[…] The books of ‘West’ that I have read all have the same problem: he tells you that some of the material comes from past or present intelligence officers and hints that in those sections you are getting ‘the real inside story’. Somewhere along the way, for example, I have acquired the idea that […]
[…] the Political Use of Terrorism in Italy (London: Constable, 1991) reported in the Guardian 26 March 2001 (4) the remarks of Gianadelio Maletti, commander of the counter- intelligence section of the Italian military intelligence service from 1971 to 1975. Maletti said that his men had discovered that a rightwing terrorist cell in the Venice […]
Michael Smith Gollancz, London,1996, £20 This is a curious and rather pointless book. In short chapters Smith attempts potted histories of MI5, SIS, signals and military intelligence. These are quite well done, but covering half a century in 20 pages, say, the chapters are barely more than sketches. (The Information Research Department gets a […]
[…] of the Viking, known as Grey Wolf and Outlaw Viking. Neither of these resembles the craft described in the Black Dog mission. The latter was used for intelligence gathering in the Gulf, but not operated by the CIA. The report refers to the pilot, who did not eject but was recovered alive. However, the […]
[…] that: Shortly after 9/11, in October 2001, U.S. and British newspapers briefly alleged that the paymaster for the 9/11 attacks was a possible agent of the Pakistani intelligence service ISI, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. There was even a brief period in which it was alleged that the money had been paid at the direction […]
Books Alan Turing: the enigma of intelligence Andrew Hughes (Unwin 1985) If you have a chance, read Alan Turing: the enigma of intelligence by Andrew Hughes (Unwin 1985). Now in paperback, Hughes’ excellent biography rescues from near obscurity a true eccentric genius. It is of interest to us because of Turing’s essential work on […]
[…] He enlisted as a private in the gunners, and three years later he was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Transport. He volunteered for the Special Military Intelligence unit in Northern Ireland when the present troubles began, and he was trained at the Joint Services School of Intelligence. Once his training was finished, he […]
[…] the Technologies of Political Control – was commissioned last year by the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament. It contains details of a network of American-controlled intelligence stations on British soil and around the world, that ‘routinely and indiscriminately’ monitor countless phone, fax and e-mail messages. It states: ‘Within Europe all e-mail telephone […]
[…] group that we could prevent actions because of the credibility of our source.’ This is reminiscent of the comment by former BOSS agent, Gordon Winter that, ‘British intelligence has a saying that if there is a left-wing movement in Britain bigger than a football team our man is the captain or the vice captain, […]
[…] characters, such as Greville Wynne and John Vassall, to major operators Blunt, Burgess, Maclean and Philby. ‘Spooks’ are also covered, with almost ninety members of the intelligence community listed. Many of these had other occupations John Henry Bevan (‘intelligence officer and stockbroker’), Maurice James Buckmaster (‘intelligence officer and businessman’), Tomas Joseph Harris […]
