andrew lownie literary agency

The Silent Conspiracy
Stephen Dorril

The Silent Conspiracy

This study of the reorganization of MI5 and MI6 following the end of the Cold War explores what the security services got up to in the 1980s, and whether they carry out assassinations in the '90s. It examines how spies are trained and recruited, how mail is steamed open in a department of the Royal Mail, and how British Telecom tap what the author claims is a total of 35,000 calls a year. He also asks whether, as the 21st century approaches, the security services still have a role to play, provides a full list of officers operational in MI5 in the 1980s, and exposes the secret services' role in Northern Ireland, Germany and the Gulf.

Book Details:

  • Author: Stephen Dorril
  • Published Year: 1993
  • Rights Sold
    • UK: Heinemann
Stephen Dorril

Stephen Dorril

Stephen Dorril is Senior Lecturer in Print Journalism in the Media and Journalism Department of Huddersfield University. He has been investigating the British security and intelligence services for more than twenty years. He is particularly interested in the realtionship between intelligence and politics.He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes - Panorama, Media Show, Secret History, World at One, NBC News, Canadian television, History Channel, French television etc. - as a specialist and consultant on intelligence matters. He is consultant to a forthcoming series on Chan...
More about Stephen Dorril

Book Reviews

  • "The author has skilfully brought together the strands of a truly Orwellian conspiracy, making it frightening reading for anyone who wants to know how these unaccountable agencies work and what purpose they serve. Some readers may even wonder what side they are on."
    Sunday Express
  • "Dorril's refreshingly sceptical book is comprehensive, bringing the security and intelligence community down from its pedestal ... an up-to-date guide to the activities of MI5 and MI6."
    Guardian
  • "Anyone who is not a conspiracy theorist is likely to become one after reading Dorril's fascinating documentation of the recent past of the UK's intellgience agencies."
    Phillip Knightley, New Statesman