The Eagle in the Mirror

by Jesse Fink

‘The Eagle in the Mirror immerses readers in spycraft and molehunts and emerges as a captivating biography. Acknowledging the challenges in reevaluating the life and work of the besmirched Ellis, Fink does a more than admirable job, ultimately offering a book capable of opening minds.’
Booklist

‘A fine summary of a controversial case.’
Studies in Intelligence, Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA

‘This tense, absorbing book digs into the facts, seeking to determine if one of Britain’s greatest spies was also one of its greatest traitors.’
BookBub

'Great tale of espionage. The Eagle in the Mirror is a successful rehabilitation of a master spy who was unfairly accused of being a double agent, and even a triple agent, at the service of Germany and the Soviet Union... after a relentless investigation, Jesse Fink's book does justice to Ellis.'
Taline Ter Minassian, author of Most Secret Agent of Reginald Teague-Jones, Master Spy of the Great Game

'A highly significant contribution to the literature of intelligence... Fink has performed some extremely important research.'
Antony Percy, author of Misdefending the How MI5's Incompetence Enabled Communist Subversion of Britain's Institutions during the Nazi-Soviet Pact

'The Eagle in the Mirror traces the life of spymaster Dick Ellis, an Australian-born Brit who became one of MI6’s most senior officers and helped found both the American OSS and Australian SIS. Jesse Fink meticulously pieces together hundreds of fragments and mentions of Ellis to construct a mosaic image of one of the 20th-century intelligence community’s most elusive and controversial figures.
‘Despite his towering accomplishments, Ellis stands accused of being not only a double agent for the Nazis but a triple agent for the Soviet Union. Fink spent years collecting and making sense of the entire body of evidence against Ellis—including a great deal of circumstantial evidence and unsubstantiated innuendo—and then methodically and clearheadedly analyses each piece of it in an effort to determine once and for all if Ellis was or wasn’t one of the greatest traitors of our time.
‘This book is a fascinating and comprehensive look at one of the most private and undocumented figures of the 20th century. Fink is scrupulous in citing his sources, verifying each fact to the fullest possible extent and faithfully reporting conflicting information, which he leaves to the reader to weigh and decide what is closest to the truth.
‘A rollercoaster ride of “did he or didn’t he,” this ambitious biography reads more like a high-stakes spy novel as Fink winds through the web of secrets and treachery that finally ensnared Ellis and left both his career and reputation in ruins. By examining the man’s life and work in their totality, Fink definitively paints a picture of whether or not Ellis was a traitor or the victim of a smear campaign that was at best petty and at worst an attack from within the Kremlin itself.
‘This fascinating glimpse inside the world of real spies and the dangerous, convoluted, silent wars they wage on behalf of their countries will mesmerise you from start to finish. Tackling the life of an extremely private man who left little to no record of his life behind was a monumental task, but one Fink was fully up to in this brilliantly executed biography. This enthralling story finally brings clarity to one of the muddiest episodes in modern intelligence history. A must-read for anyone with an interest in World War II, the Cold War, or in understanding the nuance and complexity of the world spies inhabit.’
Cindy Dees, New York Times bestselling author of Second Shot and Double Tap

'An important book on a figure who deserves proper historical attention.'
Giles Scott-Smith, dean, Leiden University College, The Hague

'This engrossing book makes a powerful case for Ellis to be seen as a hero.'
Simon Caterson, The Australian

'Forensic and engrossing. The point of Fink's work is to convincingly demolish various attacks on Ellis's reputation, especially the self-serving accusations of treacherous dealings, first with the Nazis and then the Soviet Union, made by a phalanx of bitter, or simply gullible, "insiders"... it was all nonsense, if Fink is to be believed, and I think he can be... Ellis, who died in 1975, was interrogated in 1966. Nothing of any substance was found. But the mere fact that he'd been questioned spawned an orgy of bestselling "exposés", penned for profit by men who had never felt at home with truth or loyalty. Fink's comprehensive exoneration, while as complex as the subject demands, is written by a fellow who clearly values both.'
Pat Sheil, The Sydney Morning Herald

'Jesse Fink's passion to uncover the true story of Dick Ellis is an engaging journey through espionage in the post-World War I and World War II era. The highlight of the stor...

