The Secret History of the Five Eyes

'Absolutely brilliant' - Tom Holland, The Rest Is History 'A seminal history' - The Wall Street Journal 'Gripping and shocking' - Tim Shipman, author of All Out War 'An extraordinary development' - The Times 'An impressively detailed account of a remarkable alliance' - Jeremy Bowen, The New Statesman 'A remarkable book . . . delves into the fascinating individuals involved.' Daily Beast THE TIMES BEST POLITICAL BOOKS OF 2022 Despite being one of the world's most powerful intelligence networks, the Five Eyes has been steeped in secrecy since its formation in 1956. The international intelligence collaboration between Britain, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, has shaped global events since its inception - and continues to do so to this day. Over eight decades, the alliance's agencies, including the CIA, FBI, MI5, MI6, GCHQ, and ASIO, have swapped secrets and tradecraft, and pooled resources. From Nazi hunters and World War II codebreakers, to spymasters and political leaders embroiled in the recent security crisis around Russia and Ukraine, they have shared a common purpose and common enemy, in spite of a mutual mistrust. In this revised and updated edition, Richard Kerbaj expertly weaves together stories of this extraordinary alliance and the unlikely cast of characters who have played a crucial role in its history. Impeccably researched and including interviews with world leaders and intelligence officials, The Secret History of the Five Eyes is a major contribution to the literature of international intelligence. ____________________________ 'Absolutely brilliant book and very, very timely to read. Tom Holland, The Rest Is History 'Reveals in great detail how the U.S. intelligence community closed ranks during Trump's first term in office.' The Wall Street Journal 'The story of "this non-binding marriage of convenience" through its most compelling personalities.' The Globe and Mail 'This thought-provoking and informative book suggests that the era of globetrotting lone agents such as James Bond is long gone.' - Sydney Morning Herald 'The stories Kerbaj tells reveal ... a story of failure - of missing warnings that could have prevented atrocities, of misusing intelligence to start a war' - Observer 'Scintillating ... full of scoops ... by focusing on the human relationships which are the beating heart of the Five Eyes, Kerbaj has made a singular contribution to the intelligence discourse. It's a service to democracy.' - The Australian 'Kerbaj ... has chronicled the history of the Fives Eyes spy network. His list of interviewees speaks for itself - several former heads of MI5, MI6, GCHQ, the CIA, four former British and Australian prime ministers, and myriad other current and former spooks. But this account is unencumbered by any sense of an agreed or official narrative (the usual price for this level of journalistic access).' - Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times 'Sensational' - Nigel Nelson, Political Editor, The Mirror 'An impressively detailed account of a remarkable alliance' - Jeremy Bowen, The New Statesman 'Examines decades of intelligence sharing' - The Telegraph 'Reopen[s] the debate' - The Times 'Explosive' - The World News

'Absolutely brilliant' - Tom Holland, The Rest Is History 'A seminal history' - The Wall Street Journal 'Gripping and shocking' - Tim Shipman, author of All Out War 'An extraordinary development' - The Times 'An impressively detailed account of a remarkable alliance' - Jeremy Bowen, The New Statesman 'A remarkable book . . . delves into the fascinating individuals involved.' Daily Beast THE TIMES BEST POLITICAL BOOKS OF 2022 Despite being one of the world's most powerful intelligence networks, the Five Eyes has been steeped in secrecy since its formation in 1956. The international intelligence collaboration between Britain, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, has shaped global events since its inception - and continues to do so to this day. Over eight decades, the alliance's agencies, including the CIA, FBI, MI5, MI6, GCHQ, and ASIO, have swapped secrets and tradecraft, and pooled resources. From Nazi hunters and World War II codebreakers, to spymasters and political leaders embroiled in the recent security crisis around Russia and Ukraine, they have shared a common purpose and common enemy, in spite of a mutual mistrust. In this revised and updated edition, Richard Kerbaj expertly weaves together stories of this extraordinary alliance and the unlikely cast of characters who have played a crucial role in its history. Impeccably researched and including interviews with world leaders and intelligence officials, The Secret History of the Five Eyes is a major contribution to the literature of international intelligence. ____________________________ 'Absolutely brilliant book and very, very timely to read. Tom Holland, The Rest Is History 'Reveals in great detail how the U.S. intelligence community closed ranks during Trump's first term in office.' The Wall Street Journal 'The story of "this non-binding marriage of convenience" through its most compelling personalities.' The Globe and Mail 'This thought-provoking and informative book suggests that the era of globetrotting lone agents such as James Bond is long gone.' - Sydney Morning Herald 'The stories Kerbaj tells reveal ... a story of failure - of missing warnings that could have prevented atrocities, of misusing intelligence to start a war' - Observer 'Scintillating ... full of scoops ... by focusing on the human relationships which are the beating heart of the Five Eyes, Kerbaj has made a singular contribution to the intelligence discourse. It's a service to democracy.' - The Australian 'Kerbaj ... has chronicled the history of the Fives Eyes spy network. His list of interviewees speaks for itself - several former heads of MI5, MI6, GCHQ, the CIA, four former British and Australian prime ministers, and myriad other current and former spooks. But this account is unencumbered by any sense of an agreed or official narrative (the usual price for this level of journalistic access).' - Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times 'Sensational' - Nigel Nelson, Political Editor, The Mirror 'An impressively detailed account of a remarkable alliance' - Jeremy Bowen, The New Statesman 'Examines decades of intelligence sharing' - The Telegraph 'Reopen[s] the debate' - The Times 'Explosive' - The World News

