The MI5 Archive

Official Secrets

£45.00
£45.00
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The definitive visual record of the clandestine work carried out by the British Security Service, MI5, from its origins to the modern day.

Regnum Defende: Defend the Realm. MI5, the intelligence agency responsible for protecting the UK against threats to national security, has acted under this motto since it was founded in 1909. This has involved the management of secrets over the decades: secrets for which vast swathes of information are now declassified.

Detailing uprisings, executions and double agents, The MI5 Archive presents a window into the world of spycraft that has kept British democracy safe. Within you will find source material on the Siege of Sidney Street, the Cambridge Spy Ring and the Profumo Affair, and never-before-published imagery prepared exclusively for this book.

From interrogations to surveillance logs, coded messages to intercepted phone calls, The MI5 Archive charts the clandestine activities of MI5 from its inception to the present day.
Extent: 368 pp
Format: Hardback
Illustrations: 347
Publication date: 2026-09-03
Size: 26.4 x 20.6 cm
ISBN: 9780500030455
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Press Reviews

This book contains real treasure: a selection of some of the 6,000 files that MI5 has released since it opened its archives in 1997
The Times

Shines a light on MI5’s areas of focus during some of the biggest political events of the 20th century ... includes previously unpublished files
Telegraph

‘Featuring never-before-published images, prepared for last year's National Archives’ exhibition, the 368-page book shines a light on MI5’s involvement in some of the biggest political events of the 20th century
Sunday Mirror

An absolute treasure-trove
Adrian Chiles, BBC Radio 5

About the Authors

Mark Dunton is Principal Records Specialist at the National Archives, London, and has in-depth knowledge of researching public records, with a particular interest in 20th-century British political, social and economic history.



Stephen Twigge is the former Head of Modern Collections at the National Archives, London. He was previously a historian at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and has published a number of books and articles on the Cold War.



Nick Harkaway is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Gone-Away World, Titanium Noir and Karla’s Choice, the latest instalment of the George Smiley series created by his father, John le Carré.

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