Customer Reviews

The Big Breach : From Top Secret To Maximum Security

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Richard Tomlinson's book contains a mix of things that are almost certainly true, of other things that are subjective and open to differing interpretations, and of ambiguities that we have to choose to either believe or disbelieve as best we can.

However, even if we discard the subjective and ambiguous issues, the clearly true matters should be sufficient to give pause for thought and grounds for concern amongst all fair-minded members of the world's so called free democracies. Tomlinson may or may not have deserved to be fired, but - at least as he tells his story, and MI6 have not contradicted anything - it does seem like he was unfairly dealt with, and his subsequent arrests all around the world (inevitably followed by having his latest computer impounded by an MI6 or Special Branch officer) would seem to be unfair and not the behaviour we'd hope of an organisation that, due to its very lack of scrutiny, should surely hold itself to a high standard of honesty and fairness.

The book is reasonably interesting and readable. The details of his early training and his life after MI6 were more interesting (to me) than the actual details of some of his activities there, with a lot of acronyms and code-words that were never really fully explained.

Perhaps the details that will haunt me the most are the stories of three people that broached the Official Secrets Act. Tomlinson, Patton, and Rimmington. Patton - Lord Patton, last governor of Hong Kong, and Rimmington - former head of MI5. Patton included MI6 confidential briefing material in his memoirs and Rimmington is writing her own autobiography of her time heading up MI5. Why are those two people untouchable, while Tomlinson's essentially harmless work (which had not even been written or published at the time he was sent to maximum security prison!) has destroyed his life, probably for ever.

I guess this is more a commentary on his situation than his book! I urge you to buy the book, but, most of all, I urge you to worry about the lessons implicit in it.

Richard Tomlinson is a former MI6 (the British equivalent to the CIA) operative who ran afoul of poor management and subsequently found out just how little accountability there is for MI6 to the British government as they illegally pursued him throughout Europe and exerted influence with forein intelligence services to make his life miserable.

The first half or so of the book concerns his recruitment, training, and service with MI6. Though Tomlinson never reveals any true national secrets, the tale is still an enjoyable read and casts an interesting light on the less-than-glamorous life of a spy (sorry, James Bond is complete fiction!) Unfortunately, due to his reluctance to discuss secret issues and the brevity of his career, this fascinating portion of the book soon comes to a close.

Following a clash of personality with a superior, Tomlinson is summarily dismissed from MI6 and immediately put under watch, his life controlled and manipulated by his former coworkers. He spends time in prison for supposedly violating the secrets act in Britian, then leaves the country to try to make a life that won't be constantly monitored and manipulated. The tale is one of injustice and frightening lack of government accountability and worth every minute spent reading it.

Having been intimately associated with the workings of intelligence agencies and military ops, Tomlinson's book has the total ring of truth... the vindictive pettiness and unrelenting pursuit of him shows the depths that bureaucrats will go to to not admit a mistake... since one would have to be sacrificed in the retraction... He captures very well the arrogance and cowboy attitude of the secret services who consider themselves above the law... Read this book! It even happens to be well written...

(I love reading the negative reviews, you can get a great taste of the MI6 spy headspace by what they reveal...)

I came across Tomlinson's name doing research for a new book I'm writing. As a great fan of LeCarre, Deighton, and Forsyth, I was immediately interested in the subject matter, namely an insider's take on MI6. I doubted Tomlinson would reveal any national secrets - he doesn't and its clear he still very much a patriot - but I hoped he would shed light on the fascinating day to day procedure of how one of the world's most famous spy agency's is run. He did and then some.

The Big Breach is fast paced, eminently readable, chock full of interesting details and as it races to its conclusion, a true page turner. While I empathize with Tomlinson, I still can't quite understand his naivete that MI6 would play by the rules - Christ, man they're spies. Even you derided their bureaucratic leanings. I'm still enough of a believer in the system to think that he must have done something wrong to be let go besides refusing to wear a tie in to meet Radavan Karadzic. He never quite explains why the wonderfully named "Fowlecrook" or "Poison Dwarf" had it in for him. MI6 is afterall pretty good at what they do. They can't go around sacking men as talented as Mr. Tomlinson seems to be.

Still, I tend to side with Tomlinson. I've interviewed enough people to be able to smell the truth. This book reeks of it! In the end, MI6 has only itself to blame. All Tomlinson wanted was a fair shake.

Good luck to you, Mr. Tomlinson. Chin up!

