The Secret History of the Five Eyes: The Untold Story of the International Spy Network

by Richard Kerbaj

Overview

This is the definitive account of the Western world’s most powerful—but least known—intelligence alliance, which remains central to the defense of the free world in a dangerously uncertain time.

The Five Eyes—a spy network between the intelligence agencies of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—has been steeped in secrecy since its official formation in 1956. Yet the Five Eyes’ very existence is not legally binding—it functions as a marriage of convenience riddled with distrust, competing intelligence agendas, and a massive imbalance of power that favors the US. Richard Kerbaj draws on interviews with intelligence officials, world leaders, and recently declassified archives to reveal the authoritative but unauthorized stories of the alliance. In bypassing the usual censorship channels, he tells this extraordinary account of the Five Eyes’ unlikely cast of characters who played a crucial role in its history, and exposes the network’s hidden role in influencing global events that continue to shape our daily lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454952510
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	01/07/2025
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Richard Kerbaj is a BAFTA-winning and twice Emmy-nominated filmmaker and writer who has specialized in investigating crime and national security-related stories for more than fifteen years. He has written extensively about the impact that counterterrorism and counterespionage have had on intelligence agencies, including MI5, MI6, GCHQ, and the CIA, in their battle against ISIS and al-Qaeda, Russia’s widespread disinformation campaigns, and China’s industrialized thefts of Western intellectual property. He lives in London.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

PART ONE: ORIGINS
1  CRUCIAL TIP-OFF
2  BUILT IN LONDON’S IMAGE
3  THE WAR SPREADS TO THE PACIFIC

PART TWO: THE COLD WAR
4  THE IRON CURTAIN FALLS
5  HUMINT MEETS SIGINT
6  UK USA BECOMES THE FIVE EYES
7  CRISES: ONE MAN IN BUDAPEST
8  DISSENT
9  BAITING THE SOVIETS

PART THREE: THE WAR ON TERROR
10  A POST 9/11 WORLD
11  MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS
12  A DELAYED ADMISSION
13  THE SNOWDEN AFFAIR

PART FOUR: UNCONVENTIONAL BATTLEFIELDS
14  AUSTRALIAN INTERVENTION
15  DISRUPTION: THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

Conclusion THE FUTURE OF THE FIVE EYES
Postscript PLAN B: AUSTRALIA GOES NUCLEAR

Notes and Sources
Timeline
Glossary
Some of the Characters Featured
Acknowledgements
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Puts Richard Kerbaj in the front rank of modern authors on espionage. It is, by turns, gripping and shocking and sheds completely new light on the most important intelligence alliance in the world."—Tim Shipman, bestselling author of All Out War

"An impressively detailed account of a remarkable alliance."—Jeremy Bowen, The New Statesman

"Unencumbered by any sense of an agreed or official narrative."—The Sunday Times

"Scintillating . . . full of scoops . . . by focusing on the human relationships which are the beating heart of the Five Eyes, Kerbaj has made a singular contribution to the intelligence discourse. It's a service to democracy."—The Australian

"This thought-provoking and informative book suggests that the era of globetrotting lone agents such as James Bond is long gone."—Sydney Morning Herald

"A scandalous tale of mistrust and misjudgment."—The Observer

"Kerbaj . . . has chronicled the history of the Fives Eyes spy network. His list of interviewees speaks for itself - several former heads of MI5, MI6, GCHQ, the CIA, four former British and Australian prime ministers, and myriad other current and former spooks. But this account is unencumbered by any sense of an agreed or official narrative (the usual price for this level of journalistic access)."—Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor, The Sunday Times

"Sensational."—Nigel Nelson, political editor, The Mirror

"Examines decades of intelligence sharing."—The Telegraph

"An extraordinary development."—The Times

"Explosive."—The World News

From the Publisher