Oyster : The Story of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service

by Brian Toohey

Genres: Espionage, Nonfiction

322 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who are hoping for an exciting historical Australian spy thriller, you will be disappointed.

This book is what it says on the tin: a clinical and factual history of Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS).

I would love to see a (non) offical history of the Service that picks up the history of where this book finished (from the 80s onwards). Unfortunately, in the eyes of most military and intelligence historians, they are much more preoccupied with the more famous (and swashbuckling) intelligence agencies of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6).

I also believe that the current D-Notice in place would significantly curtail any attempts to chronicle the admirable, strategically significant and crucial role that ASIS plays in protecting Australia's national security.

[Richard Sisson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated, opinionated, repetitive, but, if you can get past these, it's still useful for historical information.