At first I would be averse to the sound of Richard Tomlinson. Words such as traitor or idiot would come to mind. However, this is his own side of the story. I urge people to read it and see for themselves. It is not a stuffy read and has been very well written to read easily for civilians. It is an interesting insight into "a life less ordinary".

Before I read Tomlinson's book I almost believed everything I read about him in the newspapers, even up until MI6 accused him of consorting with FSB to get the book published. Now I have both sides of the story, and I must say that his side is more convincing and undoubtedly entertaining.

The book is well written, rather light-hearted at times but serious when Tomlinson describes the inefficient management structure of MI6's personnel department. I really enjoyed parts where he describes his experiences while still at the service.

Tomlinson truly demystifies MI6. He shows certain simply ways in which the organization operates. This does not however mean that it is not powerful. In deed, his writing shows that MI6's tentacles of influence spread wide across the western world. This influence has been abused in Tomlinson's case, and probably at certain other times too.

In my view Tomlinson deserved to write the book. The service he loved so much screwed him over many times. He deserves a good apology. At worst, they should simply leave him alone now.

A final insight. Tomlinson has started what may eventually lead to an ammendment of the Official Secrets Act (OSA) of the United Kingdom. If you read his book, you will realize why this Act is so important in the first place. MI6 uses it to gag its victims, to shut them up - yes, the less powerful ones, who don't know where the bodies are buried.

It is not over yet! MI6 should not have messed with Tomlinson the way they did. Now they shall pay the price.

READ THIS BOOK!

Can't put it down. A real eye-opener as to how British intelligence operates and exposes the unnecessary out of date attitudes no longer applicable.

Many books written like this are written more as factual dry documentaries and can be rarther boring and tedious however it is very refreshing to find that this book is written as a story. It is best described as a real life James Bond 007 story from recruitment into MI6 through training and then onto missions. The fantastic thing about this book is it's reality and anyone interested in secret agents and the real world of British secret intelligence (foreign and domestic) and counter intelligence will find this book absolutely compelling. Another key aspect to this book is how well it is written - this plays a big part in creating the circumstances and atmospheres as an account of one man's life with MI6 unfolds. Well done to Richard in writing this book - it will provide many, many people with many hours of fascinating reading - I totally recommend it.

After reading the book, you definitely get a feel for WHY MI6 has tried to suppress it. many things including the use of PGP by MI6 and the resultant pressure on the author to turn the keys over to the US gov, and his convienient sanctuary in canada, show the simple , yet deniable items that are used in the Intelligence profession. Unfortunately, MI6 seems to be more of a Scottish, James Bond on a budget these days acccordng to Tomlinson, extravagant expendirtures like the HQ bldg aside. Many things mentioned are already common Knolwledge, like the cleaning staff cost cutting debaucle that made the papers in england. No, smoking guns, or extreme revallations (Well just the 1 HUGE revallation we already read in the press and aready suspected) here, but, a good example of how NOT to run a business, let alone a national security agency. Basically, MI6 seems to have gone through the same resrtucturing debaucle and disasters that american private enterprise went through in the 80s. "restructurng" leading to disaster in the Tomlinson case. In Intelligence especially, PEOPLE , not buildings are the most important asset.MI6 appears to have forgotten this. Best Spy book scince the Cucoo's egg. That book was true, this one merges fact and fiction, Supposedly. Its hard to tell where. it is VERY well written, and it all seems quite accurate..

The British Intelligence services have been in the news recently about having to pay out millions of pounds to torture victims. Following this I decided to try and find out more about the workings of MI6. This seems to be the only book written by a serving member of MI6. He comes across as a bit unhappy with his treatment there. It sounds like he was a promising recruit but after coming across some information about Conservative party funding he got sent abruptly to war torn Yugoslavia, where he narrowly avoided being killed. Shortly after his return he was sacked, with no prospect of appeal.

The book reminds me of Philip Agee's On the Run. The difference is that Agee was disillusioned with life in the CIA. Tomlinson however enjoyed his job and wanted it back.

I think MI6 should probably thank Tomlinson for this book as it shows what sort of thing recruits will be expected to do. However, it portrays the organisation as being at the mercy of "faceless management consultants". It provides a good insight into Britain's squalid (compared with the rest of Europe) prison system also, as the luckless Tomlinson finds himself locked up in the notorious Belmarsh jail as a Category A prisoner.

Tomlinson came across as a little naive to me. Perhaps if he had studied the Peter Wright court case in The Spycatcher Trial book then he would have realised that he would not have been treated fairly by the British justice system. It was reported last year that there was a rapprochement between Tomlinson and MI6, so it seems that this saga might have a happy ending after all.