Defending the Realm: Inside MI5 and the War on Terrorism [Paperback]

Mark Hollingsworth (Author), Nick Fielding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

Updated and expanded with brand new material on the War on Terrorism, including insider reports on the Bali bombing, discussion of M15's tragic lack of intelligence on September 11th, and how it is now regarded as a massive intelligence failure. Defending the Realm provides a rare insight into the secret world of M15 and breaks new ground in revealing its covert techniques—from phone-tapping and mail tampering to the running of agents and surveillance operations. This new edition also provides a profile of M15's new female director, Hon. Eliza Manningham-Buller.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nick Fielding is a senior correspondent on the Sunday Times. In recent months he has been reporting and investigating the war against Bin Laden, Al Qaeda and terrorism. Mark Hollingsworth is a freelance journalist and author. He writes primarily for The Guardian, FT, and Mail on Sunday. He was a journalist at Granada TV's World in Action programme from 1988-92 and previous publications include The Ultimate Spin Doctor: Life & Fast Times of Tim Beil (Hodder 1997), Thatcher's Gold: Life & Times of Mark Thatcher (S&S 1995), A Bit on the Side: Politicians, Who Pays Them? (S&S 1994), MPs for Hire: Secret World of Political Lobbying (Bloomsbury 1991), Blacklist: Inside Story of Political Vetting (Chatto 1988) & The Press & Political Dissent (Pluto 1986).

Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Andre Deutsch; 3rd edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0233000100
• ISBN-13: 978-0233000107
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,871,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Intelligence Failure, December 12, 2005

By 

George Smiley (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Defending the Realm: Inside MI5 and the War on Terrorism (Paperback)

You can't expect much from a book that claims to provide the inside scoop on MI5 but apparently doesn't know the difference between MI5, Britain's domestic security service, and MI6, the country's overseas intelligence agency. The cover of Defending the Realm - the title is taken from MI5's motto "In Defence of the Realm" - features multiple views of headquarters of MI6. The rest of the book is similarly confused. This one occasion when you would be absolutely right to judge a book by its cover.