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.

A new perspective on Cold War intelligence operations conducted by the principal protagonists, based on recently declassified American, British, NATO and Soviet documents.

Written by the renowned expert Nigel West, this book exposes the operations of Britain's overseas intelligence-gathering organisation, the famed Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, and traces its origins back to its inception in 1909

SNOW is the codename assigned to Arthur Owens, one of the most remarkable British spies of the Second World War. Written by Nigel West and Madoc Roberts.

Over the past fifty years, Nigel West has been involved in almost every espionage-related investigation, breakthrough or revelation that you can think of. His molehunts have led to the unmasking of spies within MI5, MI6 and the CIA and the identification of numerous others – some of whom were crucial to the Allied victory in the Second World War and would have died without any public recognition if not for him.

How the CIA combined with the Vatican under the Polish Pope John Paul II to launch a massive campaign to destabilise Warsaw - and how the KGB reacted by trying to kill the Pope in 1981.

The astonishing story of VENONA remains one of the last untold chapters in the history of the Cold War.

Although China's intelligence activities may not have been well documented, they can be traced back to the ancient writings of Sun Tzu, and espionage has been a characteristic of Chinese domestic politics and international relations ever since.

The Trump Dossier caused one of the great political scandals of the era, with a former MI6 officer revealing information from what he claimed was his network of sources inside the Kremlin. He duped the FBI, conned the media, wrecked careers and tarnished the Anglo-American "special relationship". How did he do it? Who else was involved? Why did the FBI attempt a cover-up?

The shadowy world of counter-intelligence is startlingly illuminated by this history of MI5. The true story of the most secret counter-espionage organisation in the world

The Falklands War of 1982 was one of the most significant armed campaigns to be fought since the end of the Second World War. Although much is known about how the war was fought, little has been revealed about what really happened behind the scenes.
The Secret War for the Falklands is the hitherto undisclosed story of how the Argentines planned the invasion, and why the massive amphibious attack took the British Government by surprise.

Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) encompasses the various disciplines of wireless interception, cryptanalysis, communications intelligence, electronic intelligence, direction-finding, and traffic analysis. It has become the basis upon which all combat operations are undertaken.