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The History Thieves: Secrets, Lies and the Shaping of a Modern Nation
In 1889, the first Official Secrets Act was passed, creating offences of 'disclosure of information' and 'breach of official trust'. It limited and monitored what the public could, and should, be told. Since then a culture of secrecy has flourished. As successive governments have been selective about what they choose to share with the public, we have been left with a distorted and incomplete understanding not only of the workings of the state but of our nation's culture and its past.
In this important book, Ian Cobain offers a fresh appraisal of some of the key moments in British history since the end of WWII, the measures taken to conceal the existence of Bletchley Park and its successor, GCHQ, for three decades; the unreported wars fought during the 1960s and 1970s; the hidden links with terrorist cells during the Troubles; the sometimes opaque workings of the criminal justice system; the state's peacetime surveillance techniques; and the convenient loopholes in the Freedom of Information Act.
Drawing on previously unseen material and rigorous research, The History Thieves reveals how a complex bureaucratic machine has grown up around the British state, allowing governments to evade accountability and their secrets to be buried.
In this important book, Ian Cobain offers a fresh appraisal of some of the key moments in British history since the end of WWII, the measures taken to conceal the existence of Bletchley Park and its successor, GCHQ, for three decades; the unreported wars fought during the 1960s and 1970s; the hidden links with terrorist cells during the Troubles; the sometimes opaque workings of the criminal justice system; the state's peacetime surveillance techniques; and the convenient loopholes in the Freedom of Information Act.
Drawing on previously unseen material and rigorous research, The History Thieves reveals how a complex bureaucratic machine has grown up around the British state, allowing governments to evade accountability and their secrets to be buried.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 10, 2017
First, I'm sorry I've not been reviewing well recently, my mind's not been up to scratch.
but this book is really fascinating
I'd never heard of the civil war in Oman and the UK's key role in it before, it was astounding to read about.
Overally very readable, mostly new stuff (at least to me, I've never seen most of this stuff talked about) that gives a very good introduction to why the British state is inherently evil
but this book is really fascinating
I'd never heard of the civil war in Oman and the UK's key role in it before, it was astounding to read about.
Overally very readable, mostly new stuff (at least to me, I've never seen most of this stuff talked about) that gives a very good introduction to why the British state is inherently evil
August 18, 2019
To start off with, this book is a little dry as Cobain discusses the origin of the Official Secrets Act and how rife the culture of secrecy within Parliament was at the end of WW2. He discusses the idea that Parliament, when it was created, was supposed to be transparent and everything was supposed to be done in the interest of the public.
It gets more interesting (and more horrifying) as it goes on.
There are parts of this book that are very difficult to read, and there were moments while I was reading this that I wasn’t sure I wanted to carry on reading it. There are chapters that made me so angry, and chapters that made me so sad. It’s a difficult one, I’m not going to lie or sugarcoat it.
The chapter that I found the hardest to swallow was the chapter on Northern Ireland. But that might just be because that’s where my family is from. But that was probably the chapter that made me the most angry.
There are things in this book that need to be talked about, and there are things that need to be taught. Everyone should read this book, just so that we can start to hold the government responsible.
It gets more interesting (and more horrifying) as it goes on.
There are parts of this book that are very difficult to read, and there were moments while I was reading this that I wasn’t sure I wanted to carry on reading it. There are chapters that made me so angry, and chapters that made me so sad. It’s a difficult one, I’m not going to lie or sugarcoat it.
The chapter that I found the hardest to swallow was the chapter on Northern Ireland. But that might just be because that’s where my family is from. But that was probably the chapter that made me the most angry.
There are things in this book that need to be talked about, and there are things that need to be taught. Everyone should read this book, just so that we can start to hold the government responsible.
November 17, 2024
very readable - fascinating historical narrative of the culture of secrecy in Britain
January 7, 2017
In 1889, the first Official Secrets Act was passed and created offences of 'disclosure of information' and 'breach of official trust'. It limited and monitored what the public could, and should, be told. Since then, Britain's governments and civil service have been engaged in the greatest identity fraud of all time - the dishonest and manufactured creation of our understanding of the British nation, our history and our culture.
Many people are probably familiar with the phrase Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, but what happens when you aren't allowed to know the facts of the present, let alone those of the past. How can you ever learn anything when everything is a secret?
The History Thieves is a fascinating book that looks at a culture of secrecy grew into Official Secrets Acts and laws that made everything official a secret. And all this in a country that prides itself on being open, honest, and honourable. Of course, those countries that have experienced British rule may have a different view of the country. As this book makes very clear.
It is in many ways a disturbing book to read. Not only because of the horrific things that the British State did, rape, torture, murder etc., but also because when these facts come to life and are publicised nobody seems to care. Cobain recounts cases from Kenya, Northern Ireland, and elsewhere that clearly indicate that the British state was directly involved with terrible crimes and yet no reaction, no outrage, apart from the people directly involved. It was all for the good of the country, seems to be some sort of mantra used in its defence, but I'm not one who believes in the ends justifying the means. Jack Bauer is not a hero to emulate!