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Espionage, Audiobook, Politics

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2023

About the author

Jesse Fink was born in London in 1973. He is the author of six books including The Eagle in the Mirror, Pure Narco, Bon: The Last Highway and The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC. Visit his official website at jessefinkbooks.com

Reviews

[John Dunbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. Trying to write a biography about an intelligence officer who never revealed anything about his personal life is a seemingly impossible task, however the author overcomes this hurdle somehow and by the end of the book the reader gets a pretty good insight into the character of a man who spent his life in the shadows.
The research involved here is mind boggling. The bibliography takes up a good chunk of the book, showing the exhautive background work involved in writing.
Im old enough to remember the "Spycatcher" revelations and scandals in the 1980s. This book does an excellent job of debunking a lot of the tabloid headlining stories that were seemingly never ending back in the day.
This is a hugely entertaining book that captures the atmosphere of the years preceeding and following the war when Intelligence Officers roamed the globe James Bond style.The author does an excellent job of bringing the murky lives of those involved into the light. Recommended to anyone with even a fleeting interest in espionage. Fantastic work.

[Taline Ter Minassian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly enough, Jesse Fink, the Anglo-Australian author of The Last Highway, a biography of Bon Scott, the rock icon of AC/DC, has embarked on this great tale of espionage. The Eagle in the Mirror is a successful rehabilitation of a master spy who was unfairly accused of being a double agent, and even a triple agent, at the service of Germany and the Soviet Union in the 1930-1940s. Born in Australia on February 13, 1895, this spy, named Charles Howard 'Dick' Ellis, held major responsibilities within the British MI6 and the British Security Coordination in New York during the Second World War.
Remained in the shadows for almost the entirety of his career, which took him from Central Asia at the end of the First World War, alongside operative Reginald Teague-Jones (aka Ronald Sinclair The Man who disappeared), to the four corners of the globe, the "Ellis Affair" arose a few years after his death in 1975. At the time, Her Majesty's Secret Service was reeling from the revelations of spectacular Soviet infiltration. After Philby, the Blunt affair was contemporaneous with the "Ellis affair". But was there any "Ellis affair" as journalist Chapman Pincher would have us believe in his book "Their Trade is Treachery"? After a relentless investigation, Jesse Fink's book does justice to Ellis. Like Teague-Jones, whom he had known at the time of The Transcaspian episode, Ellis was profoundly anti-Soviet. Finally, as William Stevenson wrote in Intrepid's Last Case: "the only game Ellis had admitted to playing was the Great Game against the Russian Bear".

Taline Ter Minassian, Professor of Modern Russian History and author of Most Secret Agent of Empire: Reginald Teague-Jones Master Spy of the Great Game (Hurst)

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dick Ellis was the prototype of James Bond, but also a traitor to his country, a possible triple agent. He was present at some of the biggest conflicts and events of the 20th century - World War I, The Russian Civil War, World War II, Pearl Harbor, the creation of the CIA, Kim Philby's defection to the Soviet Union), but he was also a German spy, and a treasonous figure who spilled his secrets to the Russians. Or was he? Part biography, part forensic jigsaw puzzle, part cold-case detective investigation, THE EAGLE IN THE MIRROR is the astonishing untold story of Australian-born British soldier and intelligence officer Dick Ellis, accused by some espionage experts of being the greatest traitor of the 20th century. Ellis's incredible life story, his puzzling traitorous confession in 1970, and the subsequent besmirching of his character presented a delicious mystery for author and researcher Jesse Fink, who set about on a quest to reveal the most misunderstood man in spycraft history. The longest-serving spy for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Dick Ellis helped set up the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), now known as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS). At one point in the 1940s he was considered one of agents in Mi6 and controlled its activities, as one journalist put it, 'for half the world.’ In 1965, while under interrogation, Ellis allegedly confessed that he had supplied information to the Nazis before World War II and knew of Pearl Harbor ahead of time. The scope of Ellis's purported betrayal was considered even worse than notorious British traitor and double agent Kim Philby. A riveting work!

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. I'd never heard of Dick Ellis - an Australian who became a very important spy for MI5 in the UK and helped set up the OSS (the forerunner of the CIA) and also the Australian spy service, ASIS. He was accused by some people of being a triple agent, working for the British, the Nazis and the Russians but the author demonstrates that the evidence for this theory is very weak and so he should be honoured for the work he did. A good example of how easy it is to make allegations and ruin someone's reputation.

