John Murray, 1997, hardcover, illustrated, index, 386 pages, 16 cms x 24 cms x 3.5 cms, condition: as new.
Winston Churchill believed passionately in the value of secret intelligence - in times of war, of course, but also in times of peace. As a young correspondent and soldier in Cuba and South Africa, he experienced its worth first hand. As wartime Prime Minister, he built a centralized intelligence community, responded daily to raw "Ultra" reports, created the Special Operations Executive to work behind enemy lines and, with Roosevelt, built the intelligence alliance that endures to this day. With detail about the secret world of agents and double agents this work traces Churchill's connections from his days as a member of the Cabinet that established the Secret Service to the war years, when his extensive network provided him with superior information. Both an account of the origins and inner workings of modern intelligence agencies and a study of Churchill and his role in their development, this volume is a contribution to the study of modern and military history and a key to understanding Churchill himself.
David Stafford is a historian and former diplomat, specialising in intelligence and espionage, which he lectured on at the University of Edinburgh and St Andrews.
