'His information is often so precise that many people believe he is the unofficial historian of the secret services. His books are peppered with deliberate clues to potential front-page stories' (The Sunday Times)
Soviet and Nazi Defectors: Counter-Intelligence in WW2 and the Cold War
A well-informed defector is the most dangerous counter-intelligence commodity because it takes a spy to catch a spy. Very occasionally, an agent, especially a mole or an intelligence professional, will make a mistake and incriminate themselves, but usually it is a denunciation, a tip, or a vague clue from a defector that will provide the vital information required to expose the source of a leak. Relying on recently-declassified intelligence files and interviews with defectors, their handlers, their families, and their victims, Nigel West has analysed nine examples of wartime and postwar defections to shed new light on the phenomenon.
The Nigel West Intelligence Podcast
Join us as we enter the murky world of intelligence and espionage with Nigel West, the acclaimed historian and author described by The Observer as “the expert’s expert”.
Hosted by Kevin Durjun, each episode shines a light on the spies, defectors, double agents and secret operations that have shaped history.
From MI5 and MI6 to the CIA, Cold War espionage, deception and codebreaking, Nigel West explains how intelligence really works and introduces the remarkable and often reprehensible people behind it.
Now available on Spotify
