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Treachery: Betrayals, Blunders & Cover-ups: Six Decades of Espionage Against America & Great Britain
From noted intelligence authority and author Chapman Pincher comes an utterly riveting book that reveals in startling detail sixty years of Soviet spying against Great Britain and the United States. Using a huge cache of recently released documents and exclusive interviews, Pincher makes a compelling new case that–as he has long believed–the head of Britain’s own counterintelligence and security agency was himself a double agent, acting to undermine and imperil the U.K. and America. Written with the power of a heart-pounding thriller, Treachery pulls the mask from intelligence leader Roger Hollis. As a result, years of traitorous action and inaction on his watch come tumbling down.Pincher reveals Hollis’s early years, when he was schooled at Oxford, which “educated” many agents, and worked in 1930s Shanghai, a hotbed of soon-to-be spies and Soviet recruiters. Hired by MI5–at a time when there was virtually no vetting of employees–he was a gray presence who rose in the ranks over twenty-seven years while, Pincher suspects, he was allowing the most notorious Soviet spies of the century to flourish.Myriad fascinating case histories are portrayed here, including that of Lt. Igor Gouzenko, a Red Army cipher clerk who said cryptically in 1945 that there was a mole in MI5 with access to important files. Pincher also provides exciting new perspectives on the most infamous operatives of our time, including Kim Philby and Klaus Fuchs. Perhaps most explosively, Pincher posits that long after Hollis stepped down, a cover-up was perpetrated at the highest levels, and that Margaret Thatcher was induced to mislead Parliament to prevent the truth from coming out.An essential volume for a world potentially facing a new cold war as Russia dangerously flexes its military and espionage muscles once again, Treachery warns us to protect our society and institutions from enemy infiltration in the future. This is a revelatory work that puts twentieth-century politics and war into stunning new relief.
810 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
19 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Chapman Pincher
37 books7 followersHarry 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 15, 2010
The author may be 95 years old, but don't be fooled, he could get the jump on many writers in their 20s. He seems to be as passionate, as determined, and as agile as any writer one quarter of his age. (And that can't happen to frequently)
His style is a delight, and his subject matter is captivating, no less because its importance to the author is clear. Unfortunately, it's sometimes hard to believe that a major intelligence agency could be as inept as he shows the MI5 to be. The only thing MI5 seems to have been able to do is evade reform for its truly miserable record. Its a wonder that it's performance didn't cause more damage- whether to the U.K.'s relationship to the U.S,. or worse.
One thing is proven: Roger Hollis was a disgrace to the MI5 and the United Kingdom. More effort was taken to cover up these sordid chapters in British history, then was ever taken against Soviet agents from 1938-1965.
Despite the depths to which Pincher goes, there were a few places I think he could have locked down the case against Hollis more. For example, I kept wishing he had given more background on Graham Mitchell, the candidate others have offered as the Soviet mole in MI5. It seems like Mitchell started working there after many of the potential MI5 leaks happened, but it's never made explicit. Pincher doesn't really give much background about Mitchell at all.
It's clear that Mr. Pincher is a patriot, although his definition of that doesn't mean sparing curative humiliation. I'm sure MI5, the Foreign Office, etc., thought, "there he goes again..." (Judging by the books published in response to this, they were paying attention.
As for me, I'm waiting for Mr. Pincher's next book. And wondering if I could get invited to one of his peasant-hunting trips.
His style is a delight, and his subject matter is captivating, no less because its importance to the author is clear. Unfortunately, it's sometimes hard to believe that a major intelligence agency could be as inept as he shows the MI5 to be. The only thing MI5 seems to have been able to do is evade reform for its truly miserable record. Its a wonder that it's performance didn't cause more damage- whether to the U.K.'s relationship to the U.S,. or worse.
One thing is proven: Roger Hollis was a disgrace to the MI5 and the United Kingdom. More effort was taken to cover up these sordid chapters in British history, then was ever taken against Soviet agents from 1938-1965.
