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The Black Door: Spies, Secret Intelligence and British Prime Ministers
- Narrated by: Tom Clegg
- Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins
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The Black Door: Spies, Secret Intelligence and British Prime Ministers
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Summary
The Black Door explores the evolving relationship between successive British prime ministers and the intelligence agencies, from Asquith’s Secret Service Bureau to Cameron’s National Security Council.
Intelligence can do a prime minister’s dirty work. For more than a century, secret wars have been waged directly from Number 10. They have staved off conflict, defeats and British decline through fancy footwork, often deceiving friend and foe alike. Yet as the birth of the modern British secret service in 1909, prime ministers were strangers to the secret world – sometimes with disastrous consequences. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill oversaw a remarkable revolution in the exploitation of intelligence, bringing it into the centre of government. Chruchill’s wartime regime also formed a school of intelligence for future prime ministers, and its secret legacy has endured. Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and David Cameron all became great enthusiasts for spies and special forces. Although Britain’s political leaders have often feigned ignorance about what one prime minister called this ‘strange underworld’, some of the most daring and controversial intelligence operations can be traced straight back to Number 10.
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Critic reviews
‘Must read stuff. Aldrich and Cormac are inexhaustible researchers, who use a wide range of archives and include striking material from off-the-record informants. ‘The Black Door’ is a vital, authoritative book’ Richard Davenport-Hines, The Times
‘Pioneering book … a major contribution to our understanding of British prime ministers over the last century. This is one of those rare books that deserve to change the way that modern British political history is researched and written’ Christopher Andrew, Literary Review
‘A timely read’ **** Daily Express
‘This book deserves to be taken very seriously. The authors are intimately familiar with the history of the modern intelligence community’ Sunday Times
‘The first close study of relations between nineteen prime ministers and their secret service. Plenty of lively stories and characters’ The Times
What listeners say about The Black Door: Spies, Secret Intelligence and British Prime Ministers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- rob
- 21-03-17
a real eye opener.
Thatcher to present day was fascinating. give it a go. its ideal for long journeys.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Hawkil
- 15-08-23
Absolutely excellent
Brilliantly voiced and written, despite its length you won’t get bored and will be keen to continue listening. Great British history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- NickNoodles
- 20-09-16
Utterly fabulous
So well researched and written in an accessible and even gripping way, topped off by being read brilliantly. Couldn't recommend this book more if you're interested in politics and the intelligence world.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 16-02-21
interesting & well researched
Great book. Long but gripping. I wanted to know each Prime Minister's story and move onto the next one.
As good as GCHQ, by the same author
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andy
- 13-09-21
Excellent
Well written, informative and fascinating. One of the best books on this topic. recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Goronwy-Wyn
- 08-06-17
The book is great
The book is fascinating full of illuminating details sadly having lived through several of the chapters it wasn’t pleasant to be on the “pleb” side, I’m waiting for the second volume detailing Brexit and the clown bojo.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- TonyG
- 19-01-17
Thorough analysis
A detailed and well read analysis of the UK's secret world which grows ever larger.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Camilo
- 21-06-20
Amazing
For someone interested in all things to do with foreign policy, espionage and diplomacy this has been very informative and detailed. Really makes you think what are they up to today.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Robert Hood
- 24-05-17
Fascinating
The breadth and insight makes this a compulsive audio book I found very difficult to stop listening to..
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nadia
- 24-07-20
Brilliant apart from pronunciation error
The narrator pronounced the name of Iran's Prime Minister in the 1950s 'Mossadeeegh' as 'Mossadeooou'.
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