- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Cutting Edge Press; 1st edition (1 Feb 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0732270944
- ISBN-13: 978-1903813010
- ASIN: 1903813018
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
145,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #44 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > British Heads of State > Richard I
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Richard Tomlinson was recruited initially by MI6, the British foreign intelligence service, during his senior year at Cambridge University. In these memoirs, he claims to have quickly gained the trust and confidence of one of the world's most effective intelligence organizations, and that he was relied on to smuggle nuclear secrets out of Moscow. Tomlinson also writes that he ran an undercover operation in Sarajevo while the city was under siege, and infiltrated and dismantled a criminal group that sought to export chemical weapons capabilities to Iran. Four years after joining MI6, Tomlinson's career was abruptly halted. Attempting to fight a case for unjust dismissal, Tomlinson was arrested for breaking the Official Secrets Act and imprisoned. He was subsequently released.
About the Author
Richard Tomlinson was born in New Zealand and grew up in England. He is fluent in Spanish, German, French and Italian. A licensed pilot and skipper, his hobbies include scuba diving, gardening and windsurfing.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
ex mi6 officer fights back,
By
This review is from: The Big Breach: From Top Secret to Maximum Security (Paperback)
I loved it. There are 2 main parts to this book. First Tomlinsons recruitment,training and operations as an mi6 officer. Secondly his sacking and subsequent conflict with mi6. This second part(the final 1/3 of the book) didn't interest me. We outsiders don't know the reason for his sacking,we'd need to hear both sides of the story. The interesting part for me was the description of mi6 structure and organization in the 1990s(I'd read books describing mi6 structure from the 50s and 60s but this was the most up to date from an insider), the 6 month training course as well as operations. The mi6 officers he names are obviously pseudonyms but many were name in the infamous internet list(including the personnel officer hated by Tomlinson). Tomlinson denied being responsible for it and some commentators said it was flawed. As the number of MI6 officers writing books about current events doesn't happen every day,I recommend it,judge for yourself.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Abuse of power and influence by the MI6 ?,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Big Breach: From Top Secret to Maximum Security (Paperback)
Nearly everything the public knows about spies is fiction. But Richard Tomlinson worked for the MI6 until he was fired for unknown reasons. According to the author, MI6 hunted him down all over the planet when he following tried to write an autobiography. They used and abused their connections with foreign intelligence services for intimidation purposes, stole his equipment, and had him imprisoned for several months. When the book was in the press despite MI6's vast efforts to prevent it, they took legal action to ban it. They failed spectacularly, and "The Big Breach" became freely available. Contrary to what many would believe, no government secrets are exposed in the book, and the few descriptions of MI6's working methods can surprise no one. The really interesting aspects of the book are an intriguing claim about a top UK politician, secret Serb donations to a British political party, and the degree of unfair treatment by the MI6, combined with alleged incompetence in personnel management. Countless claims and counterclaims have been made about the book. One such claim is that the Russian publisher is really a cover for what was formerly known as KGB, and that they have written sections of the book. An obvious counterclaim is that the MI6 have orchestrated a smear campaign to discredit the book and its author. Whatever the truth, here's a spy story that is as close to reality as we'll probably ever get.
13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shocking to think this really happened!,
This review is from: The Big Breach: From Top Secret to Maximum Security (Paperback)
I have just finished the book desparately wanting to meet Richard Tomlinson and spend a good few hours discussing the contents of this book. It is both shocking and revealing and demonstrates how unfettered taxpayer funded organisations answerable to no one can persue their own private and ego driven campaigns with such venum, unchecked.I began the book thinking that he was a lttile niave and should have just gone with the flow, but the subsequent hypocrisy and blatant use of MI6 power to hound and discredit him was both shocking and disturbing. All large organisations have, by their very nature an element of politics/backstabbing/manipulation but this was taking it to the extreme and is a worrying enditement on the so called 'secret services' A book I could not put down and one that has really affected my attitude.
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