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Stephen Dorril
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MI6: Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service Hardcover – June 8, 2000

by Stephen Dorril (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 32 ratings
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Provides an inside look at Britain's legendary intelligence agency, detailing its failures as well as its successes.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    880 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Free Press
  4. Publication date
    June 8, 2000
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 2.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0743203798
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0743203791
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

MI6, the foreign section of Great Britain's intelligence service, began life early in the 20th century with the charge of keeping tabs on "Red Russia," and, soon thereafter, on Nazi Germany. Less effective during World War II than its American counterpart, the Office of Strategic Services, MI6 came into its own during the cold war, when Britain's spymasters recruited bright young public-school intellectuals to play a modern version of the Great Game against their Soviet counterparts in the KGB and thwart Communist ambitions around the globe.

The Soviets, writes English historian Stephen Dorril, were often a step ahead, helped along by British turncoats like Kim Philby, who provided Stalin with the names of MI6 operatives and later defected. And, like the CIA, the agents of MI6 were obsessed with conjuring elaborate schemes, including plots to assassinate Egyptian leader Gamal Abdul Nasser (with poisoned chocolates) and Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic (by means of a carefully engineered car crash). Busy planning elaborate endings to their enemies' lives, the British spies failed to comprehend important developments as they were happening, from the Belgrade-Moscow split of the late 1940s to the collapse of the Soviet bloc in the late 1980s.

Such failures, lapses, and scandals have led to repeated calls for dismantling the agency, especially now that the cold war has ended. Even so, Dorril writes, MI6 enjoys a privileged position within the British government and is unlikely to see meaningful reform. Readers who know of British spydom only through the surprisingly accurate James Bond novels of Ian Fleming will find Dorril's densely detailed, often scathingly critical book to be an eye-opener. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

Despite the efforts of an outraged British government determined to suppress its publication, this exhaustive study of Her Majesty's secret service appeared in print in the U.K. in March, and was serialized amid great controversy in London's Sunday Times. The fruits of Dorril's 15 years' research into the shadowy MI6 are now presented for the edification of U.S. readers. Dorril (Smear, etc.) goes heavy on revelations and myth busting. In his hands, MI6 is no longer the precision-tuned organization of legend, but appears far more American in its tendency to blunder its way through important missions. In an echo of the CIA's failed efforts in Cuba and elsewhere, MI6 is shown fumbling plans to assassinate troublesome heads of state, including Muammar Khadafy and Slobodan Milosevic. Ever shrewd, however, the British spy agency manages to fund some of its operations with CIA money. Also, Dorril claims, MI6 conducted spy operations for the U.S. in Vietnam as part of a complex, covert deal with Washington to keep British troops out of Southeast Asia. Other assertions are indeed delicious if not entirely persuasive: Nelson Mandela (who denies the charge) is portrayed as a British agent who provided key information on Libyan financing of the IRA. Dense even for an intelligence history, the work is carefully organized to avoid overwhelming the more casual reader, while providing both in-depth research for the serious student and entertainment for the well-informed spy buff. American journalists and readers accustomed to seeing our own country's secrets unmasked via the Freedom of Information Act may wonder what all the fuss is about on the other side of the Atlantic, but will certainly find much to marvel at. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press; 1st edition (June 8, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 880 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743203798
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743203791
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 2.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 32 ratings

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Stephen Dorril

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
32 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jerry
5.0 out of 5 stars This book gave me a look inside secrets
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book is full of interesting facts about secret events.. it got me reading more historical facts and searching for secrets revealed
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Sherif Lotfy
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2019
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Packed with details and interesting information. Highly recommended book to understand a lot of what is happening in the world around us
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Gail H. Nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars MI-6 History - A Primary Text
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2016
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There is no more authoritative work on MI-6 than Dorril's text and should be required reading for students in the history of British Intelligence Services.
2 people found this helpful
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RJ
1.0 out of 5 stars Revisionist History
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2010
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I stopped reading this book after 50 pages. It is not a history book. It is utter fantasy. Mr. Dorrill may be respected by somebody...somewhere, but an 800 page book about how the Soviet Union is a victim of the western world is utter drivel. I will not even give this piece of junk to my local library. I am simply going to throw it out and regret the wasted money I spent.
3 people found this helpful
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BT
5.0 out of 5 stars spies in the UK
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013
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a fascinating book with so much insider informtation about the MI6 spy agency in London. Much of the inoformation has not, to my knowledge, been published before. A useful book for history buffs.
One person found this helpful
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blondiee
5.0 out of 5 stars interesting
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2012
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again my father in law is enjoying this book immensly..as this is his favourite topic to read about. He is very happy with the book,
2 people found this helpful
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Susan Armistead
5.0 out of 5 stars MI6: Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2013
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Not as controversial as Snowdon but interesting never the less.
Have not finished it yet but it is easy and fun to read
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Paul Y. Gelman
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2000
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A most wonderful book.You won't have the chance of being bored even for one second.Every page is a blockbuster.Meticulously researched and -I believe-the first of its kind in depth of analysis.It will surely be the reference book on the subject for years to come.John Le Carre, you are having a heavy contestant in your field.
23 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Travis
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2024
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The book is in great condition, arrived quickly.
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Michael Shelton
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2016
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Excellent service, good book.
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andrew pettitt
5.0 out of 5 stars delivered as advertised
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2015
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a very heavy read but fascinating
One person found this helpful
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