A Web of Deception : The Revealing Account of a Top Spycatcher

by Chapman Pincher

The UK government fought long and hard to prevent ex-MI5 man Peter Wright from publishing his memoirs. Were they right, or just vindictive? In A Web of Deception, Chapman Pincher reveals the deceptions and self-delusion, conspiracies and fake conspiracies, friendships, reputations and rivalries behind the Wright affair. This book reveals more secrets than Wright’s Spycatcher did, and shows how the highest in the land can be trapped and scarred by the cult of official secrecy. Offering unique insight into events that shook the political world, A Web of Deception is a must-read for anyone interested in politics, espionage and the workings of Whitehall. Chapman Pincher (1924–2014) had a talent for probing the world of spies and counter-spies and exposing information that established him among the twentieth century’s most controversial investigative writers. His revelations have formed the basis of many bestselling books including Their Trade Is Treachery, Inside Story, Too Secret Too Long, The Secret Offensive and Traitors – all of which have had deep and lasting political repercussions.

Genres: History

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 1987

About the author

Harry Chapman Pincher was an Indian-born British journalist, historian, and novelist whose writing mainly focused on espionage and related matters, after some early books on scientific subjects.

Harry Chapman Pincher was born in India in 1914 while his father was serving in the British Army. After moving to Great Britain, Chapman Pincher studied first at Darlington Grammar School and then King's College London before entering the teaching profession. He served in the Ministry of Supply during the Second World War and then embarked upon a lengthy and successful career in journalism, joining the Daily Express as a science and defence correspondent. Famed for his exposés, he was regarded as one of the finest investigative reporters of the twentieth century. Chapman Pincher penned a number of books both non-fiction and fiction and was the author of the notorious Their Trade is Treachery. Prior to his death he lived in West Berkshire with his wife, Billee.

Reviews

[Allan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dated book of dubious motives. Pincher rightly points out that he (with the cooperation of Peter Wright) had already published most of the information contained in Wright's Spycatcher and the Government at the time had approved of the book. So you might think the premise would be "Why did the Government try to suppress Spycatcher?" However, this book is more about name dropping, protecting the establishment, knocking anyone left of the political right and what a clever journalist Pincher was.
If you want to know how many pages it takes a once respected political journalist to say "I told them so", it's over 200.