The MI5 Archive
Official Secrets
Will be published approx. on 3. September 2026
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-0-500-03045-5 (ISBN)
Description
The definitive visual record of the clandestine work carried out by the British Security Service, MI5, from its origins to the modern day.
Regnum Defende: Defend the Realm. MI5, the intelligence agency responsible for protecting the UK against threats to national security, has acted under this motto since it was founded in 1909. This has involved the management of secrets over the decades: secrets for which vast swathes of information are now declassified.
Detailing uprisings and executions, double agents and femmes fatales from across the globe, The MI5 Archive presents a window into the world of spycraft that has kept British democracy safe. Rummage through documents received anonymously to the shadowy PO Box 500, London, W2. Work out what has value and how to decode it, with experts at your shoulder: authors and archivists Mark Dunton and Stephen Twigge have had unparalleled access.
Within you will find source material on the Siege of Sidney Street, the Cambridge Spy Ring and the Profumo Affair, and never-before-published imagery prepared exclusively for this book and the National Archives' hit exhibition 'MI5: Official Secrets'.
From interrogations to surveillance logs, coded messages to intercepted phone calls, The MI5 Archive charts the clandestine activities of MI5 right from its inception.
Regnum Defende: Defend the Realm. MI5, the intelligence agency responsible for protecting the UK against threats to national security, has acted under this motto since it was founded in 1909. This has involved the management of secrets over the decades: secrets for which vast swathes of information are now declassified.
Detailing uprisings and executions, double agents and femmes fatales from across the globe, The MI5 Archive presents a window into the world of spycraft that has kept British democracy safe. Rummage through documents received anonymously to the shadowy PO Box 500, London, W2. Work out what has value and how to decode it, with experts at your shoulder: authors and archivists Mark Dunton and Stephen Twigge have had unparalleled access.
Within you will find source material on the Siege of Sidney Street, the Cambridge Spy Ring and the Profumo Affair, and never-before-published imagery prepared exclusively for this book and the National Archives' hit exhibition 'MI5: Official Secrets'.
From interrogations to surveillance logs, coded messages to intercepted phone calls, The MI5 Archive charts the clandestine activities of MI5 right from its inception.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
300 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 264 mm
Width: 206 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-500-03045-5 (9780500030455)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Mark Dunton is Principal Records Specialist at the National Archives, London, and has in-depth knowledge of researching public records, with a particular interest in 20th-century British political, social and economic history.
Stephen Twigge is the former Head of Modern Collections at the National Archives, London. He was previously a historian at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and has published a number of books and articles on the Cold War.
Nick Harkaway is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Gone-Away World, Titanium Noir and Karla's Choice, the latest instalment of the George Smiley series created by his father, John le Carre.
Stephen Twigge is the former Head of Modern Collections at the National Archives, London. He was previously a historian at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and has published a number of books and articles on the Cold War.
Nick Harkaway is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Gone-Away World, Titanium Noir and Karla's Choice, the latest instalment of the George Smiley series created by his father, John le Carre.