Despite the depths to which Pincher goes, there were a few places I think he could have locked down the case against Hollis more. For example, I kept wishing he had given more background on Graham Mitchell, the candidate others have offered as the Soviet mole in MI5. It seems like Mitchell started working there after many of the potential MI5 leaks happened, but it's never made explicit. Pincher doesn't really give much background about Mitchell at all.
It's clear that Mr. Pincher is a patriot, although his definition of that doesn't mean sparing curative humiliation. I'm sure MI5, the Foreign Office, etc., thought, "there he goes again..." (Judging by the books published in response to this, they were paying attention.
As for me, I'm waiting for Mr. Pincher's next book. And wondering if I could get invited to one of his peasant-hunting trips.
December 26, 2011
Fascinating book - massive in its scope and in its physical size!
It might seem astonishing that the author was 98 years old when this book was completed. However, it is the latest example of an extraordinary life-time of achievement by this British journalist. Pincher was a school-teacher and science graduate when he first put pen to paper in order to supplement his the salary from his teaching work at Liverpool Institute. His articles explaining various aspects of science and engineering helped him win a commission in in WW2 at the Woolwich Arsenal developing new weapons. A chance opportunity to explain his then-secret work to newspaper journalists when the British government needed some morale-boosting stories led his becoming a liaison officer between the army and Fleet Street - and when the war was over the Daily Express took him on as a writer. The rest is British journalist history as Pincher became the most authoratitive writer on military intelligence and spying of any UK publication.
And he's still at it with the new book which tells the background stories to the key spy dramas of the 50s 60s and 70s.
Fine work from a great journalist.
It might seem astonishing that the author was 98 years old when this book was completed. However, it is the latest example of an extraordinary life-time of achievement by this British journalist. Pincher was a school-teacher and science graduate when he first put pen to paper in order to supplement his the salary from his teaching work at Liverpool Institute. His articles explaining various aspects of science and engineering helped him win a commission in in WW2 at the Woolwich Arsenal developing new weapons. A chance opportunity to explain his then-secret work to newspaper journalists when the British government needed some morale-boosting stories led his becoming a liaison officer between the army and Fleet Street - and when the war was over the Daily Express took him on as a writer. The rest is British journalist history as Pincher became the most authoratitive writer on military intelligence and spying of any UK publication.
And he's still at it with the new book which tells the background stories to the key spy dramas of the 50s 60s and 70s.
Fine work from a great journalist.
July 22, 2019
Authoritative and enthralling
I am a lifelong follower of the topic of Soviet espionage in the US and the UK. This book is the best researched and documented that it has been my pleasure to read!
Yet the story never flags. I carried it on vacation to visit my children and it rarely left my hand Any time I encountered a delay I read. I thoroughly enjoyed my flight delays. When everyone went on a boat excursion I felt guilty secret delight.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who cares about security in the free world and who enjoys a great read.
I am a lifelong follower of the topic of Soviet espionage in the US and the UK. This book is the best researched and documented that it has been my pleasure to read!
Yet the story never flags. I carried it on vacation to visit my children and it rarely left my hand Any time I encountered a delay I read. I thoroughly enjoyed my flight delays. When everyone went on a boat excursion I felt guilty secret delight.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who cares about security in the free world and who enjoys a great read.
April 21, 2025
A bit long winded... seems authentic though
January 23, 2015
Despite it's long title - this book doesn't quite have an accurate title. From the title and even the dust jacket synopsis, it's easy to believe that this book is a comprehensive unpacking of the various spy rings that spied on the UK and the US - and it's not.
What this book is, is a detailed take down of Sir Roger Hollis former head of MI5, who the author very convincingly argues was a Soviet mole. Every section of this book that talks about the activities and prosecution of a British spy has a nexus on Sir Roger. Activities that Sir Roger wasn't involved with, either are glossed over or completely ignored. The most notorious British spys, Philby, Burgess, and McLean aren't well covered - for a book that bills itself as documenting Six Decades of Espionage Against America & Great Britain, I would expect detailed a retelling.
