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Questionnable Accuracy I would question the question the accuracy of this book given aspects of this which are inaccurate e.g.[...] or the tendency of this book to denigrate certain individuals, particularly those who searched for evidence that Hollis was a high level mole in MI5. Attempts to mislead the reader are legendary in all the work on spies and spying and I don't think this book is any different. The new Chapman Pincher book, which isn't necessarily any more accurate than this book, is worth reading as a counter balance i.e. Pincher, C (2009) Treachery: Betrayals, Blunders and Cover-ups: Six Decades of Espionage Against America and Great Britain. The Pincher book is the extended case for the prosecution i.e. that Hollis, the head of MI5 in the late 1950s and early 1960s, was a Russian GRU spy. The Pincher book makes one wonder if Hollis would have been charged after he was interrogated if they had all the information that has come to light since his interrogation and later death. As this outcome would, still, be too embarrassing for the UK it is not surprising that many still try too hard to counter this outcome. Defend the Realm tries too hard. Rating: 1 (J. Morrison, 2010-02-06) Product reviewed: Defend the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5

Defend the Realm On the one hundredth anniversary of the United Kingdom's spy shop, MI5, comes //Defend the Realm//, the authorized history of the agency. The British Security Service opened its files to Cambridge professor and historian Christopher Andrew, giving him "virtually unrestricted access" to its archives. Although the Service vetted Andrew's work for reasons of national security, this exhaustive tome seems to offer a fair and balanced review of MI5's fascinating history. Of course, readers cannot possibly know what might be missing from Andrew's account. But regardless of what may have been omitted--for whatever reasons, security or otherwise--what remains is revealing. As Andrew writes in the preface, "For most of its history the Security Service (MI5) has seemed to outsiders a deeply mysterious organization ... The Service, like the rest of the intelligence community, was to stay as far from public view as possible." One might wonder why, then, after one hundred years, the Service decided to open its vault, exposing its successes as well as its failures. Andrew notes that recent directors, beginning with Stella Rimington, have sought to demystify the Service. With that, Andrew uncovers warts and all in //Defend the Realm//, from its origins as a fledgling office staffed by two people to its work--clandestine and otherwise--during World War I, World War II, the Cold War, and the War on Terror. Andrew traces the history of the Service as it thwarted espionage, subversion, and terrorism from domestic and international threats. He chronicles the agency's inner workings, highlighting key players throughout MI5's history, shedding light on the Service's culture throughout the years, and illustrating its ongoing struggle to avoid political entanglements. Readers will find in-depth examinations of "The Magnificent Five" ring of Soviet spies who had infiltrated the Service, the double-cross system, and the agency's alleged plot to smear Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Andrew also reveals the Service's work regarding threats to the empire from around the world, including Soviet Russia, the IRA and PIRA, and jihadists. //Defend the Realm// clearly is one of the most comprehensive accounts of MI5. There is much ground to cover, and it seems as though Andrew has left little out. The early history of the Service is examined in vivid detail; the more contemporary history of the agency is less clear although still revealing. It seems Andrew has left few stones unturned. He not only examines the culture and morale of the Service throughout its history, but also occasionally notes the personal interests of some of its leaders. It is unclear what bearing hobbies such as hunting, fishing, and riding have on the successes or failures of the Service, but such details tend to bog down what already is, at more than one thousand pages, a lengthy book. At times, //Defend the Realm// takes on a "ripped-from-the-headlines" tone, exposing sex, politics, suicides, and betrayals--both within the agency and within the government. These juicy bits certainly add some color to the text, but often come with the caveat that once investigated, such events often were found to have no bearing on the Service or on the security of the United Kingdom. Readers who are looking for more than tabloid voyeurism may find it easy to skim such details, which seem to add little to the overall history of the Service. //Defend the Realm// will appeal to readers with a deep interest in the Service. However, although much in the book is fascinating, the breadth of detail, as well as the shear length of the book, may well overwhelm readers who enjoy spy novels but have just a passing interest in MI5. Reviewed by Kelli Christiansen Rating: 3 (Sacramento Book Review, 2010-02-06) Product reviewed: Defend the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5

Too much information! This is certainly a GREAT book for the VERY serious student of secret services and of the MI5 in particular! However for the average layman it is simply too burdensome, too much stuffed with detail information. While I am an avid reader, and interested in history, this volume was simply too much for me - I put it away after having read some 285 pages. ( This seems to again prove the rule, that a book for the average, interested layman should not really exceed about 300 pages) If you are SERIOUSLY interested in the subject, it will be a great buy - if you are just interested, stay away from this book! NB: I obviously gave my "grade" from the average guy's point of view, I am sure, for the serious guy, it will be full marks! Rating: 1 (PST, 2010-01-16) Product reviewed: Defend the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5

Domestic Intelligence and National Security This book is one of the most comprehensive books ever written about an intelligence organization. It is also an authorized history meaning that MI5, the UK's domestic intelligence service actually co-operated with the author to produce this astonishingly complete history. It should be emphasized that MI5 has evolved considerably since its creation in 1909, but it was never simply a "domestic intelligence" organization. Its original purpose was what today is called counter-intelligence and the allied mission of keeping track of foreign residents in the UK. As the organization evolved and, in spite of missteps and pratfalls along the way, proved its worth it branched out into other duties and responsibilities. After a rather confused start MI5 performed quite well in WWI preventing sabotage, espionage and subversion by German agents. In WWII it did much the same, but also created and executed the so-called `double-cross' system of turning enemy spies into double agents. After the war it was active not only in the UK, but also in the British colonies as the UK slowly dismantled it Empire. And long before the al Qaeda terrorist movement, MI5 operatives initiated counter-terrorist strategies against both colonial terrorist movements, particularly in Malaysia and Kenya, and in the UK against the Provisional Wing of the IRA. The real mission of MI5 is and has always been what is called national security and its organization and mission has changed repeatedly as threats to UK national security have changed. Today MI5 responsibilities include domestic intelligence operations, executive protection, and counter-terrorism/counter-intelligence. Yet it is essential that MI5 has always avoided anything that could be called `law enforcement' or para-military operations. By avoiding these it has avoided being called a secret police organization. It is what it has always been, an organization that identifies and develops information (intelligence) on threats to UK national security and if required involves the police or military to actually counter them. MI5 often walks a very fine line between domestic intelligence and law enforcement, but for the most part has succeeded in keeping the two separate. This is a very fine book that provides an absolutely riveting account of a most interesting organization. Rating: 5 (Retired Reader, 2010-01-07) Product reviewed: Defend the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5

The Rest of The Story Once again Christopher Andrew has written the quintessential history of intelligence and in this case 20th century British internal intelligence & security. What remains to be done is the 19th century history of British intelligence from the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, and Victorian Imperial Intelligence -- no matter how viscerated by Foreign Office and Defense Ministry inter-ministerial intrigues. Or does the real story of intelligence & security during this period shift to the French, Russian, and Prussian-German intelligence services? Professor Andrew would be our best source. Rating: 5 (Gail H. Nelson, 2009-11-14) Product reviewed: Defend the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5