I would recommend that everyone read this book. It'll open your eyes to the horrors that are not so far away from you as you may think.
It also made me think of that Star Trek episode, was it Voyager, or TNG? where the crew encounter a planet that eradicated part of its population and then covered that fact up ((I googled. The answer is Star Trek : Voyager ad the episode is Remember )). If no one is around to remember a crime did the crime take place? In case you're wondering I'd argue, hell yes, the crime took place, and part of the crime is that no one acknowledges it.
You cannot be forgiven or something when you don't try to make amends, if you don't recognise what you did as wrong, if you pretend you never did it, then you aren't really sorry. You're just ashamed, as well you should be.
The British government has a lot to be ashamed for. But I'd guess that every government has its own history it would rather not reveal. The terrible thing is that we, those who elect them, don't really seem to care either.
November 1, 2018
This is one of those books where a half star review system would be good. This is more of a 3.5 star book than a 3, but I feel it was a little slow to settle into its groove to merit a 4 star.
But this is definitely a book everyone should read. An account of the use of secrecy by the British state and some of the things which have fallen from view as a result, it is informative and thought provoking. For me it made me question how much secrecy I would be happy with, with the balance of security on one hand and dangerous concealment on the other.
A book written about hidden things always runs the risk of being patchy, but this is pleasingly well sourced and the examples chosen are engaging (special kudos for getting a 'Murder She Wrote' reference in there).
The early chapters are a little messier than later on, even though they do contain important background and information. It got more gripping and more tightly 'plotted' as it went along. I mean it in a good way that this reads more like a (very) long newspaper long read than a book.
But this is definitely a book everyone should read. An account of the use of secrecy by the British state and some of the things which have fallen from view as a result, it is informative and thought provoking. For me it made me question how much secrecy I would be happy with, with the balance of security on one hand and dangerous concealment on the other.
A book written about hidden things always runs the risk of being patchy, but this is pleasingly well sourced and the examples chosen are engaging (special kudos for getting a 'Murder She Wrote' reference in there).
The early chapters are a little messier than later on, even though they do contain important background and information. It got more gripping and more tightly 'plotted' as it went along. I mean it in a good way that this reads more like a (very) long newspaper long read than a book.
July 24, 2017
Covers a range of historical events (Kenyan atrocities and British army involvement in the Troubles most prominently) but the titular "act of history theft" relates to the cover up of Bletchley Park's cryptographic developments [with logical implication that GCHQ now had surveillance capabilities]. Also discusses the Blair government's "sofa" meetings so as to avoid paper trails, his second thoughts on championing freedom of information (divulged in his autobiography), Gordon Brown's colonialist revisionism, Michael Gove's use of Gmail in his wife's name and an agonisingly drawn out saga over sending document caches back and forth between archives to avoid disclosure. Generally I wasn't aware how much everyone seems to burn. More irreverent with regard to Bletchley than the likes of Turing's biography by Hodges. See also: Gustave Bertrand's book on the Enigma, cited here.
October 4, 2017
Really interesting read, although it leaves you with more questions than answers...
Cobain starts at the beginning of the officialisation of state secrets up to the current state of affairs, and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
What really permeates is the enduring efforts made by succesive governments, across centuries, and the 'deep state' to ensure that enormous amounts of information are not revealed to the public. Most notable amongst the parts of the book are the Operation Legacy, whose success is evident by current attitudes towards the empire; and the operations in Northern Ireland, which would be comical in parts were they not so horrifying.
Overall it's an extremely interesting read, it is evident that Cobain has done enormous research and is very well informed, and the book is very well written.
Cobain starts at the beginning of the officialisation of state secrets up to the current state of affairs, and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
What really permeates is the enduring efforts made by succesive governments, across centuries, and the 'deep state' to ensure that enormous amounts of information are not revealed to the public. Most notable amongst the parts of the book are the Operation Legacy, whose success is evident by current attitudes towards the empire; and the operations in Northern Ireland, which would be comical in parts were they not so horrifying.
Overall it's an extremely interesting read, it is evident that Cobain has done enormous research and is very well informed, and the book is very well written.
August 12, 2021
The book soon turns to decolonisation archives. What was hidden and what was destroyed. The number of files not destroyed Is probably more surprising than those that were. The disclosures of what happened to the Mau mau are clearly only one example of many instances of the cruelty of the British Empire. Any complacency about the British being more humane colonists than the French or the Spanish is quickly challenged.
The culminating chapters look at how secrecy is permeating the criminal justice system of today. It is not only terrorist trials that are subject to in camera and non jury trials. Though the erosion of basic tenets of justice for those accused of terrorism should disturb us all.
