Secret History: State Surveillance in New Zealand, 1900–1956

by Steven Loveridge, Richard S. Hill

In 1900, a handful of New Zealand police detectives watched out for spies, seditionists and others who might pose a threat to state and society. The Police Force remained the primary instrument of such human intelligence in New Zealand until 1956 when, a decade into the Cold War, a dedicated Security Service was created. Over the same period, New Zealand' s role within signals intelligence networks evolved from the Imperial Wireless Chain to the UKUSA intelligence alliance (now known as Five Eyes).The first of two volumes chronicling the history of state surveillance in New Zealand, Secret History opens up the ‘ secret world' of security intelligence through to 1956. It is the story of the surveillers who – in times of war and peace, turmoil and tranquillity – monitored and analysed perceived threats to national interests. It is also the story of the those whose association with organisations and movements led to their public and private lives being documented in secret files.Secret History explores a hidden and intriguing dimension of New Zealand history, one which sits uneasily with cherished national notions of an exceptionally fair and open society.

695 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2023

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very broad overview of how the state allowed people to waste their time spying on other people with very little oversight or common sense. Am confident there will be more interesting things in the next volume.