The author is convinced that Sir Roger was a traitor, but doesn't explore the other elephant in the room - what about Sir Dick White? Sir Roger was Dick White's protege, how is it that White was so naive and so incompetent that he couldn't recognize Hollis' failures? If it's ever confirmed that Hollis was actually a spy, White deserves a closer examination as well worst case as a possible accomplice, but at a minimum for gross incompetence and failure of oversight that allowed Hollis to continue despite a history of high profile bad decisions and cover ups.
Finally, the telling is detailed, but extremely dry. It is a pure retelling of the facts, there's no drama at all...
What this book is, is a detailed take down of Sir Roger Hollis former head of MI5, who the author very convincingly argues was a Soviet mole. Every section of this book that talks about the activities and prosecution of a British spy has a nexus on Sir Roger. Activities that Sir Roger wasn't involved with, either are glossed over or completely ignored. The most notorious British spys, Philby, Burgess, and McLean aren't well covered - for a book that bills itself as documenting Six Decades of Espionage Against America & Great Britain, I would expect detailed a retelling.
The author is convinced that Sir Roger was a traitor, but doesn't explore the other elephant in the room - what about Sir Dick White? Sir Roger was Dick White's protege, how is it that White was so naive and so incompetent that he couldn't recognize Hollis' failures? If it's ever confirmed that Hollis was actually a spy, White deserves a closer examination as well worst case as a possible accomplice, but at a minimum for gross incompetence and failure of oversight that allowed Hollis to continue despite a history of high profile bad decisions and cover ups.
Finally, the telling is detailed, but extremely dry. It is a pure retelling of the facts, there's no drama at all...
May 3, 2011
Although interesting, this book is too full of details to read through now. I made it to page 217, and I'd like to finish it some day, but not right now. It tells about the spies who infiltrated the British government (and therefore were privy to USA secrets also at times) and reported back to the USSR. It starts before WWII and looks like it continues through the 90s and perhaps up to 2000. I was able to read to about 1945 - right in the middle of the atomic implications of this spy craft. I hope to pick this up again and finish it at some point, but if not then I feel as if I've gotten the general gist of the book
October 11, 2011
Treachery is a difficult book to get through, not least because of the emotional impact of the seemingly endless line of British traitors who damaged the U.S. as well as their own. Pincher is keenly aware of, and apologetic for, this treachery, notwithstanding that he contributed much to its disclosure and that we have home grown traitors as well--perhaps as protected as the British. Nonetheless, his revelations are depressing and, even with some prior reading, require careful attention to keep the players and timelines in focus.
January 19, 2013
This book is a fascinating read, not just because it makes such a compelling circumstantial case that Roger Hollis, chief of MI5, was an agent for the GRU, but also because of the detail about the careers of so many others during what was a disastrous almost four decades of Soviet penetration of British intelligence and the British government. Yes, the book is very long. It's worth reading every word, nevertheless.
August 13, 2016
Massive 620 page book! Pincher has compiled a slamming indictment against the head of MI5 Hollis and MI5 itself.
The only think to add is that there is so much smoke and mirrors in the spy game that I cannot tell how true all this is. That said, the evidence points at Hollis being a GRU spy, and that that was the opinion of several other agencies. Worth a read if you like spy books.
The only think to add is that there is so much smoke and mirrors in the spy game that I cannot tell how true all this is. That said, the evidence points at Hollis being a GRU spy, and that that was the opinion of several other agencies. Worth a read if you like spy books.
August 2, 2018
My introduction to British intelligence history was Ramsay & Dorril's biography of Harold Wilson, Smear. Chapman Pincher makes frequent appearances there as a key media outlet for right-wing molehunters, and one of the interesting things about Treachery is that he is quite open about some of his sources.
April 27, 2011
The hisroy of lies is infantessimal. I don't know if I spelld that right. Read the book anyway..
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October 8, 2014Interesting topic, but could have been a few hundred pages less in volume as a lot of the material was repeated in unneeded detail
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews