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Real Special Relationship
'Fascinating analysis' Nigel West; 'Grippingly told, authoritative' Mail on Sunday ; 'Meticulously researched...a remarkably good read' John Brennan, former CIA Director; 'Excellent...a detailed, highly professional account' Sir John Scarlett, former MI6 ChiefThe Special Relationship between America and Britain is feted by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic when it suits their purpose and just as frequently dismissed as a myth, not least by the media, which announces its supposed death on a regular basis. Yet the simple truth is that the two countries are bound together more closely than either is to any other ally.In The Real Special Relationship , Michael Smith reveals how it all began, when a top-secret visit by four American codebreakers to Bletchley Park in February 1941 - ten months before the US entered the Second World War - marked the start of a close collaboration between the two nations that endures to this day. Once the war was over, and the Cold War began, both sides recognised that the way they had worked together to decode German and Japanese ciphers could now be used to counter the Soviet threat . Despite occasional political conflict and public disputes between the two nations, such as during the Suez crisis , behind the scenes intelligence sharing continued uninterrupted, right up to the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine . Smith, the bestselling author of Station X and having himself served in British military intelligence , brings together a fascinating range of characters, from Winston Churchill and Ian Fleming to Kim Philby and Edward Snowden , who have helped shape the security of our two nations. Supported by in-depth interviews and an excellent range of personal contacts, he takes the reader into the mysterious workings of MI6, the CIA and all those who work to keep us safe.
576 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 13, 2023
Post WW2 intelligence history is not my speciality and I approached this work with all the general prejudices common to many in the UK, that the "Special Relationship" with the USA is largely a myth put about by desperate British politicians anxious to "big up" Britain's role in the world. Combine this with an increasingly trendy opinion that the UK's intelligence organisations aren't that good but hide behind the myth created by the James Bond films and you can see why I approached this book with a certain amount of trepidation, even though, in the period I generally study (up to the end of WW2) I thought British intelligence (apart from some well known debacles) had been really rather good.
The book begins, as it must, with Britain's decision to offer the US access to all its codebreaking secrets (Bletchley Park) in the hope of getting the same from the Americans (a sign of how desperate the situation was in early 1941). The Americans were astonished at the technical advances the British had made into Enigma and, initially gradually, cooperation between Britain and America became complete, with Britain taking the lead against Germany and the the US against Japan. It goes on to cover the Cold War in considerable depth, including Korea and Vietnam (where MI6 ran a small station in Hanoi throughout the war) the jointly organised coup in Iran in the early 50's, the Cuban missile crisis, the Middle East, the Falklands and bang up to date.
Written in considerable detail (I had to stop from time to time to take it all in) but in a nice clear style, it reveals how well the British and American agencies cooperated throughout the period. The British were able to do things the Americans couldn't and vice versa and, on one occasion, when the American attempt to break a sophisticated Soviet cypher using a top of the range computer, Bletchley, lacking a similar machine, were still able to make basic suggestions that helped them crack it; on others RAF aircraft overflew Russia when the US authorities had forbidden their people to do so. With its long term interest in parts of the world without much US influence the British were able to supply extremely valuable intelligence. Even at times when US/UK relations looked poor on the surface the totally free exchange of information continued to the benefit of both.
Certainly a book I can commend most highly both to the lay and specialist reader.
ps Sharp eyed readers of the book will notice that I am thanked for my assistance with this book. Please accept my assurance that my contribution was solely to copy various files for the author whilst access to The National Archives was difficult, nothing else.
The book begins, as it must, with Britain's decision to offer the US access to all its codebreaking secrets (Bletchley Park) in the hope of getting the same from the Americans (a sign of how desperate the situation was in early 1941). The Americans were astonished at the technical advances the British had made into Enigma and, initially gradually, cooperation between Britain and America became complete, with Britain taking the lead against Germany and the the US against Japan. It goes on to cover the Cold War in considerable depth, including Korea and Vietnam (where MI6 ran a small station in Hanoi throughout the war) the jointly organised coup in Iran in the early 50's, the Cuban missile crisis, the Middle East, the Falklands and bang up to date.
