Members' Recommendations
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Dr Graham Dawson reports that Ben Macintyre has written three readable and fascinating books about MI5 and MI6 using newly released material from British and Russian records. The books are available as hard copies or E-books. Graham highly recommends all three books. Happy reading!
The first, A Spy Among Friends, relates the story of how Kim Philby was recruited to MI6 through the old boys’ network and was able to remain seemingly undetected despite mounting evidence about his betrayal of information to the USSR. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the relatively well-known story is how he used his so-called friends to remain unchallenged and the bizarre story of his eventual escape to Russia despite the uncovering of his betrayal. A great read and not just for the history enthusiast. After reading this one can only hope that current recruitment and vetting measures in western secret service organisations have improved.
The second book, which has recently been filmed, relates the detailed story of the man who never was. In 1943 the allies planned a landing in Sicily as the first stage of its plan to defeat Mussolini and Hitler and liberate Europe. The book tells the story of how British intelligence services convinced the Germans that the invasion of Europe would be conducted anywhere but in Sicily. The story of how the MI5 floated a body off Portugal with false intelligence of the proposed landings expecting the body and information to be picked up by local German spies and be transferred to German headquarters. Most of us will be familiar with the tale of the man who never was, but Macintyre provides the fascinating details about the planning and processes employed.
The third book tells the amazing story of how during WW2 British intelligence captured, and either turned, imprisoned or executed all Nazi spies sent to the United Kingdom.
The book concentrates on those supposed German spies who were turned and were used to feed false information to the Germans throughout the war, and in particular, how they were used to convince Hitler that the D-Day landings were not to occur in Normandy. It is interesting that the Germans had already fallen for similar deception about the Italian landings. Macintyre speculates that senior members of German intelligence who opposed Hitler knew this could be a deception but chose to accept the information as reliable.
As Eddie Jaku neared his 100th year this remarkable Australian shared the story of his and his family’s experiences of the holocaust. The most remarkable feature of this simply told, but horrific story, is Eddie’s remarkable capacity for forgiveness despite what he and his family experienced. It is this lack of hatred and anger which seems to have enabled Eddie to make such a significant contribution to Australian life and is the foundation for his claim to be the happiest man on earth. Highly recommended.
(Dr Graham Dawson)
It may have been coincidence but the timing of this book, released just before the onset of COVID-19, is perfect as it traces the history of the findings related to the body’s immune system, its protection mechanisms and how this knowledge has been harnessed by science to produce treatments, cures and vaccines. Davis, who as a PhD in physics, has worked extensively in this area of scientific research and is able to use his expertise and knowledge to explain this remarkable area of research to lay people. What better read could you want in lockdown!
(Dr Graham Dawson)
This is the 30th book in the Brunetti series set in Venice. The special thing about the series is not simply the solving of crimes but how Leon deals with ethical issues and dilemmas that face the detective. As another reviewer has said, Leon’s special skill is to splice glimpses of la dolce vita with acute analysis of moral and ethical dilemmas.
These are not action-packed plot-driven books but a more intimate and thoughtful look at life and crime in Venice and the corruption some seem to associate with Italy and Italian governance. As some others have remarked about these books, Venice and Brunetti’s family are the main characters in the story-lines. If you enjoy this one, there are another 29 to look forward to.
(Dr Graham Dawson)
This book provides a personal insight into the events under the military regime and the crackdown on protesters in Burma before the establishment of limited democracy in the period 2011-2015.
The accounts of the individuals who pursued democratic reform will give an insight into what is happening in Myanmar today. It is a tragic story that needs to be kept alive in the international and collective consciousness.
(Dr Graham Dawson)