A fascinating book that is also a wake up call
The culminating chapters look at how secrecy is permeating the criminal justice system of today. It is not only terrorist trials that are subject to in camera and non jury trials. Though the erosion of basic tenets of justice for those accused of terrorism should disturb us all.
A fascinating book that is also a wake up call
January 23, 2018
"Secret, lies and the shaping of a modern nation"
Cobain delivers much of the former and provides no commentary on the latter. It's a damning series of examples no doubt. However, much of the independence and discretion granted to the IC is given to protect national security. Proportionality is difficult to investigate, particularly because of the secrecy outlined in the book, but it is the more interesting question when it comes to the IC.
A nice reminder that my history education barely considered Ireland and Empire... more topics to be added to the reading list.
Cobain delivers much of the former and provides no commentary on the latter. It's a damning series of examples no doubt. However, much of the independence and discretion granted to the IC is given to protect national security. Proportionality is difficult to investigate, particularly because of the secrecy outlined in the book, but it is the more interesting question when it comes to the IC.
A nice reminder that my history education barely considered Ireland and Empire... more topics to be added to the reading list.
July 4, 2018
I love that there’s a spoiler filter; it’s so in character for a book about secrecy. :)
This book is a fantastic read. It links together the freedom of information act, secret courts and the destruction of colonial files to paint a picture of a country dedicated to the preservation of its own reputation at the cost of much else. It doesn’t hold back or pretend to offer any answers, and is pretty depressing, but for the engaging writing which is studded with great anecdotes, it deserves the full five stars.
This book is a fantastic read. It links together the freedom of information act, secret courts and the destruction of colonial files to paint a picture of a country dedicated to the preservation of its own reputation at the cost of much else. It doesn’t hold back or pretend to offer any answers, and is pretty depressing, but for the engaging writing which is studded with great anecdotes, it deserves the full five stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2023
Where are the limits to be drawn when it comes to confidentiality and secrecy in the running of government? While the overwhelming majority of citizens understand the need for collective security, protection from terrorism, and the non-disclosure of military policy in both peacetime and war, Ian Cobain probes the extent to which the British Government conceals its behaviour from public scrutiny and its defence for doing so. His investigation uncovers an extraordinary reluctance to share information publicly “for the past couple of centuries at least” and that official secrecy in Britain has gone far beyond that which is required for the safe and secure business of government. Britain, according to Cobain’s findings, is a nation where “a culture of secrecy runs wide and deep”. For starters, in addition to the Official Secrets Act there are an estimated hundred other statutes in the UK that forbid the disclosure of information. In addition, we have no constitutional right to free speech, although we’re afforded some protection in domestic and European law. Such is the level of secrecy that the British public often has no idea why our military has been engaged in operations over past 70 years, or even been aware that it has: in Vietnam in 1945, for example, or in Indonesia in the 1960s, or in Oman in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, according to Cobain, few British people know that its forces have been fighting somewhere or other in the world since at least 1914, a fact unique to the British. It’s no surprise therefore that one monumental “Theft of History” is that of the final days of Empire which saw the incineration and dumping at sea of countless colonial papers, known as “Operation Legacy”. In Chapter 6 “The Vault” we have Northern Ireland and the undisclosed records of the covert conflict, otherwise known as “the dirty war”, one of Cobain’s areas of expertise detailed in his other writings. Also covered is the total control that intelligence agencies exercise over the declassification of their historical documents. In fact, MI6 has not made public a single page of any of the files created by it since its foundation in 1909. Then of course there’s the growing trend in the courts of holding hearings behind closed doors. Cobain describes the outrageous use and misuse of the Official Secrets Act throughout the past century and into the current one, the bizarre and disproportionate penalties imposed on the mildest of misdemeanours, and the unintended protection afforded by it to spies and traitors such as Kim Philby in 1955. Highly readable, highly informative, enraging but important.
November 27, 2022
A masterful and deeply troubling account of Britain’s long-standing culture of secrecy.
Ian Cobain's ‘The History Thieves’ will be even more shocking to those who still view the British Empire through rose-tinted spectacles than it was for me. The book examines “Operation Legacy” — by which Britain covered up and effectively whitewashed imperial and colonial crimes and abuses committed from the 17th century to the 20th through the burning of millions of documents, the “migration” of sensitive documents to a secret location in the UK so that newly independent regimes were left in the dark about the crimes and abuses they documented, and even the dumping of loads of files at sea as the sun was setting on the the British Empire from the 1940s to and 1960s. The goal was simple — to misrepresent to future generations both at home and abroad what the British Empire had actually been like.
