MI6
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Review
'Judicious and fluently written history...a fascinating insight into a hidden world, an impressive work of scholarship with terrific photos' --Andrew Lownie, Sunday Telegraph, 26/09/10
`A very fine book...full of episode and personality' --Peter Hennessy, Daily Telegraph, 25/09/10
'A magisterial account of the two wars in particular, viewed via the prism of secret intelligence. Winningly, it also entertains.' --Mark Sellek, Independent on Sunday, 26/09/10
`Jeffery's monograph is extremely valuable... a realistic picture of a splendid British institution' --Oleg Gordievsky, The Times, 25/09/10
`Fascinating...the book is full of examples of the ingenuity and courage shown by all ranks.'
--Douglas Hurd, Guardian, 02/10/10
`A very fine book...full of episode and personality' --Peter Hennessy, Daily Telegraph, 25/09/10
'A magisterial account of the two wars in particular, viewed via the prism of secret intelligence. Winningly, it also entertains.' --Mark Sellek, Independent on Sunday, 26/09/10
`Jeffery's monograph is extremely valuable... a realistic picture of a splendid British institution' --Oleg Gordievsky, The Times, 25/09/10
`Fascinating...the book is full of examples of the ingenuity and courage shown by all ranks.'
--Douglas Hurd, Guardian, 02/10/10
Review
'Extraordinarily useful, endlessly interesting ... A triumph, a delight to read as well as an essential work of reference which captures the adventurous side of SIS with as much zest as he reveals its successes and failures' John Simpson
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Like its sister book on MI5 this is as detailed as it can be on such a subject as national security, however it is written in such a manner that it is fairly(!) easy to read. However my recommendation is not to try and read it all at once but to do it in bite-size chunks!! What does come through, as in the MI5 book, is that it is a wonder that we got any intelligence at all in the very early days where 'career' diplomats didn't think it was the done thing to spy on other people - much like those admirals who thought the use of submarines was underhand!! In view of the current fiscal problems it is interesting to note that there were money problems with financing MI6, and MI5, even back then. I have yet to finish the book but my impression so far is that the UK was very lucky to get any information at all in the early days and it was down to a very few people with the foresight to see that such an organisation was needed, both in war and in peace time. Also intriguing were the battles between the various factions to gain control of what would become MI6 - Foreign Office, Navy, Army being the main contestants - which took up a lot of time which could have been used more constructively. The book also shows where possible the courage of those actually gathering intelligence in hostile environments, but also where people were keen to sell information on their own country for cash.
A good informative read which gives some idea of what was/is involved in the gathering of intelligence.
A good informative read which gives some idea of what was/is involved in the gathering of intelligence.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If war is just the continuation of politics by other means, what is the role of a secret intelligence service, and how does it change in times of declared and undeclared war? That's the question being asked - and mostly answered - by this history of MI6 during WWI, WWII, and the Cold War against Communism, which includes the period 1919-41 as well as post-WWII.
We get here an in-depth look at the heads of the Service, and its role in peace and war: from Boche to Bolsheviks is the title of one chapter, and it might as well have titled the whole book, really, if Jeffrey was trying to write a catchy story rather than an authorised history. There are lots of interesting vignettes here, but little on what you might be looking for - the Cambridge 5, the man who never was, etc: often because this was done by organisations other than MI6. The SOE for example were a wartime sabotage force, not an intelligence service.
At times it's a little dry, but there are interesting thoughts on the need for political independence of a secret service which in turn relies on its being nonpartisan. None of this is dross, or mere noise, but if you are looking for a chronicle of wartime adventure or secret operations and assassinations revealed...alas, this is not the book for you. The cover does say, reads like the script of a Bond film, but really its mostly just the bits where Bond meets with M (itself a play on C) that this book represents.
This is a great work, but be aware what it is not before you buy it.
We get here an in-depth look at the heads of the Service, and its role in peace and war: from Boche to Bolsheviks is the title of one chapter, and it might as well have titled the whole book, really, if Jeffrey was trying to write a catchy story rather than an authorised history. There are lots of interesting vignettes here, but little on what you might be looking for - the Cambridge 5, the man who never was, etc: often because this was done by organisations other than MI6. The SOE for example were a wartime sabotage force, not an intelligence service.