[DeWayne Neel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life of a spy can lead to many crossroads and one can question which road is real or a fantasy. Dick Ellis was reported to be a college dropout, a classical musician, a journalist, an author, and a diplomat while speaking at least seven languages and at one time or another having a residence in all the continents of the world. I can relate to the possibility of all this being true when I met a British subject in an isolated Colorado mountain town whom my friend had met in New Zealand who claimed to be an intelligence officer currently in hiding from known killers. Michael was extremely strange, but bright and loved to tell tales, just like Mr. Ellis. Both were real people who traveled the world, and rubbed elbows with the powerful men of the world, yet were speaking lies on every hand, a true deceiver at an international level.
As Charles Howard "Dick" Ellis moved in his various circles beginning in the early 1900s, he left a confusing trail having information gathering and sharing with at least three nations. As this book explores, a search for facts seems to be an impossible task. Even though photos exist and a few of his writings have been recovered, he is almost unknown, A VERY GOOD SPY PROFILE.
After his death the spy authors used Dick's story, some called him a traitor, a mole, a double agent, and even a triple agent. It seems to be a 50-50 split on whether he was a good guy or an evil man who was so smooth that he could never be convicted. To say the least, he was a man of intrigue.
The book can be very boring at times as it uses numerous military acronyms and names of Russian, German, British, and a few American intelligence officials, it felt like I needed a large flowchart to keep up with which country I was in at this point of the book. After 200 pages, the author asks, "So in the end, who was Charles Howard "Dick" Ellis?"

[Steven Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse Fink's new book, "The Eagle in the Mirror," has been on the street for a couple of months now, but I'm just finishing it up this week. And it is a great read...

"Dick Ellis was the prototype of James Bond, but also a traitor to his country, a possible triple agent." MI6's longest-serving spy, Dick Ellis was at the center of just about every major conflict in the 20th century, from WWI and the Russian Civil War, to Pearl Harbor and WWII. He was present during the birth of the CIA and saw Kim Philby defect to the Soviet Union.

But he was also a German spy.

While being questioned in 1965, Ellis confessed that he had provided intelligence to the Nazis prior to WWII and even had advance knowledge of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The man who had once been considered one of the top three operatives in the British Secret Intelligence Services was likely its most treacherous traitor.

Or was he?

This is where it gets interesting, and where I stop teasing the spoilers. If you like a good espionage thriller, "The Eagle in the Mirror" is a phenomenal read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And it's a true story, which makes it even better.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptionally well-researched and well-documented work. Fink does well to present numerous historical events, stories, and anecdotes from various positions, allowing the reader to glean from the historical facts presented what most likely happened, either pro- or con-Ellis. The author does not shy away from the truth, whether it vindicates or condemns Ellis, nor does he attempt to put his own spin on the story. Instead, this book takes a truly investigative journalism approach toward discovering and uncovering the truth. Some of it is damning, and some of it is simply expositional The truth behind the many books written about Dick Ellis AND the men who wrote them, how Ellis's career body of work fits into the history and current geopolitical landscape of post-war Intelligence, and presenting a more substantive picture of the events that transpired during the 20th century are all objectives clearly defined and achieved in this work.

A special thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book

[Miss Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must I couldn’t put it down the maps the pictures all the hard work this writer must of out in this book it’s utterly amazing

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank NetGalley and the author for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book.

This is an interesting book about a master spy that honestly I had never heard of, but who nevertheless played key roles in the development of British, American and Australian intelligence services across broad areas of the world and in the post wwi, during wwii and into the Cold War years. In many ways, the protagonist is unlike the typical flashy spy who wants all the glory and the headlines, and instead he seems to play the quiet behind the scenes but yet highly effective role of just getting the job done and taking the blame for the organization when needed.

The key plot element in the book is the very controversial issue of whether or not this key spy also happen to be a high level traitor to the west for both the German intelligence service in wwii and the Soviet Union in the post war period. As befits the great espionage betrayal mysteries with long histories, I am not entirely sure whether the answer to the betrayal issue is or even can be definitively answered or not. On balance, I think the author is strongly suggesting, if not firmly stating, that the person was not in fact a traitor. However, I did find it a little frustrating that after all the words and information, I did not actually get a final answer.

Nevertheless, the book is well written and researched, if maybe a little circuitous at times. With the readers effort and time.

[Debbie]

Very detailed and in depth story of spies in 20th century. Strong research focus with detailed notes and references. Good read for those like intricate true spy stories. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

[Adam G Swift · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is nigh unreadable. The storyline is nonexistent; completely obscured by seemingly random facts, dates, cities, and names continuously dropped into every sentence. Nothing ties together, there is never an explanation as to why the author makes one read this info.

The author confusingly slips into first person, yet still fails to define their thesis. A significant number of the source texts cited are subsequently claimed to be incorrect.

