The Black Door: Spies, Secret Intelligence and British Prime Ministers

Nonfiction, History, British, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book The Black Door: Spies, Secret Intelligence and British Prime Ministers by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac, HarperCollins Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac ISBN: 9780007555451
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Publication: April 21, 2016
Imprint: William Collins Language: English
Author: Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
ISBN: 9780007555451
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication: April 21, 2016
Imprint: William Collins
Language: English

The Black Door explores the evolving relationship between successive British prime ministers and the intelligence agencies, from Asquith’s Secret Service Bureau to Cameron’s National Security Council. Intelligence can do a prime minister’s dirty work. For more than a century, secret wars have been waged directly from Number 10. They have staved off conflict, defeats and British decline through fancy footwork, often deceiving friend and foe alike. Yet as the birth of the modern British secret service in 1909, prime ministers were strangers to the secret world – sometimes with disastrous consequences. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill oversaw a remarkable revolution in the exploitation of intelligence, bringing it into the centre of government. Chruchill’s wartime regime also formed a school of intelligence for future prime ministers, and its secret legacy has endured. Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and David Cameron all became great enthusiasts for spies and special forces. Although Britain’s political leaders have often feigned ignorance about what one prime minister called this ‘strange underworld’, some of the most daring and controversial intelligence operations can be traced straight back to Number 10.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Black Door explores the evolving relationship between successive British prime ministers and the intelligence agencies, from Asquith’s Secret Service Bureau to Cameron’s National Security Council. Intelligence can do a prime minister’s dirty work. For more than a century, secret wars have been waged directly from Number 10. They have staved off conflict, defeats and British decline through fancy footwork, often deceiving friend and foe alike. Yet as the birth of the modern British secret service in 1909, prime ministers were strangers to the secret world – sometimes with disastrous consequences. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill oversaw a remarkable revolution in the exploitation of intelligence, bringing it into the centre of government. Chruchill’s wartime regime also formed a school of intelligence for future prime ministers, and its secret legacy has endured. Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and David Cameron all became great enthusiasts for spies and special forces. Although Britain’s political leaders have often feigned ignorance about what one prime minister called this ‘strange underworld’, some of the most daring and controversial intelligence operations can be traced straight back to Number 10.

More books from HarperCollins Publishers

Cover of the book Alison Gordon Two-Book Bundle by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book The Lost Diary of Queen Victoria’s Undermaid by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Amazing Architects & Artists: A2-B1 (Collins Amazing People ELT Readers) by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Still Got It, Never Lost It!: The Hilarious Autobiography from the Star of TV’s Pineapple Dance Studios and Dancing on Ice by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Montcalm And Wolfe by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book 20 MINUTES TO MASTER … BUDDHISM by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Writing Fiction (Collins Need to Know?) by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book The Tightrope Men by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book The Yermakov Transfer by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Christmas on the Mersey by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Dartmoor (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 27) by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Deaf Heaven by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Greek Millionaire, Unruly Wife by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book 101 Scottish Songs: The wee red book (Collins Scottish Archive) by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
Cover of the book Moby Dick (Collins Classics) by Richard Aldrich, Rory Cormac
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy