spies
Too in thrall to today’s dogmas: ITV1’s A Spy Among Friends reviewed
In 2014, Ben Macintyre presented a BBC2 documentary based on his book A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the…
Can we brainwash our enemies?
Disinformation is on the rise, and Britain’s spies are on the back foot. Our intelligence leaders warn about election meddling,…
Russian spies and the return of the Cold War
Last week’s arrest of a security guard employed at the British embassy in Berlin, on suspicion of spying for Russia,…
The best Cold War thriller I've seen that I fully understand: The Courier reviewed
The Courier is a Cold War spy thriller and the prospect of a Cold War spy thriller always makes my…
BBC1’s The Night Manager verges on parody
The Night Manager (BBC1, Sunday) announced its intentions immediately, when the opening credits lovingly combined weapons and luxury items. ‘Blimey,’…
We trust our spies. But we shouldn’t trust this bill
Were David Cameron in any way adept at spin, it would be tempting to think that the publication of the…
James Delingpole cringes at London Spy’s gay sex scenes
The main problem with being a TV critic, I’ve noticed over the years, is that you have to watch so…
Are we all potential cyberterrorists now?
Hollywood got there first, of course. Back in 1983, before most of us even learned — then forgot again —…
Bletchley Park was decades ahead of Silicon Valley. So what happened?
Gordon Corera, best known as the security correspondent for BBC News, somehow finds time to write authoritative, well-researched and readable…
My dirty secret: I don’t care either way about state surveillance
The Snoopers’ Charter. I ought to care about this. I’m a sort of libertarian. I believe in personal freedom. I’m…
From slaves' rectums to porn vids, there are few places people haven't tried to conceal secret messages
John Gerard, a Jesuit priest immured in the Tower of London in 1597, and tortured by being hung from manacles…
The completely ludicrous – and sometimes believable – world of the First World War spook
There can’t have been this many books about the first world war since — just after the first world war.…
‘A public urinal where ministers and officials queued up to leak’
Anyone brought up as I was in a Daily Express household in the 1950s — there were approaching 11 million…
Russian Roulette, by Giles Milton - review
Had Onan not spilled his seed upon the ground, he might have invented invisible ink. The possibility had not occurred…
