Editor’s Foreword
It seems only fitting that the volume on British Intelligence should be
the first in this new series of Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and
Counterintelligence. After all, it is the oldest organized structure of its
kind, although there were admittedly countless earlier precedents of
states spying on other states (while trying to keep those other states
from spying on them) and historically there were also simpler, more
rudimentary arrangements within what became the United Kingdom
before modern intelligence emerged. It was the British who developed
most of the basic aspects, refined most of the essential techniques, and
put together the most intricate organization. For the longest time they
were the paragons as regards imagination, effectiveness, and cunning,
although they are now outpaced by the Americans on technical gad-
getry and could never quite match the Soviets in terms of sheer ruthless-
ness. This does not mean that the British got everything right; they most
definitely did not, and British Intelligence is still a work in progress,
having gone through repeated reforms and doubtlessly headed for more
further down the road. But, and not every other intelligence organiza-
tion can say the same, the successes clearly have outnumbered the fail-
ures and, what is even more important, Her Majesty’s team repeatedly
beat the bad guys and lived to tell the tale (or keep it secret, as they
preferred).
This volume provides considerable insight into the history and opera-
tions of British Intelligence. The entries cover a vast and varied cast of
characters, the spies and their handlers, the moles and defectors, the
political leaders, the top brass, and many further down. Other entries
explain the techniques and jargon. And still others describe the many
different offices and operations, whether MI5, SIS, or GCHQ (which
are fortunately also listed with the acronyms for those whose memory
is not infinite). The chronology shows how this all evolved over time
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