Free Agent: The Unseen War 1941-1991

by Brian Crozier

Behind the Cold War an unseen war was waged for half a century, between the secret services of the East and West. By definition, this other war was invisible to the public, although at times aspects of it would burst into public view, as happened after the Watergate affair in the United States of America, which virtually paralysed the US secret services, the CIA and FBI. In contact with Britain's SIS (MI-6) and consultant to the Foreign Office's semi-secret, anti-subversion department, IRD, and to the CIA, Brian Crozier not only witnessed the unseen war from the inside, but also played an active role in it. At all times, however, he retained his freedom of hence the title, Free Agent. He also dealt with many other secret in France, West Germany, Holland, Belgium, Argentina, Iran, Egypt, Israel and elsewhere. In 1977, alarmed at the ripples of Watergate and other Western 'own goals', he created an international operational secret service in the private sector, known as 'The 61'. Over the next ten years, this gave informal and confidential information on the Cold War to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan. This fascinating account of the 'Unseen War' is part autobiography, part informal history. It throws a unique light on the events of five troubled decades and shows how, in the last analysis, the West did not 'win' the Cold the Soviet side lost it.

Genres: History, Espionage, Nonfiction

314 pages, Hardcover

First published July 22, 1993

About the author

Brian Rossiter Crozier was a British-based Australian journalist and intelligence expert.

Reviews

[Gwyn Bennett-Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opener as to clandestine political machinations in Europe post-WW2.
A must-read for any serious student of Cold War espionage.