At times it's a little dry, but there are interesting thoughts on the need for political independence of a secret service which in turn relies on its being nonpartisan. None of this is dross, or mere noise, but if you are looking for a chronicle of wartime adventure or secret operations and assassinations revealed...alas, this is not the book for you. The cover does say, reads like the script of a Bond film, but really its mostly just the bits where Bond meets with M (itself a play on C) that this book represents.
This is a great work, but be aware what it is not before you buy it.
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Quite apart from the content, this is a substantial book, on thick paper. What relevance is this I hear you ask? Well, this: I feel the book is just too thick - it comes in at over 800 pages including index and borders on the unmanagable. This won't be a problem for anyone who just wants to dip into the book for specific information, but if you want to read the complete story as a narrative, then the Kindle version will suit a lot better.
The book itself is well written and tells the story in an easily accessible style. It should come as no surprise that there is a huge amount of detail, and the book will add greatly to what is known about the Secret Intelligence service.
What has cost the book its fifth star though, is the simple fact that it is an "official" history and has therefore been written under the constraints imposed by MI6 and, although Professor Jeffrey was allowed unrestricted access to MI6's archives, he hasn't released all the information he could have, for example in naming agents. In the foreword MI6s policy on releasing information is set out, and should be read by everyone considering buying this book. The fact that the book is an official history also works against it in that other sources of information haven't been given the consderation they should have.
Personally I would also liked to have seen more on the pre-world war 2 side of things - well over half the book is dedicated to the last 10 years of the period it covers.
All in all though it is a worthwhile addition to the field.
The book itself is well written and tells the story in an easily accessible style. It should come as no surprise that there is a huge amount of detail, and the book will add greatly to what is known about the Secret Intelligence service.
What has cost the book its fifth star though, is the simple fact that it is an "official" history and has therefore been written under the constraints imposed by MI6 and, although Professor Jeffrey was allowed unrestricted access to MI6's archives, he hasn't released all the information he could have, for example in naming agents. In the foreword MI6s policy on releasing information is set out, and should be read by everyone considering buying this book. The fact that the book is an official history also works against it in that other sources of information haven't been given the consderation they should have.
Personally I would also liked to have seen more on the pre-world war 2 side of things - well over half the book is dedicated to the last 10 years of the period it covers.
All in all though it is a worthwhile addition to the field.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent
Absolutely fabulous book - well written and full of relevant information on the secret intelligence services from 1909 to 1949 in an easy to understand format
Published 1 month ago by Emma Forman
The history of the Secret Intelligence Service - more cloaks than...
First I must explain why I have only given this book 4 stars. This is because I bought the Kindle edition and the zoom is ineffective so most of the original documents reproduced... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ian Andrew
First class read. First class research. Frist class subject.
As many have already commented, this is an excellent history. If only more historians could write like Keith Jeffery. First class.
Published 5 months ago by rodney hedley
Fast and efficient
This book arrived very quickly and was in excellent condition. The book itself is very engaging with well thought out chapters that are easy to understand and excitingly written... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Chester01
One for academics.
The content of this book, although extensive and obviously well-researched, is rather dry and academic in nature, and is hardly a page-turner. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Shupi
Turgid stuff
If the aim of this book was to demonstrate how mundane and boring intelligence work is, it succeeded magnificently. Read more
Published 12 months ago by UK Scribe
Establishment view of MI6
This is a very detailed history of MI6, Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, based on access to MI6's archives. Read more
Published 15 months ago by William Podmore
Don't buy Kindle edition
This review covers two aspects.
1.The book itself and
2.Amazon's customer service/Kindle. Read more
1.The book itself and
2.Amazon's customer service/Kindle. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Reader
Kindle Version
My only criticism of this well researched and written tome is that-:
In the Kindle version the copies of the original document are illegible as you are unable to blow... Read more
In the Kindle version the copies of the original document are illegible as you are unable to blow... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mr David B Smith
MI6 More danger than you thought possible
A very heavy book. No, I mean a very heavy book. It needs a government health warning.Try holding this in bed. Read more
Published 18 months ago by NJ
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