About this title: In 1976, former Assistant Director of MI5 Peter Wright left British Intelligence when the government had repeatedly refused to pursue his discovery of the infamous "Fifth Man" in the Burgess-Maclean-Philby-Blunt KGB spy ring. An uncensored account of the American and British business of spying--a work so revealing it has been banned in Britain.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780440201328ISBN:0440201322
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Good plus condition. Light edge and corner wear. First page has small tear on edge. Very light dings on front cover. Tanned pages. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780440201328ISBN:0440201322
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Light edge and corner wear. Tanning pages. Tight binding. Very light wear on top and bottom of spine. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780440201328ISBN:0440201322
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Light edge and corner wear. Tanning pages. Sloped spine. Corner crease on back cover. Tight binding. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. CT-Spine is well creased. Covers show wear a the edges and corners. Average Reading copy. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780440201328ISBN:0440201322
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Good condition! minor wearing on front cover and spine-but in otherwise great condition! Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Dell Pub Co, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780440201328ISBN:0440201322
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. A light crease on the bottom of the spine. A corner crease on the back top corner. read more
"This may well still be banned in the UK, although why it would remain to be so now is somewhat of a mystery, what with the supposed opening up of the secret world. At the time of its initial publication this rather tame memoir got a great deal of publicity due to Thatcher's government slapping a ban on it. This naturally led to a surge of interest that probably would otherwise not have been there and it sold in its thousands.
Not having read it before, I approached it with something of a fresh view and had no real idea what it contained, excepting a vague notion that it was explosive and blew the lid off the British intelligence services. Nothing could really have been further from the truth. There is certainly interest in Wright's story, however he was probably not the man to tell it (and nor was his ghost for this book). The style is rather dry and dull, which is a shame as the story of the Cambridge spies is an extremely interesting one, as is the cut and thrust of British intelligence a la James Bond.
"Cleverly written, making you feel as though you are part of the action. A great introduction to modern British history as well as offering anyone enough suspense and skulduggery to keep him happy.
Allows you to witness the machinations taking place within the secret services of the world, while being able to see the importance of good leadership and the ability and room to be creative."
"I devoured this one in two days. I thought espionage movies are interesting, but was blown away by how much more intrigue, deceit, and flashy gadgets there are in the true stories!
Peter Wright was recruited into MI5 following World War II as their first staff scientist. He began in signals technology, designing new methods for detecting and decrypting soviet signals. A rising star, he quickly moved on to counterintelligence, where he spends the remainder of his career trying to ferret out moles in the system. Despite the ultimate futility of his work--every time he finds a mole, evidence of more arises--and what it means for the effectiveness of his organization, Wright passionately pursues his work, though near the end he admits to feeling like he is surrounded by enemies.
The characters in Wright's memoir are larger than life, as spies in the movies never are. There's Pete Harvey, a volatile, alcoholic CIA agent who wears cowboy boots and calls Wright a limey bastard. Anthony Blunt, cultured intellectual with a history for passionate love affairs with fellow spies (mostly men) who lives in quiet luxury after confessing to large scale espionage (Britian has a habit of granting moles immunity if they confess). And Jim Angleton, whose passion for his work and belief that the great game can be won leaves him looking more emaciated each time Wright sees him.
The sheer volume and stature of the moles Wright finds, some of whom are department directors, left me with the initial impression that the entire business of espionage, especially counterespionage, is futile and self defeating. Not only is it impossible to have a large number of people keep a secret, but the work itself damages the people who do it. Few can be in the business of deception and distrust without eventually becoming paranoid, deceitful, or misanthropic.
On the other hand, wiretaps and double agents were the weapons of the Cold War. Though it was, as Wright put it, just a great game, it's a far less destructive way to fight a war than with bombs and guns."
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