Written in considerable detail (I had to stop from time to time to take it all in) but in a nice clear style, it reveals how well the British and American agencies cooperated throughout the period. The British were able to do things the Americans couldn't and vice versa and, on one occasion, when the American attempt to break a sophisticated Soviet cypher using a top of the range computer, Bletchley, lacking a similar machine, were still able to make basic suggestions that helped them crack it; on others RAF aircraft overflew Russia when the US authorities had forbidden their people to do so. With its long term interest in parts of the world without much US influence the British were able to supply extremely valuable intelligence. Even at times when US/UK relations looked poor on the surface the totally free exchange of information continued to the benefit of both.
Certainly a book I can commend most highly both to the lay and specialist reader.
ps Sharp eyed readers of the book will notice that I am thanked for my assistance with this book. Please accept my assurance that my contribution was solely to copy various files for the author whilst access to The National Archives was difficult, nothing else.
April 23, 2024
A fascinating overview of the relationship between UK and US intelligence services over the last 80 odd years. Some interesting analysis, even on the last 20 or so years post 9/11 where there is still relatively little information in the public domain (obviously!), and the story of the origins of the relationship is told well. Certainly made me reassess my perception of the special relationship and its importance to both sides.
September 10, 2024
A fantastic and well researched overview of the relationship between american and british intelligence agencies
October 14, 2022
An expert on intelligence, informed by his own personal experience working in the secret world and by continued meticulous research, number one bestselling author and award-winning journalist Michael Smith has made consistent significant and important contributions to literature on intelligence and special operations. The Real Special Relationship is his latest contribution, and it is one of his best yet.
The term ‘Special Relationship’ refers to the close relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States – a multi-faceted relationship with political, diplomatic, economic, military and other dimensions. Smith places this curious and important relationship under a microscope, pin-pointing its beginning in February 1941 when four American codebreakers visited Bletchley Park to facilitate trans-Atlantic intelligence collaboration before the US had even officially joined the Second World War. Such collaboration, he argues, constituted the very start of the now famous ‘Special Relationship’, which continued to develop and evolve over the decades to follow. Some developments would see strained relations between the two countries, but intelligence, Smith asserts, remained a constant adhesive, maintaining closeness between them behind closed doors and remaining at the heart of their special relationship.
As an academic historian of intelligence, I have always found Smith’s writing – authoritative, superbly researched and analytical as it is – refreshingly deep and honest among the often sensationalist material in this field, and vitally useful as source material in the ongoing effort to construct the historical narrative of the secret world. Smith uses newly available and previously secret official documentation, the words and opinions of those responsible for the running of the intelligence world, and case studies of events and personnel that have shaped it since 1941, telling a highly convincing and surprisingly riveting story. Somewhat unusually, he pays attention where others do not, thinking to call upon events and individuals who do not tend to make the final cut or edit in most works concerning espionage and national security. The result is a rich, multi-layered story, riddled with detail and fact and leaving little room for doubt. The relevance of this book to today’s world is huge, not least given the current situation in Ukraine and the continued intelligence liaison between the US and the UK through several challenging recent years. Intelligence operations have, Smith argues, shaped relations between the US and the UK since the Second World War, and he is determined to highlight the fact that the UK has in fact made important contributions despite changes in its world position compared to that of its closest ally.
As with all of Smith’s books, much can be learned in The Special Relationship about the intelligence world and the nature and inner workings of espionage, intelligence and national security. Intelligence collaborations are a complicated but crucial element of international relations, often riddled with tensions and unpleasantness. Smith does not shy away from the difficult aspects of the Special Relationship and seeks to tell a full and critically important story. He succeeds in his mission, and this book is and will be of great significance and importance to international politics today and in the years to come as the US and the UK continue to navigate threats to international security together.
