The Real Special Relationship

The True Story of How the British and US Secret Services Work Together

Michael Smith

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN:
  9781471186790
• eBook ISBN:
  9781471186806
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

'Fascinating analysis' Nigel West; 'Grippingly told, authoritative' Mail on Sunday; 'Meticulously researched...a remarkably good read' John Brennan, former CIA Director; 'Excellent...a detailed, highly professional account' Sir John Scarlett, former MI6 Chief
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The Special Relationship between America and Britain is feted by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic when it suits their purpose and just as frequently dismissed as a myth, not least by the media, which announces its supposed death on a regular basis. Yet the simple truth is that the two countries are bound together more closely than either is to any other ally.

In The Real Special Relationship, Michael Smith reveals how it all began, when a top-secret visit by four American codebreakers to Bletchley Park in February 1941 - ten months before the US entered the Second World War - marked the start of a close collaboration between the two nations that endures to this day. Once the war was over, and the Cold War began, both sides recognised that the way they had worked together to decode German and Japanese ciphers could now be used to counter the Soviet threat. Despite occasional political conflict and public disputes between the two nations, such as during the Suez crisis, behind the scenes intelligence sharing continued uninterrupted, right up to the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

Smith, the bestselling author of Station X and having himself served in British military intelligence, brings together a fascinating range of characters, from Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming to Kim Philby and Edward Snowden, who have helped shape the security of our two nations. Supported by in-depth interviews and an excellent range of personal contacts, he takes the reader into the mysterious workings of MI6, the CIA and all those who work to keep us safe. 

 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Author’s Note
• Foreword
• Prologue
• Chapter 1: Two Mongrels Meet
• Chapter 2: ‘Have a Rye, Sister’
• Chapter 3: ‘Wild Bill’ Enters the Ring
• Chapter 4: Sharing the Tricks of the Trade
• Chapter 5: The Cold War Begins
• Chapter 6: Playing Moscow at Its Own Game
• Chapter 7: Valuable or Worthless?
• Chapter 8: The Korean War
• Chapter 9: The Iran Coup
• Chapter 10: Dragon Lady
• Chapter 11: ‘Waltzing over Suez while Hungary Burns’
• Chapter 12: The Cuban Missile Crisis
• Chapter 13: ‘The Lady’s Virginity Has Been Questioned’
• Chapter 14: A Capitalist Running Dog’s View from Hanoi
• Chapter 15: Packing a Punch
• Chapter 16: The Prague Spring
• Chapter 17: The Lowest Point
• Chapter 18: The Greatest of Them All
• Chapter 19: ‘Do We Still Need the Brits?’
• Chapter 20: America’s Avenging Angels
• Chapter 21: The Pivot to the Pacific
• About the Author
• Notes
• Index
• Copyright