The Hidden Hand

by Richard J. Aldrich

Paranoia with respect to Russia raged in the wake of World War II, just as Churchill had fear of a "nuclear Pearl Harbor" and the growing challenge of political stability in Europe gripped the Western world. The advent of new and terrifying weapons of war and annihilation-atomic bombs, biological and chemical weapons, and intercontinental missiles-contributed to a pervasive atmosphere of menace in the US, Britain, and all the countries of Western Europe. And in the thick of this cold war, it was the Secret Service and its intelligence operations that took action, that was capable of creating early warning systems and making inroads in the years of the cold war. It was a time of what Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. called "the rise of a religion of secrecy," a time that fostered the clandestine relationships and treachery of such infamous spies as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Klaus Fuchs, and Kim Philby.

In what one-time British Ambassador Richard Seitz calls "a superlative record of Anglo-American intelligence collection, cooperation, and competition," noted author Richard Aldrich reveals startling new information about the relationship between Britain and the US during the Cold the extent of the US and British covert operation successes-notably in Iran and Guatemala-as well as many costly debacles and follies.

Using the formidable mass of material recently declassified by the US, as well as many files released by the British, Aldrich details the "special relationship" of cooperation between the British and the US, as well as the rampant rancor and suspicion that followed public amity and cooperation in the fight against Nazi Germany and Japan. This is a gripping and highly readable history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Espionage

733 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weighty tome! And an impressive level of detail. Richard Aldrich writes in an accessible style, though the thematic structure can make it awkward to follow at times.

Aldrich challenges many of the myths that have grown around the intelligence relationship and the Cold War, especially around the role of actual spies, such as the British traitor Kim Philby. Both British and American archives are extensively drawn upon here to provide a complete a picture as can be provided from both sides. The special relationship is one that is based firmly around intelligence, and this is an important addition to its history.

Despite the length, recommended for anyone who is interested in a greater understanding of the foundations of the special relationship and Cold War intelligence.

[Peter Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a doorstep of a book, and I did have to return to it after its sheer size and thus time commitment needed meant I got distracted elsewhere first time around. However it is packed with all the detail (in particular a vast cast list of participants in “Hidden Hand” activity or policy) a serious scholar of the subject would want.

But hey it’s three long decades since I was research student in this field, so thankfully it is also packed with jaw dropping anecdotes, and fresh insights into supposedly familiar history that keep the dilettante history reader, that I know I now am, both entertained and better informed.

From the prurient detail of how defecating soviet soldiers provided accidental intelligence, through filling gaps in my knowledge about conflicts that I never realised that the UK were active in (such as Indonesia), to yet even more frightening detail on nuclear armed cock ups on the fringes of the Cuban missile crisis this book is full of gems and it will keep you going for a very long time.......

[Larry Gundy]

Did not finish. Needed to do summer things.