'Puts Richard Kerbaj in the front rank of modern authors on espionage. It is, by turns, gripping and shocking and sheds completely new light on the most important intelligence alliance in the world' -- Tim Shipman, author of All Out War The Secret History of The Five Eyes: The untold story of the international spy network, is a riveting and exclusive narrative of the most powerful and least understood intelligence alliance, which has been steeped in secrecy since its formation in 1956. Richard Kerbaj, an award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker, bypasses the usual censorship channels to tell the definitive account of authoritative but unauthorised stories of the Western world's most powerful but least known intelligence alliance made up of the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. As Kerbaj shows, spy stories are never better than when they are true - and these span from 1930s Nazi spy rings to the most recent developments in Ukraine and China. Through personal interviews with world leaders - including British Prime Ministers Theresa May and David Cameron - and more than 100 intelligence officials, this book explores the complex personalities who helped shape the Five Eyes. They include a Scotland Yard detective who became a spymaster and inspired the first exchanges between MI5 and the FBI. An American home economics teacher who helped create one of the most effective programmes to counter Soviet espionage. The CIA's lone officer in Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution. GCHQ's chief during the Edward Snowden intelligence leak. And the Australian politician turned diplomat whose tip-off to the FBI instigated the inquiry into Russia's meddling in the US presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Richard Kerbaj is able to draw from deep inside the secret corridors of power and his unparalleled access spans all 5 countries. Some of the people he has interviewed include former GCHQ director Sir Iain Lobban, CIA director General David Petraeus, MI5 director-general Eliza Manningham-Buller, NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers, British National Security Advisor Kim Darroch, ASIO chief Mike Burgess, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's chief Richard Fadden, and Ciaran Martin, the official who oversaw Britain's assessments on whether the Chinese telecoms firm, Huawei, should have had a role in the creation of the UK's 5G network. This page-turning book will lift the lid on spy stories from across the English-speaking world, question the future of the alliance, and our place within it.

'Puts Richard Kerbaj in the front rank of modern authors on espionage. It is, by turns, gripping and shocking and sheds completely new light on the most important intelligence alliance in the world' -- Tim Shipman, author of All Out War The Secret History of The Five Eyes: The untold story of the international spy network, is a riveting and exclusive narrative of the most powerful and least understood intelligence alliance, which has been steeped in secrecy since its formation in 1956. Richard Kerbaj, an award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker, bypasses the usual censorship channels to tell the definitive account of authoritative but unauthorised stories of the Western world's most powerful but least known intelligence alliance made up of the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. As Kerbaj shows, spy stories are never better than when they are true - and these span from 1930s Nazi spy rings to the most recent developments in Ukraine and China. Through personal interviews with world leaders - including British Prime Ministers Theresa May and David Cameron - and more than 100 intelligence officials, this book explores the complex personalities who helped shape the Five Eyes. They include a Scotland Yard detective who became a spymaster and inspired the first exchanges between MI5 and the FBI. An American home economics teacher who helped create one of the most effective programmes to counter Soviet espionage. The CIA's lone officer in Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution. GCHQ's chief during the Edward Snowden intelligence leak. And the Australian politician turned diplomat whose tip-off to the FBI instigated the inquiry into Russia's meddling in the US presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Richard Kerbaj is able to draw from deep inside the secret corridors of power and his unparalleled access spans all 5 countries. Some of the people he has interviewed include former GCHQ director Sir Iain Lobban, CIA director General David Petraeus, MI5 director-general Eliza Manningham-Buller, NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers, British National Security Advisor Kim Darroch, ASIO chief Mike Burgess, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's chief Richard Fadden, and Ciaran Martin, the official who oversaw Britain's assessments on whether the Chinese telecoms firm, Huawei, should have had a role in the creation of the UK's 5G network. This page-turning book will lift the lid on spy stories from across the English-speaking world, question the future of the alliance, and our place within it.

This is the definitive account of the Western world's most powerful--but least known--intelligence alliance, which remains central to the defense of the free world in a dangerously uncertain time. The Five Eyes--a spy network between the intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand--has been steeped in secrecy since its official formation in 1956. Yet the Five Eyes' very existence is not legally binding--it functions as a marriage of convenience riddled with distrust, competing intelligence agendas, and a massive imbalance of power that favors the US. Richard Kerbaj draws on interviews with intelligence officials, world leaders, and recently declassified archives to reveal the authoritative but unauthorized stories of the alliance. In bypassing the usual censorship channels, he tells this extraordinary account of the Five Eyes' unlikely cast of characters who played a crucial role in its history, and exposes the network's hidden role in influencing global events that continue to shape our daily lives.

This is the definitive account of the Western world's most powerful--but least known--intelligence alliance, which remains central to the defense of the free world in a dangerously uncertain time. The Five Eyes--a spy network between the intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand--has been steeped in secrecy since its official formation in 1956. Yet the Five Eyes' very existence is not legally binding--it functions as a marriage of convenience riddled with distrust, competing intelligence agendas, and a massive imbalance of power that favors the US. Richard Kerbaj draws on interviews with intelligence officials, world leaders, and recently declassified archives to reveal the authoritative but unauthorized stories of the alliance. In bypassing the usual censorship channels, he tells this extraordinary account of the Five Eyes' unlikely cast of characters who played a crucial role in its history, and exposes the network's hidden role in influencing global events that continue to shape our daily lives.