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Keith Jeffery

The Secret History of MI6: 1909-1949 Paperback – September 27, 2011

by Keith Jeffery (Author)

31 ratings

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The authorized history of the world's oldest and most storied foreign intelligence service, drawing extensively on hitherto secret documents

Britain's Special Intelligence Service, commonly called MI6, is not only the oldest and most storied foreign intelligence unit in the world - it is also the only one to open its archives to an outside researcher. The result, in this authorized history, is an unprecedented and revelatory look at an organization that essentially created, over the course of two world wars, the modern craft of spying. Here are the true stories that inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond's novels and John le Carré George Smiley novels. Examining innovations from invisible ink and industrial-scale cryptography to dramatic setbacks like the Nazi sting operations to bag British operatives, this groundbreaking history is as engrossing as any thriller - and much more revealing.

"Perhaps the most authentic account one will ever read about how intelligence really works." -The Washington Times

Editorial Reviews

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"Perhaps the most authentic account one will ever read about how intelligence really works." -The Washington Times

"A very fine book...full of episode and personality." -The Telegraph

"An important cautionary tale that has implications worldwide." -Seattle Times

About the Author

Keith Jeffery is a professor of British history at Queen's University, Belfast, and has written or edited thirteen books.

Paperback: 832 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143119990
ISBN-13: 978-0143119999
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.8 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 31 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #753 in World War I History (Books)
- #1294 in European Politics Books
- #975 in Political Intelligence

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31 customer reviews

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ERW

Full access to a gutted archive

April 22, 2019

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This is one of the most boring books I have tried to read. The author was given full access to an archive gutted of the interesting material and most of what was left were stories of internal fights between departments. There is very little interesting material scattered among a multitude of boring details. A heavy charitable donation to my local library.

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David J Kenney

The Best so Far

August 11, 2011

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Re: The history of the Secret Intelligence Service. 1909-1949 by Keith Jeffery. Amazon Purchase
The integrity and splendid scholarship of Professor Jeffery's work shine through. It is almost certainly the best book yet written in its field. A very few comments are in order.
On the cusp of WW2 SIS failed to convince Admiral Sir Tom Phillips and Lt-Gen Arthur Percival, GOC Malaya, of Japan's strategic reach and military capabilities if indeed they knew themselves. Through 1941 Japanese agents worked openly to measure the roads and bridges down the Malayan peninsula and upon seizing Siam stationed six hundred planes within range of Singapore and RN ships operating near it. Battered by Japanese air from 8 to 10 December 1941 Phillips quickly went down with Repulse and Prince of Wales. Keeping his defenses seaward Percival lost Singapore from the land side on 15 February 1942.
SOE knew Mao's crowd from the war very well. SIS did not. After Chiang Kai-shek left for Taiwan in the late forties there was no SIS "plumbing" on the mainland. The only decent political reporting well into the fifties came from "The New China News Letter" edited and distributed anonymously by a man who upon his death turned out to be a Hungarian priest. The West flew blind over China for many years.
SIS/SOE's awkward efforts to choke off Jewish emigration from Southern Italy to Israel were thwarted by the combined efforts of the Catholic Bishops around Bari, the dock workers' unions and James Jesus Angleton. Each had singular reasons for helping the weary and dispossessed to their new homes, but none had distinctively anti British motives. It was more a matter of: "Sinking Jewish ships? What in God's name are you doing?"
From 1950 on the SIS story gets murky, in places distasteful. Will any one see all the relevant documents? No! Still it is a tale that needs telling by an historian as competent as Professor

3 people found this helpful

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Jorge A. Fragola

Spy agency, history

October 18, 2010

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Very good book. I've read other books on the subject and I find this one very interesting. However there is one caveat, that it only goes to 1949, therefor leaving what perhaps is one of the most intriguing part of the of the history of MI6. That is of the Cold War and the moles in the service. Also another caveat is that this is "an official story", with a pre-selected author. The author reports that he was given complete access to existing files from that era, but the names an identities were changed when necessary. While this presumably gives accuracy to the book, and it probably does, the reader will never know for sure what kind of 'pressure" was put on an approved author on certain topics. Nevertheless is excellent reading. Compares favorably to S. Power works.

20 people found this helpful

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George B. Purdy

Watch the BookTV interview and decide.

January 7, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I merely wish to give the link to the BookTv broadcast: http://www.booktv.org/Watch/11885/The+Secret+History+of+MI6+19091949.aspx.
Here Sir John Scarlett and Keith Jeffrey discuss the book and MI-6 for an hour. Scarlett is the former chief of MI-6 who commissioned the work.

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Niki Shields

Thorough

September 6, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Thorough review of SIS history, though a bit repetitive at times. Would recommend to anyone who is interested in WWII.

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Gary A. Christiansen

Five Stars

April 12, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

None.

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Data Scientist

A historian's book for history professionals

October 30, 2010

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The topic of this book, and the fact that the author had full access to MI6 archives, should have made this book fascinating. Unfortunately, it is a book by a history professor evidently intended for other academics. For example, there are many pages devoted to the budget to the service in the 1920's -- not very interesting stuff. The author also explicitly says that he preferred documents to oral statements, so instead of thrilling first-hand accounts of spies in occupied Europe you get a lot of "he wrote" "he returned" and so on.

Therefore, if you are either a professional historian or very interested in the subject and willing to skim over many pages of the book, this is worth reading. Otherwise, I would not recommend it.

4 people found this helpful

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Family

Great to read the history and politics behind a great asset.

September 20, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The final pages being the names of all from A to Z, otherwise a great book, would recommend for research.

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5 star		16%
4 star		28%
3 star		9%
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