- Hardcover: 331 pages
- Publisher: Global Pr; 1 edition (2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0970554788
- ISBN-13: 978-0970554789
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 16.4 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,113,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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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.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format: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
Format: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
Format: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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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Weak plot
The book was not particularly interesting. There was more than a little self promotion in order to build a character that the reader was asked to symathise with and this tainted... Read more
Published on 16 Nov 2006 by Anonymous, for good reason
Very interesting read
There's no doubt Mr. Tomlinson is an intelligent, articulate man who writes very well. The book is evenly paced with a lot of interesting events and details. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2005
The Big MI6 Breach.
Richard Tomlinson is an ordinary bloke in an ordinary world, he is highly intelligent and so gets admitted to Cambridge university, there he studies engineering and has a sought... Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2004
Tomlinson was born to be a spy, or so he thinks....
According to this book, Tomlinson was born to be a spy and work at MI6. Nothing else would stimluate his enormous brain enough. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2002 by paulcurrid@hotmail.com
Another White Elephant
Tomlinson's book confirms much of what those who have previously read Rusbridger's "The Intelligence Game" might have suspected: here is a world composed largely of incompetent and... Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2001
Says more about the author than MI6
... Those who would have been the first to doubt Tomlinson's word while he was working for MI6 fall over themselves to accept it when he has left. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2001
A Powerful Story of Suspense and Persecution
A great read if you have some spare time and are interested in the Intelligence Services. Richard doesn't whine about MI6 until about page 200, so there is a lot more to the book... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2001
A Powerful Account of the Abuse of Power
I found this book gripping, and very disturbing. The first half of the
book charts the author's career in Britain's Secret Intelligence
Service (MI6). Read more
book charts the author's career in Britain's Secret Intelligence
Service (MI6). Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2001
Interesting in parts
An interesting insight into the work of the Secret Service. However, it is tempered by Richard's constant whine about his treatment at the hands of MI6. Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2001
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