Maggie's Hammer: How Investigating the Mysterious Death of My Friend Uncovered a Netherworld of Illegal Arms Deals, Political Slush Funds, High-Level Corruption and Britain's Thirty-Year Secret Role as America's Hired Gun
In November 1988, Hugh John Simmonds CBE, Margaret Thatcher’s favorite speechwriter and the author’s best friend, boss and political mentor, turned up dead in a woodland glade a few miles from their sleepy suburban hometown 20 miles west of London. To learn why his best friend was murdered, Geoffrey Gilson journeyed into the dangerous world of international arms deals, covert intelligence operations and high-level political corruption and discovered a secret that explains much of contemporary history.
 
A quest for truth which, after 20 years of high-risk adventure coupled with painstaking research and firsthand interviews, uncovered the ugly reality that, for some 30 years, the various governments of Great Britain have loaned their country’s military and intelligence services to the United States, allowing presidents from Reagan to Obama to pursue their covert foreign and military policies without the encumbrance of congressional oversight.
1120635642
Maggie's Hammer: How Investigating the Mysterious Death of My Friend Uncovered a Netherworld of Illegal Arms Deals, Political Slush Funds, High-Level Corruption and Britain's Thirty-Year Secret Role as America's Hired Gun
In November 1988, Hugh John Simmonds CBE, Margaret Thatcher’s favorite speechwriter and the author’s best friend, boss and political mentor, turned up dead in a woodland glade a few miles from their sleepy suburban hometown 20 miles west of London. To learn why his best friend was murdered, Geoffrey Gilson journeyed into the dangerous world of international arms deals, covert intelligence operations and high-level political corruption and discovered a secret that explains much of contemporary history.
 
A quest for truth which, after 20 years of high-risk adventure coupled with painstaking research and firsthand interviews, uncovered the ugly reality that, for some 30 years, the various governments of Great Britain have loaned their country’s military and intelligence services to the United States, allowing presidents from Reagan to Obama to pursue their covert foreign and military policies without the encumbrance of congressional oversight.
19.95 In Stock
Maggie's Hammer: How Investigating the Mysterious Death of My Friend Uncovered a Netherworld of Illegal Arms Deals, Political Slush Funds, High-Level Corruption and Britain's Thirty-Year Secret Role as America's Hired Gun

Maggie's Hammer: How Investigating the Mysterious Death of My Friend Uncovered a Netherworld of Illegal Arms Deals, Political Slush Funds, High-Level Corruption and Britain's Thirty-Year Secret Role as America's Hired Gun

by Geoffrey Gilson
Maggie's Hammer: How Investigating the Mysterious Death of My Friend Uncovered a Netherworld of Illegal Arms Deals, Political Slush Funds, High-Level Corruption and Britain's Thirty-Year Secret Role as America's Hired Gun

Maggie's Hammer: How Investigating the Mysterious Death of My Friend Uncovered a Netherworld of Illegal Arms Deals, Political Slush Funds, High-Level Corruption and Britain's Thirty-Year Secret Role as America's Hired Gun

by Geoffrey Gilson

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Overview

In November 1988, Hugh John Simmonds CBE, Margaret Thatcher’s favorite speechwriter and the author’s best friend, boss and political mentor, turned up dead in a woodland glade a few miles from their sleepy suburban hometown 20 miles west of London. To learn why his best friend was murdered, Geoffrey Gilson journeyed into the dangerous world of international arms deals, covert intelligence operations and high-level political corruption and discovered a secret that explains much of contemporary history.
 
A quest for truth which, after 20 years of high-risk adventure coupled with painstaking research and firsthand interviews, uncovered the ugly reality that, for some 30 years, the various governments of Great Britain have loaned their country’s military and intelligence services to the United States, allowing presidents from Reagan to Obama to pursue their covert foreign and military policies without the encumbrance of congressional oversight.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781634240093
Publisher: Trine Day
Publication date: 08/28/2015
Pages: 248
Product dimensions: 9.80(w) x 12.30(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Geoffrey Gilson was for 10 years active in the British Conservative Party, up to and including the national level. He trained as a lawyer, and pursued a commercial career in public relations. Currently, he is focusing on his creative interests, and resides in a small mill town in central North Carolina, where he also advocates on social justice issues.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Prologue 1

1 An Ordinary Death? 3

2 British Intelligence 13

3 Reginald von Zugbach de Sugg 18

4 Law Society 28

5 Hostage To Fortune? 39

6 Reggie Unplugged 52

7 Smuggling Over Berlin Wall? 61

8 I Meet The CIA 67

9 Arms To Iraq? 79

10 Ari Ben-Menashe 96

11 Games With Ari 115

12 Diana, Arms Deals, Death 125

13 Thatcher And Arms Kickbacks 138

14 Arms And Thatcher's Rise To Power 150

15 Astra And Thatcher's Arms 'Backdoor' 156

16 UK As Covert Military Operative For US 161

17 Maggie's Hammer 174

Epilogue 187

Afterword 202

Documents 207

Bibliography 223

Index 233

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