World Politics: "Spy Catcher"

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The book Spycatcher by Peter Wright is an account of the British Secret Service during the 1960's with some research into the lives of some agents that goes back to the 1930's. It is an autobiographical book as Wright joined MI5 in 1955 and served until 1976. While some of the book details the different aspects of Wright's work, the majority of the book focuses on his theory that a Soviet double-agent had infiltrated the British secret service. As different British attempts at espionage were foiled Wright became increasingly convinced that this was indeed true and made great strides in attempting to uncover this mole. His primary suspect was the former Director General of MI5, Roger Hollis.

Wright's book created quite a stir in England and indeed around the world when it was published in 1987. It was actually banned in England though it remained available in Scotland, Australia and New Zealand. From these countries, copies found their way into England where they were readily purchased by inquisitive British citizens. The British secret service attempted to discredit Wright and minimize his accusations. Though both Roger Hollis and his second in command were both questioned and investigated nothing came of these investigations as no concrete evidence was found to implicate them in any acts of espionage.

At his initial interview for inclusion in MI5, Wright was told the following regarding the upcoming war with Russia, "This war is going to be fought with spies, not soldiers, at least in the short term." (Wright, 4) This turns out to be a pretty good picture of the Cold War. Throughout the Cold War actual ...