Ian Cobain's ‘The History Thieves’ will be even more shocking to those who still view the British Empire through rose-tinted spectacles than it was for me. The book examines “Operation Legacy” — by which Britain covered up and effectively whitewashed imperial and colonial crimes and abuses committed from the 17th century to the 20th through the burning of millions of documents, the “migration” of sensitive documents to a secret location in the UK so that newly independent regimes were left in the dark about the crimes and abuses they documented, and even the dumping of loads of files at sea as the sun was setting on the the British Empire from the 1940s to and 1960s. The goal was simple — to misrepresent to future generations both at home and abroad what the British Empire had actually been like.
April 16, 2024
This is an absolutely fascinating read, and in many ways, is frightening - just like the Cobain's other books, which are equally recommended. The detail and referencing is immaculate, and Cobain deserves a medal for some of the investigative work he's done in producing this material, and no doubt placing himself high on the government's radar. Naturally, I suspect no medal will be forthcoming! If you really want to understand the depths of the secret state and the successfully orchestrated cloak-and-dagger surveillance society that we live in today, this is an essential read, and should be for all employees of our government. Privacy and freedom have never been more at risk, and the first step in tackling this incredibly important issue is an understanding of what's at stake, how that came to be, and enlightening those who might be in a position, through exposure or strength in numbers, to provoke meaningful change to the greater benefit of society.
August 2, 2022
Beyond Kafka
One of the most gripping reads I've had the pleasure of opening. I wish I could say the same about the content. The British government has had such a sordid history, that its hard to put it into words. Thankfully no one could have done it as aptly as Cobain does in this book. It was a profound moment when, reading about some of the truly anti-democratic measures MI6 have been involved with over the years, I was passing the building by train via Vuaxhall that houses said agency. Suffice to say; I saw the building in a less than positive light. There's some toe curling stuff in here, you simply won't walk away believing we live in a democracy; because we don't. Cobain annihilates any proposition suggesting as such.
One of the most gripping reads I've had the pleasure of opening. I wish I could say the same about the content. The British government has had such a sordid history, that its hard to put it into words. Thankfully no one could have done it as aptly as Cobain does in this book. It was a profound moment when, reading about some of the truly anti-democratic measures MI6 have been involved with over the years, I was passing the building by train via Vuaxhall that houses said agency. Suffice to say; I saw the building in a less than positive light. There's some toe curling stuff in here, you simply won't walk away believing we live in a democracy; because we don't. Cobain annihilates any proposition suggesting as such.
April 17, 2018
Terrific work of historical research and investigate journalism that touches upon many sides of the 'culture of secrecy' that pervades the British state. Cobain writes about the disappearance (and intentional destruction) of sensitive archival materials, examples of secret trials, executions and wars that have been concealed from public scrutiny. It gives a thorough understanding of how legal mechanisms to preserve a measure of secrecy came into place and continue to operate today.
August 26, 2017
I found this book fairly boring. I really thought it would have more history and less politics in it. It was hard to keep up with which Official Secrets Act was being used to charge people with and which was ignored. It was amazing how many people were entrusted with government secrets just because they went to the right schools and had money. So many of them turned out to be traitors and liars.
November 25, 2025
What an eye-opening read on the secrets the British Government keeps from its people, especially about its military actions in other countries, both in former colonies and some activities I wasn't even aware of until now. The first 50 pages or so are a tad dry, but stick with it; it gets stronger as it goes.
November 9, 2019
It’s an eye opening book written on the cover up of what secrets lies at the heart of British government - during the British rules of the Commonwealth nations.
It is quite terrifying and it will change and gives a second thought on the perception of Britain.
It is quite terrifying and it will change and gives a second thought on the perception of Britain.
June 23, 2020
Compulsively depressing - should be required reading for all UK citizens and residents. Subliminally, I knew all this already but the book has confirmed what I hoped was not "quite so bad". Read and consider.
September 3, 2017
Doesn't have enough detail to be satisfying. Which is unsurprising, seeing as the topic is state secrecy. Still, a thought provoking read, especially the part about Operation Legacy.
September 11, 2018
Would urge everyone to read. Astonishing, engrossing and disturbing to read.
March 15, 2019
Very disturbing.
Read
January 5, 2020Very interesting and eye opening book to the secretive nature of the British government. Highly recommended
March 11, 2020
Liked it but instead of 4 I'm giving 3.5 as the presentation style is too elaborate and lengthy
June 12, 2021
Found it totally engrossing from start to finish. Jam-packed full of explosive information about the British state. A must read.
July 19, 2021
some stunning reporting but may have benefitted from a chronological structure --
July 30, 2022
Fucking terrifying.
February 19, 2023
Excellent book. Real Eye opener. Especially enjoyed the Northern Ireland topics.
August 13, 2023
First couple chapters are a bit dry but if you push through there's some juicy stuff in there. Britain is real messed up
August 14, 2023
Well-research and well-written. An important insight into how the government of an acknowledged bastion of democracy plays fast and loose with the truth of how decisions are taken.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews