Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
The irresistible subject - spies. Who are they? What do they do? And what makes spying today different from the past? Read on to find out
Reminiscences pegged to the remake of "Tinker, Tailor" with Gary Oldman in the Alec Guinness role. "You’ve got to have spies, but the important thing is that you’re not enchanted by them. Use them and don’t let them use you"
Gripping back-story to arrest of American contractor Raymond Davis, held in Lahore for shooting two men who were about to shoot him, and eventually freed after huge diplomatic row between US and Pakistan. He was indeed a spy
US ignores "its primary responsibility to protect its own citizens when they are targeted for harm by a foreign government". Because Chinese hackers are everywhere. Probing corporations, government, even power grids
Remember her? Of course you do. Now with her own TV show and luxury lifestyle bankrolled by financial arm of Russian space agency. But is she a manufactured Russian hero and sham, or was she something more serious?
Rumours of Chinese cyber-espionage take a sinister turn. Latest claims are that China is building spyware into the very hardware it manufactures for US telecoms firms. Or installing it via routine software updates. Worrying, if true
On the life and "career" of David Headley, spy, militant. Pakistani-American, born Daood Giliani. Revealed Pakistani intelligence role in Mumbai attacks. Slid among different cultures with ease. Life a mass of contradictions
Ex-intelligence officer describes structural problems that fragment, weaken US intelligence effort: incompatible IT, over-classification, rivalry for president's ear, rivalry for funding
FBI rolls up Russian spy ring in US still using morse code and buried bags of cash. Tantalisingly good news story, and for much more detail on tradecraft, click through to the original FBI affidavit
Christopher Andrews's history of MI5 is "rich, immensely readable, fascinating" source on events of past 50 years
CIA officer. Honorary Mongol. Anthropologist. Trekked 2,000 miles across China on horse and camel in 1949 to avoid capture by communists. Got back to Washington too late to persuade US to recognise Tibet as sovereign state
Engaging profile of Alastair Crooke, Middle East mediator, ex-MI6, who sees Hamas and Hezbollah as "true moderates"
History of MI6 reviewed, most enjoyably. Founding director wore a false beard, cut off one of his own legs with a penknife. Employed Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham. Agents used human semen as invisible ink
First piece in much-heralded series arguing that growth of America's secret services and agencies since 9/11 has created an unmanageable, unaccountable, fourth branch of government
Boris Volodarsky, ex-Russian special forces officer, says spy-ring discovered in US was big, serious operation. Members not meant to spy themselves, but to recruit and run American agents
Meaty middle section of long essay on politics of British signals intelligence, how Bletchley grew into GCHQ, and whether intelligence establishment helped or hindered British science
Essay on use of deception in espionage, based on “Operation Mincemeat”, Ben Macintyre’s "brilliant and almost absurdly entertaining" account of British wartime trickery
Nuggets from Wikileaks trove of US diplomatic cables: scenarios for reunification of Korea; fears for Pakistan nuclear security; deals to place Gitmo prisoners; allegations of online spying against China
Chapter and verse on the putative anti-Bushehr virus, from highly regarded security blogger. The more you read about this, even from somebody who doesn't want to hype it, the better the story gets
Equip supertanker with photon detectors. Sail it to coast of suspicious state. Sink it. See if it reports "telltale signs of undeclared antineutrino activity". If so, chances are there's a reactor at work
No, they didn't foresee the fall of the Berlin Wall either. But towards the end of 1989 they did suspect something was up
French sources claim 2002 suicide bombing was Pakistan's revenge for Chirac's refusal to pay kickbacks promised in 1994 submarine deal
Why we're naive and wrong to ridicule the alleged Russian sleepers operation. True that most will fail to get anywhere significant but they don't need to. They can still be immensely useful
How French reactionaries tried to railroad Jewish officer on spying charges in 1890s. A lesson in good and bad government
Humorous take on a serious subject. Story of Mossad honey trap laid for Mordechai Vanunu, who leaked secrets of Israel's nuclear programme. "For Mossad lady spies who do sex for the cause, it’s fun, games and rabbinical blessings"