The term ‘Special Relationship’ refers to the close relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States – a multi-faceted relationship with political, diplomatic, economic, military and other dimensions. Smith places this curious and important relationship under a microscope, pin-pointing its beginning in February 1941 when four American codebreakers visited Bletchley Park to facilitate trans-Atlantic intelligence collaboration before the US had even officially joined the Second World War. Such collaboration, he argues, constituted the very start of the now famous ‘Special Relationship’, which continued to develop and evolve over the decades to follow. Some developments would see strained relations between the two countries, but intelligence, Smith asserts, remained a constant adhesive, maintaining closeness between them behind closed doors and remaining at the heart of their special relationship.
As an academic historian of intelligence, I have always found Smith’s writing – authoritative, superbly researched and analytical as it is – refreshingly deep and honest among the often sensationalist material in this field, and vitally useful as source material in the ongoing effort to construct the historical narrative of the secret world. Smith uses newly available and previously secret official documentation, the words and opinions of those responsible for the running of the intelligence world, and case studies of events and personnel that have shaped it since 1941, telling a highly convincing and surprisingly riveting story. Somewhat unusually, he pays attention where others do not, thinking to call upon events and individuals who do not tend to make the final cut or edit in most works concerning espionage and national security. The result is a rich, multi-layered story, riddled with detail and fact and leaving little room for doubt. The relevance of this book to today’s world is huge, not least given the current situation in Ukraine and the continued intelligence liaison between the US and the UK through several challenging recent years. Intelligence operations have, Smith argues, shaped relations between the US and the UK since the Second World War, and he is determined to highlight the fact that the UK has in fact made important contributions despite changes in its world position compared to that of its closest ally.
As with all of Smith’s books, much can be learned in The Special Relationship about the intelligence world and the nature and inner workings of espionage, intelligence and national security. Intelligence collaborations are a complicated but crucial element of international relations, often riddled with tensions and unpleasantness. Smith does not shy away from the difficult aspects of the Special Relationship and seeks to tell a full and critically important story. He succeeds in his mission, and this book is and will be of great significance and importance to international politics today and in the years to come as the US and the UK continue to navigate threats to international security together.
January 5, 2025
It took me a lot to get into this book which I thought was odd at first - I am a huge early 20th Century nerd so that the earlier chapters dragged so much made me a little worried. Once I had really committed myself though I was completely immersed in this book. Whilst definitely what some people would consider to be a broad whistle stop tour of Anglo-American relations in the twentieth and twenty first century there was still incredible levels of detail in the events within and had such fascinating stories and accounts that I’d never heard of. This was such a good starting point that will absolutely point me in the direction of some events and people I didn’t know much about, as well as being really pertinent as the world continues to change around us. I really really enjoyed this as my first book of 2025.
November 30, 2025
This book is about the last 70+ years of cooperation between the secret services of USA and UK. It is about the Cold War, the Korean War, the Iran coup, the Revolution in Hungary in 1956, the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam War, the Prague Spring in 1968, the Falklands war, Edward Snowden etc. What I remember from this book and the reason I give it a 4 stars is the 1947 recruitment of 12 Romanians who were caught the by communists and locked and many killed because of an error of 2 sloppy CIA agents. Also I remember the author thinks that the objects of Snowden' revelations were not that problematic because the judges always use warants. Not sure if the author is a secret service agent himself, it is not written.
July 21, 2023
Interesting history about how the UK and US shared secrets from WW2. How the CIA came to be formed and tension between the foreign policies of the two countries and their secret services.
Worth a read if you are interested in the topic.
Worth a read if you are interested in the topic.
March 12, 2025
An outstanding work: clear, detailed, and interesting. I read this during the early tumultuous weeks of Trump’s second term. The inestimable value of close allies concerning intelligence services (despite the spats throughout the past 80 years) is all the more important.
July 25, 2023
Authoritative.
February 28, 2024
Just a bit too wonky but still a good read.
May the Special Relationship last for decades to come!
May the Special Relationship last for decades to come!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews