This is a secret but real world, a world of intrigue and deceit, which has been quietly lifted before us as Peter Wright narrates. When it comes to intelligence work, we think of the KGB in the Soviet Union and the Central Intelligence Agency in the United States. They all shined during the Cold War.In the UK, this work was carried out by MI5 (later known as the National Security Service) and MI6 (later known as the British Secret Intelligence Service).The author of this book is a senior official of MI5 who is in charge of internal anti-espionage and anti-infiltration. As the memoir of a high-ranking spy officer, the book stands out as authentic.Because of this, the British government blocked its publication at the time.Now, it has finally broken through all kinds of resistance and brought us the secret intelligence activities of British intelligence during the Cold War. It allows us to experience once again the extensive confrontation between the two camps of the East and the West. The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Suez Canal incident lead us to look back from another angle.And many characters mentioned in the book, such as Hoover, the director of the CIA, Harold Wilson, the British Prime Minister, Heath, and Mrs. Thatcher, all remind us that what is written in the book is not long ago. History.

In the process of reading, I thought of the movie "007" series more than once.The "James Bond" it launched seems to have become a synonym for British spies and even all spies. "Bond" plays the role of British spies infiltrating into other countries, and the author of this book happens to be a spy catcher who catches "Bonds" from other countries or within the country. "Bond" is unrestrained, he can go to heaven and earth, in the north and south, infiltrating the opponent's secret territory like a stroll in the courtyard, obtaining the opponent's secret information is like picking something out of a pocket, accompanied by beautiful girls from time to time, he let us be together In the well-arranged coincidences and near-misses in the series, you can experience his personal heroism; while the life of the spy described by the author is tense and heavy. No matter the spy catcher or the spy, they are fighting wits and courage all the time.For a spy, once it is discovered, the end is imaginable; and for a spy catcher like the author, the situation is also not good, because he must sneak into the opponent's interior to eavesdrop, and learn from the defector's confession. Looking for clues, there are still many contradictions and mysteries that need to be analyzed. What's more embarrassing is that when some intelligence involves colleagues or even superiors in the department, the investigation of them will take great risks.The author is not a saint, and he does not have the supreme commander's sword in his hands. Under such circumstances, interrogating colleagues is a very emotional thing. Once the investigation goes wrong, it will cause irreparable rifts.As the author lamented: "The business of intelligence is very lonely and desolate. Of course, there is also comradely loyalty and friendship. But at the critical moment, you are always alone and helpless. You have to keep secrets alone, your life and work. The rhythm is always in a state of extreme tension." Bond is very chic, but that is in the movie after all; I believe the author's narrative more, what he reveals is the real side of espionage and counter-espionage work.The author is not a novelist, nor a commercial writer, but an espionage officer who started from a technical job, eavesdropping, so he didn't build a story.The ability to sort out the plot and create suspense, we cannot ask the author to judge the case like a god like Sherlock Holmes. In fact, he often hovers between the enemy and himself, between certainty and doubt, although he has a strong insight into intelligence, This has led to the identification of many spies, but sometimes it is fruitless and the suspicion can only be buried in the heart.The truth of the facts may forever be deposited at the bottom of a series of intricate events, unknown to the public, readers' curiosity can only be satisfied to a certain extent, which makes his memoirs seem less attractive than detective novels; in addition, his narration is loose and With jumping, jumping from one action to another, from one intelligence to another, there is only one central job (search for internal spies), and there is no central event.Sometimes one action is not finished, and another action is talked about; sometimes an intelligence involves another intelligence that has not been resolved before, so we go back and revisit the old score; sometimes a problem is worth pursuing , due to various reasons, had to let it go.However, considering the particularity of the espionage work and the authenticity of the memoirs, the author did not give up even a little bit of clues because he could not explain the reasons or explain the results, and did not omit or process them to meet the readers' reading needs. There are suspense everywhere in the work and plot everywhere, so his narrative is still fascinating.And, more importantly, it's all real.Isn't that the truth?Isn't intelligence work just so trivial and jumping from time to time that makes people feel at a loss?The extremely real experience it brings us cannot be given by any clever detective novel.Moreover, as the incident unfolds, we can always feel the author's professional acumen, super memory and logical reasoning level unique to an old spy, and at the same time realize that he presents purely technical issues to the audience effortlessly and interestingly. Your ability to explain clearly.

Although the whole memoir is full of clues and events, it can be roughly divided into two stages.The first stage mainly explained that "I" entered MI5 as a scientist, used radio technology to help MI5 improve the level of eavesdropping, and presided over the implementation of a series of eavesdropping operations; the second stage described "I" as a senior intelligence officer The painstaking investigation into the infiltration of MI5.In fact, these two parts are also organically linked.Because the eavesdropping and monitoring operations are always subject to anti-monitoring and anti-eavesdropping by the Soviet Union, every time "I" racks my brains to design the most advanced eavesdropping equipment and painstakingly installs it, but the result is very little. Speech, or say some irrelevant words, or very accurately blocked the wiretapping microphone, people can't help but suspect the existence of internal spies.Moreover, as senior KGB elements defected to the West, more and more information was revealed, many of which pointed directly at the top of MI5. Therefore, the investigation of insiders, especially senior officials, became the author's main task later.

Of course, when you follow the author into the mysterious world of MI5, you will see more, and the complexity and intensity of the struggle often exceed your imagination.First, you'll learn about various wiretapping techniques and wiretapping operations.For example, the resonant microphone code-named "Sylvan God" can eavesdrop on "speaking voices, and even the sound of the key turning in the lockhole is clear." Operation "Choir" was directed against the Russians by installing sounding microphones on shared walls while the house next door to the Russian consulate was being renovated.However, the "Earthworm" operation planned in Canada progressed more smoothly. The construction contractor for rebuilding the Russian embassy has been won over, and "I" was free to install wired microphones inside.A later Operation Rat was to install microphones in the Russian embassy in Australia.Regrettably, these eavesdropping operations were technically successful, but none of them eavesdropped on any useful information from the Russians. It seems that the Russians were prepared for it.Later, "I" turned to using technical means to eavesdrop on the intelligence of Russia's cipher machines.The operation code-named "Swallowing" was aimed at the information that the Russian cipher staff had to adjust the cipher machine every morning, and adopted the method of eavesdropping on the sound of putting the new cipher into it, and used these sounds to determine the "core position" of the cipher machine , so that there is a way to decipher the password, and finally succeeded.This action later enabled "us" to read the codes of the Egyptian embassy in London throughout the Suez crisis. "Raftman" represented a new discovery confirming how often the Russians were monitoring our surveillance teams, confirming that our surveillance communications system had become an important source of intelligence for Russia. The "Love Bird" operation was to change the original frequency of the surveillance team in response to Russian surveillance.The subsequent operation "Fence" depended on a genius idea: "Any cipher machine, no matter how complicated it is, must always encode a clear message into a code and a series of random arrangements of letters." , the most advanced cipher technology is to enter the telegraph into the teletype telegraph, and the telegraph is connected to a separate cipher machine, and the ciphered text is output from the other end. The security of the whole system Depends on thorough shielding. If there is no electromagnetic shielding between the cipher machine and the message input machine, the echo of the unencoded message may come out on the output line along with the ciphered message. If an appropriate amplifier is used , In theory, it is possible to distinguish this kind of 'ghost' message and understand its content." Operation "Fence" later successfully intercepted France's high-level cipher intelligence.In addition to the monitoring and anti-monitoring methods adopted by the author, counter-espionage also uses methods such as "feeding silver meals" and "feeding chicken feed", as well as the famous "Venona" code-breaking method.Secret intelligence work uses methods such as "secret writing", "particle technology", and "dead letter delivery".These secret methods are really eye-opening.The intervention of high technology and the wisdom of scientists has opened up a new field of intelligence work. He not only brought the spy work of MI5, where the author works, to a new level, but also completely changed the picture of the struggle between spies and counter spies in our traditional concept. , The freshness and shocking power brought by all this is very strong.

Since these actions had little effect, "I" finally suspected that the Russians had "two-legged intelligence sources" besides the anti-eavesdropping intelligence source, so I spent a lot of energy looking for this "two-legged intelligence source". source".Prior to this, no one conducted a systematic investigation into the infiltration of the British intelligence agency, but once the investigation was carried out, the results were shocking.There are indications that MI5 has been infiltrated so extensively by the Soviet Union that the Russians have not set up special espionage personnel in the UK.Not only did the Russians have the plans for every British operation, but they were said to have successfully infiltrated the top ranks.Reality prompted "I" to suggest that a committee code-named "Fluency" be set up to study all the material obtained from confessions and defectors concerning the infiltration of British intelligence agencies.This committee was later established and achieved great results.For example, "We identified every member of the 'Group of Five', as well as other people and contacts. We knew how the 'Group of Five' worked at different times, what their communication methods were, and what people to work, where to go to ask for help. We tracked down a never-before-seen spy Watson, Russia's foremost loner source from 1935 to 1951, Proctor, and a new spy at Oxford. spy group".However, these so-called great achievements can never conceal the biggest suspicion, which is directed at the top leader of MI5--Director Hollis.There is evidence: confessions from defectors, failures of previous wiretapping operations, obstacles to "I" in internal investigations such as his "long-standing denial of the possibility of infiltration of our intelligence agencies" , "Reluctance to authorize use of technical equipment in Mitchell case". "Refused to approve the interrogation" and "always refused to report to the United States until under pressure", etc., all imply that Hollis has the suspicion of being unable to escape, and the failure to investigate Mitchell further aggravated the suspicion.However, Hollis is also a high-ranking senior intelligence official, and he has to be cautious about his suspicion.The author is really "isolated and helpless" at this time, and needs to "keep the secret alone".The interrogation of Hollis did not take place until Hollis abdicated and a new director, Martin Jones, took office.Regrettably, in the face of the interrogation, Hollis, who was experienced, handled it freely and made clear his suspicions, while "I" could only watch Hollis slip away from under his nose.

Objectively speaking, the author's eavesdropping and investigation achieved great success, but left countless regrets.In my opinion, these regrets are no longer due to the limitations of personal ability, but are closely related to the domestic climate at that time and the particularity of espionage work. First, within MI5 there was a flippant view of Soviet infiltration. "The more general tendency is to see spies as 'rotten apples,' 'faults,' rather than as part of a larger conspiracy under the special conditions of the thirties." More troublesome, some Those who have been infiltrated are deliberately promoting this view, driving "a growing divide between those who think our intelligence services are infiltrated and those who hold the opposite view." "The politicians and previous leaders of MI5 are afraid that further inspections will lead to new defections, or involve more embarrassing scandals about the British political group." Therefore, any leadership will not completely and thoroughly Support authors in their investigative activities.

Secondly, "The Security Service (MI5) has no legal status, and it is impossible to have a normal status within Whitehall." Therefore, "Once caught, MI5 has no way to protect its own people. "In this way, the author's investigation cannot be justified, and in many cases can only be done through private channels and secret methods.And this secret investigation method also brought him obvious constraints. "If you're going to investigate, you're going to have to take the risk of reaching out and interviewing people, so as the investigation intensifies, so does the risk of leaks and exposure." And, in investigations, "we can't force people to Talk to us, and almost everything we do depends on the cooperation of the other party, unless there is an immediate arrest." Their interrogation was also very different from what most people imagined. A "much more normal" conversation, even with time for a meal break.The only secret is to "overpower the man across the table from you."With an expert, the situation is more complicated, requiring "an extremely thorough examination of him. The complete material on the suspect's life and history has been compiled. Use it in the interrogation and let him go through the entire intelligence. If there are any deviations, omissions, or inaccuracies, ask about those holes. If the suspect is guilty, this pressure often leads him to further holes until his covert work begins to reveal itself."The limitations of this interrogation method are very obvious. Not only is it time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it is often ineffective if you encounter a seasoned opponent.While investigating the confessions of defectors, they were often misled by false information from the Soviet Union, and there were inevitably many doubts.

We have no reason to ask for completeness. In fact, no one can fully grasp the real situation at that time, and the same is true for those who were spies.Spies continue to create false appearances and spread suspicion, while counter-espionage seeks to discern the truth through intricate appearances.The struggle revealed by the author may be only a small part of the intricate international espionage struggle, but it also allows us to see many thrilling things.As the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, it should be very exciting to learn about the secret work of the opponent.