But most maddening of all is the sentence structure. Never before have I seen so many parenthetical references; often upwards of ten unique sets of parentheses within the same sentence. This does not even account for the use of the modifier [sic] in nearly every one of the cited quotes. Just print the quote in italics, dude. We know any grammar issues belong to the original. The sum of these parts is that the reader can never get into a rhythm. Every sentence must be read multiple times, and the parts add up to less than the whole. How an editor approved this is literary malpractice.

[Peter Langston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Intensely boring.

[Craig Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this amazing story. I had never heard of Charles Ellis before. An Australian who served in WWI, then with the British in the USSR during the Russian civil war, then the Middle East and Asia. He joined British Intelligence agency MI6 in the early 1920s and was their longest serving agent. During WWII he spent time in the USA helping to set up the Office of Strategic Services (forerunner to the CIA) and after the war he came to Australia to do the same thing helping create the Australian Security Intelligence Service.

He ran a network of spies around the world for decades and was decorated by the UK and USA governments for his work.

BUT...was he secretly spying for the Nazis and then Soviet Russia the whole time? During the Cold War and in the wake of multiple British intelligence officers being outed as Russian spies (e.g. Philby, Maclean, Burgess) serious allegations were made that he had sold information to the German military intelligence service (the Abwehr) and to their Nazi counterparts the Sicherheitdienst (SD), before being blackmailed by the Soviets (OGPU and NKVD) to do the same. He allegedly admitted to this in an 1965 interrogation which has never seen the light of day. There is no doubt he supplied information to the Germans but was it just part of his day job in intelligence?

He died in 1975 more or less penniless. Then a series of British journalists holding themselves out as espionage experts threw him under the bus in articles and books. Others defended him.

With all the double, triple and quadruple crossing going on in the world of espionage from the 30s to 50s who was telling the truth?

Author Jesse Fink puts his incredible research skills to the ultimate test in endeavouring to find out. Uncovering 60+ years of archived documents, articles, books and at times people still alive who were prepared to speak (or not), he puts forward as credible a position as is possible given that some stuff is still buried deep or was held by regimes that don't exist any more. He navigates through a labyrinth of contradictions, cover ups and conspiracy theories. Read this and see if you agree with his conclusion.

A truly remarkable life and a truly remarkable account of it. Lesser writers would have given up but, as per his previous meticulously written books, Jesse digs deep and convincingly so.

[Alice Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably going to come across as a bit wacky. Years ago, two psychics on separate occasions told me that a person I knew had been Martin Bormann in a past life. Neither psychic knew anything about history or about this person (who did look like Bormann). In doing research on this, I found that following the dissolution of the USSR, many documents were released regarding Nazi Germany. It was found that the Russians knew about the content all of Hitler's meeting almost immediately, and the only person at all those meetings was Martin Bormann. Around the same time, I realized I had been born 20 years to the day of the failed plot to kill Hitler (which explained all my Nazi Germany dreams of meetings). Anyway, I'm not usually much of a nonfiction reader, but this book was compelling and well researched, and gave support to my belief that there are many things in history are are misunderstood.

[Paleoanthro · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing biography of a spy who moved up in the ranks in British intelligence and was a key component to establishing the American and Australian intelligence agencies, a spy who may have also been a double, or even triple, agent. Written as a "did he or didn't he" narrative, the author lays out the life of this intelligence agent in an engaging journey that provides us the evidence to determine "guilt or innocence" in a tale that was brilliantly put together as a biography like I have not read before. An expertly told insight into the world of espionage during and after WWII, that does justice to a man who who may or may not have been working for Germany and the Soviet Union, all while carrying out his duties for King and Country.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admittedly, I’ve never read any nonfiction spy novels so I’d never heard of Captain Ellis. Reading this book was somewhat challenging at times, given my lack of knowledge on the overall subject. The tone and delivery was drawn out at times and repetitive. It was well cited and researched which was the author’s intention. This book is probably for those who are more familiar with the subject or who are interested in famous Australians.

Full disclosure: I won a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Jesse Fink certainly had his work cut out for him when he tackled the slippery agent Dick Ellis. This was not an easy task as Ellis left few clues behind in the first place. With all books of this genre there are moments of speculation and inference along the way. I think the author did a fine job of drawing from other sources and even debunking some of them too. IMO, author Jesse Fink seemed to strike the perfect balance between his own findings and the expected comparison with the information from other sources. Highly recommended.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spy book? Yes. I need to read…fiction or non-fiction. I will read either. Colonel Charles Howard "Dick" Ellis CMG CBE TD was an Australian-born British intelligence officer who had a significant influence on the planning of the Office of Strategic Services, which would become the CIA. But who was he spying for? This book is very much “Part biography, part forensic jigsaw puzzle, part cold-case detective investigation” that was promised—an excellent book for anyone who wants to read a good spy story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books | Citadel, for the ARC!

