The Second Oldest Profession: Spies and Spying in the Twentieth Century Book

KNIGHTLEY'S PEOPLE

Phillip Knightley is a fine journalist who played a key role in the coverage of the Thalidomide scandal, wrote a number of books on subjects as diverse as his home country ("Australia: A Biography of a Nation") and the history of war reporting ("The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist, and Myth-maker from the Crimea to the Gulf War II"). In this outing he has written "The Second Oldest Profession", a history of spying in the twentieth century.

As ever Knightley's writing is clear, and easily engages the reader. With regard to his subject, he is focused on the state institutions of spying and their personnel, with particular regard to the experience of Britain, America and the Soviet Union (MI6, CIA, KGB). He is very good on the roots of these organizations and the personalities involved, from the British in the period prior to the Great War, the Soviets during the Civil War and the Americans during WW2. Other countries, primarily Germany and France, only come into the plot as and when their role is deemed important, mostly during both the world wars.

The cast of characters is a large one, though one never feels overwhelmed, perhaps because they are a colourful enough bunch that easily stick in the mind. Knightley is particularly interesting on the Cambridge spy ring in Britain, one of whom (Kim Philby) has been the focus of some of his journalism and a prior book. The coverage of this part is quite detailed and endlessly fascinating, particularly with regard to the genesis of the "Spycatcher" affair in the 1980's. The infamous Peter Wright himself was one of the "young Turks" who believed that Roger Hollis (head of MI5) was a Soviet agent. The sect within MI5 he belonged to come across as paranoid Cold War ideologues par excellence, as their capers around the Labour Governments of the 1960's and 70's make clear.

Other subjects covered include the deleterious effect of spying on the spies themselves, industrial espionage, and the dynamics of the relationship between States and "their" Intelligence agencies. Room for other subjects such as Iran, Vietnam is woefully short, the book is also somewhat threadbare with regard to the world outside the three big spying organisations: Mossad of Israel, BOSS of South Africa and Savak of Shah era Iran are barely mentioned, nor is their much with regard to South America, Africa and Asia. The 2003 edition has been updated, including coverage of the invasion of Iraq and the "War on Terror".

The limitations of scope mean this book can hardly be regarded as a definitive history of twentieth century spying. Nonetheless, it is a constantly interesting and always gripping read. Knightley is not afraid to give his opinions on matters, and as someone who has covered these issues at length during his years reporting, they are always of interest. While not exhaustive, it will certainly give the reader a sceptical insight into the murky world of spying.