of Communist subversion. Though the CIA is often assumed to be the principal actor against the Soviet Union through the Cold War, Britain plays a key role through its so-called "special relationship" with the United States.
In Empire of Secrets, Walton sheds new light on everything from violent counterinsurgencies fought by British forces in the jungles of Malaya and Kenya, to urban warfare campaigns conducted in Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula. The stories here have chilling contemporary resonance, detailing the use and abuse of intelligence by governments that oversaw state-sanctioned terrorism, wartime rendition, and "enhanced" interrogation.
"An important and highly original account of postwar British intelligence." — The Wall Street Journal
The renowned espionage historian offers "a gripping account of British intelligence during the last days of empire" ( The Daily Telegraph).
Drawing on a wealth of newly declassified records and hitherto overlooked personal papers, intelligence expert Calder Walton offers a compelling and author...
Discover more
About the author
Calder Walton is a leading expert among a new generation of intelligence historians. He earned a doctorate in history from Cambridge and has published widely on intelligence history. Empire of Secrets is his first book.
Calder Walton is a leading expert among a new generation of intelligence historians. He earned a doctorate in history from Cambridge and has published widely on intelligence history. Empire of Secrets is his first book.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