[Ernest Spoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give a two-star review what is obviously a labor of love but...I found Jesse Fink's book as dry as dust. That Fink, after fifty some odd years, set out to rehabilitate the record and memory of an espionage agency bureaucrat is admirable. But it was a struggle to merely wade through slightly over 200 pages of text. Maybe my expectations were far different than what was presented. Anyway, the legacy of Charles Howard "Dick" Ellis, hopefully, is now cleared.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting novel about a legendary spy for the Allies in WW2. The author presents the material well and allows the reader to make their own decision on whether the individual was also spying for the Germans and Soviets.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Mr P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic extremely well researched read, totally gripping couldn't put it down.

[Kerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched

[Paul F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard work.
Couldn't get into this book at all

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received my ARC! Thank you so much!!! I’m so excited to read it!

[Steve Mckinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look into the world of spies and WW2. I found it very informative and interesting. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in our history.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thoroughly researched but a bit too dense to be an enjoyable read. This is so full of information that the essence of this great soy story is overshadowed.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[Jack Sussek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Kensington Books, Citadel for an advance copy of this biography of a man who worked in the shadows spying on the enemies of his nation, one who was almost Zelig-like in being around the most important people and players, and yet a man with secrets, and even worse maybe a traitor.

The incomparable Bruce Campbell on the show Burn Notice, a story of a spy betrayed by his agency, who works to help others, has a comment about people who work in the intelligence game. "You know spies—a bunch of (a word that rhymes with witchy) little girls". Even a light skimming of books about espionage will show these. Spy agencies spend just as much time going after each other as they do rival forces. MI5 hates MI6, entire libraries have been written about the battles between CIA and the FBI. Even inside agencies, there are battles, for credit, for blame. Especially for blame. Success might have many parents, failure means the child is made an orphan, tossed out in the cold, and destroyed in thousands of ways. Agencies are old school, chums, with the same background, same education, and same mindset. An outsider, has few chances, no matter what that person does. Dick Ellis was one of the longest serving intelligence officers in MI5, but doubts arose about his loyalties, not helped by the fact that Ellis was hiding a few things. However was he a traitor? The Eagle in the Mirror by Jesse Fink is a biography, well as much as one can write about a man who dealt in secrets, a history of the intelligence landscape from World War II, and the secrets that people keep, secrets that be little white lies, up to betrayal in a grand sense.

Dick Ellis was born in Australia, though the date has changed for reasons unknown. His mother died early, leaving a father who was very much older, and a family that soon grew fractured. Ellis was very good at learning on his terms, and soon fell in love with the idea of England. Ellis came to England and soon joined the Army to serve in World War I, actions which haunted him the rest of his life. After time in France, he was transferred to India where he soon learned a few languages that would help him in his new career in intelligence. Ellis was soon in the Great Game working in Russia to fight the Communists, where his first touch with infamy happened. Ellis married, but not well the marriage ended, and Ellis did his best to pretend this marriage never happened, as his brother-in-law had ties to Russian intelligence. During the lead up to World War II, Ellis made many contacts with German agents, agents who might also have had ties to Russia. Which years later came to haunt Ellis, and tainted his entire career.

A riveting read not only about intelligence, and reputations can be made and destroyed, but on how even important people can be lost to history. Dick Ellis was a fascinating man, a real life agent who found himself close to important events in history, and yet so little is known about him. Jesse Fink discusses this in the opening chapter, just trying to get information from his family was difficult. Even finding photographs was arduous. The book is a big history of the behind the scenes dealing inside the agencies while fighting first the Axis, than the Cold War. Fink is very fair pointing out a lot of odd inconsistencies in Ellis story, but also pointing out the wrong information being used against him. Being a spy means being a liar. So truth is not just bendable it is broken constantly. Fink has done incredible research in trying to get to the real story, and an amazing story it is.

A spy book that is less about spying and more about humans being humans. Jealous, envious, greedy, evil, honorable, and trying to do the best for one's country. A whodunit and a whydunit, all with a touch of espionage. And maybe truth. A really good book for true espionage fans.

[Kea4 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just so boring. Is it that hard to get an editor to cut it down?