The Real Special Relationship
The True Story of How the British and US Secret Services Work Together
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The Real Special Relationship
Narrated by:
Richard Attlee
Buy Now for $35.40
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Narrated by:
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Richard Attlee
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By:
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Michael Smith
About this listen
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.
Critic Reviews
'A fascinating analysis of the greatest military-intelligence-political alliance of the modern era … warts and all' (Nigel West)
'Smith compellingly conveys the conflicting currents in [the Special Relationship]. What Michael Smith has ingeniously written is a shadow history of the post-war world. It is a grippingly told, authoritative story roaming across continents and troubled regions, from Malaysia to the Middle East to Russia… This book is also a fascinating analysis of how empires dissolve, and of how new powers fill the vacuum.' (Sinclair McKay)
‘As NSA Director for six years, I participated first hand in this special relationship. So special in fact that in the early days of the War on Terror, I told my British counterpart that in the event of a catastrophic loss at NSA Headquarters we would entrust management of the US SIGINT system to him. There is an unprecedented level of trust and this book is an excellent chronicle of the critical junctures that created this relationship, tested it and kept it strong.’ (Michael Hayden, former Director of both NSA and the CIA)
'Michael Smith, a respected historian of spookery who himself served in army intelligence before becoming a journalist, here offers an insider’s view of the transatlantic partnership… This is a responsible, unsensational account of the interservice relationship, which eschews harsh judgements about personalities.' (Max Hastings)
‘This excellent book gives a detailed, highly professional account of the unique intelligence relationship, originally between the US and UK, now including Canada, Australia and New Zealand - the Five Eyes. For more than 80 years, this "special relationship" has been fundamental to the security of our countries and of liberal democracy. As the story makes clear, we certainly need each other now.’ (Sir John Scarlett, former MI6 Chief)
'Michael Smith was an intelligence professional before turning to journalism. There are few as qualified as he to put the whole story together and few who could tell it with such cogency. He relates the 80 years’ cooperation between the intelligence communities (principally the SIS and CIA) in astonishing and revelatory detail, with pace, clarity and authority. It is, quite simply, magnificent.' (Allan Mallinson)
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