Behind the Enigma
The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain’s Secret Cyber-Intelligence Agency
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Behind the Enigma
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Narrated by:
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Charles Armstrong
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By:
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John Ferris
About this listen
Bloomsbury presents Behind the Enigma by John Ferris, read by Charles Armstrong.
'Fascinating … This monumental work completes the authorised picture of a century of British intelligence' BEN MACINTYRE, THE TIMES
'[A] revelatory look at the world of GCHQ … There is much in the book that illuminates' Mark Urban, Sunday Times
You know about MI5. You know about MI6.
Now uncover the mystery behind Britain’s most secretive intelligence agency, in the first ever authorised history of GCHQ.
For a hundred years, GCHQ – Government Communications Headquarters – has been at the forefront of innovation in national security and British secret statecraft. Famed for its codebreaking achievements during the Second World War, and essential to the Allied victory, GCHQ also held a critical role in both the Falklands Conflict and Cold War. Today, amidst the growing threats of terrorism and online crime, GCHQ continues to be the UK’s leading intelligence, security and cyber agency, and a powerful tool of the British state.
Based on unprecedented access to classified archives, Behind the Enigma is the first book to authoritatively tell the entire history of this most unique and enigmatic of organisations – and peer into its future at the heart of the nation’s security.
What listeners say about Behind the Enigma
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bradley Perrett
- 12-03-2022
For students of intelligence, professional and amateur
The book is important – unavoidable, really – for anyone with a serious interest in signals intelligence. Altho the title is catchy, it’s not for casual readers who just want an entertaining history of the subject. For that purpose, I recommend David Kahn’s Seizing the Enigma.
Ferris’s long book is necessarily more skimpy on operational details after 1945 than before it. Even the serious student will be disappointed by the thinness of detail for that period – and yet understand why the detail must be thin. Nonetheless, the descriptions of Cold War methods and resource allocations are illuminating. The section on the Falkands War is particularly helpful.
Also, Ferris usefully reaches back into the pre-GC&CS history of British signals intelligence (and letter interception).
The reading performance was only so-so. The reader often stressed the wrong words in sentences, making comprehension a little more difficult for the listener. Also, a listener is distract when realizing from such mistakes that the reader does not understand what is being read.
I bought a printed copy of the book while listening, knowing that I’d want to go back and search for the most useful revelations.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-11-2020
Flaccid
This book is a secret GCHQ weapon designed perfectly to bore its critics to death
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2 people found this helpful