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Spycatcher cover

Spycatcher is a book by the former MI5 secret service operative and Assistant Director Peter Wright. It caused a scandal on its release not so much because of its allegations but because the British government attempted to ban it, thereby ensuring its notoriety. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Spycatcher scanned book cover Public domain image of the cover of the book; used for publicity purposes. ... Spycatcher scanned book cover Public domain image of the cover of the book; used for publicity purposes. ... Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London The Security Service, usually called MI5, is the British counter-intelligence and security agency. ... Because of both the secrecy of secret services and the controversial nature of the issues involved, there is some difficulty in separating the definitions of secret service, secret police, intelligence agency etc. ... See also Peter Wright (rugby player) and Pete Wright (musician) Peter Wright (born on August 9, 1916 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom - died April 27, 1995 in Tasmania, Australia) was a former MI5 counterintelligence officer noted for writing the controversial book Spycatcher (ISBN 0670820555), which was part memoir, part expos... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... Censorship is the removal of information from the public, or the prevention of circulation of information, where it is desired or felt best by some controlling group or body, that others are not allowed to access the information which is being censored. ...

The book primarily details Wright's efforts to uncover a Russian mole in his organisation. Wright alleges that this was Roger Hollis, a former Director General of MI5. He also describes a variety of figures in the intelligence service who might or might not have been the mole, and effectively provides a history of the service via its principal players from the 1930s to Wright's own period. A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation and works within his nations government. ... Sir Roger Hollis (1905 - 1973) journalist, and head of MI5. ... The 1930s (years from 1930-1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ...

In addition, the book makes several scandalous allegations, such as that there was an MI6 plot to kill President Nasser during the Suez Crisis, and that MI5 and the CIA joined together in a plot against British Prime Minister Harold Wilson (who had secretly been accused of being a KGB agent by Soviet defector Anatoliy Golitsyn, and who, as a left-wing politician, was a natural target for MI5). Wright also says that several high-level Commonwealth conferences were bugged. The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6, is the United Kingdoms external intelligence agency. ... Jack Ruby murdered the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in a very public manner. ... Gamal Abdel Nasser (Arabic: جمال عبد الناصر) Gamal Abdel Nasser (January 15, 1918 - September 28, 1970) was the second President of Egypt after Muhammad Naguib and is considered one of the most important Arab leaders in history. ... Combatants Israel United Kingdom France Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan Charles Keightley Pierre Barjot Gamal Abdel Nasser Strength 175,000 Israeli 45,000 British 34,000 French 300,000 Casualties 197 Israeli KIA 56 British KIA 91 British WIA 10 French KIA 43 French WIA 650 KIA 2,900 WIA 2... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was one of the most prominent British politicians of the 20th century. ... The KGB emblem and motto: The sword and the shield KGB (transliteration of КГБ) is the Russian-language abbreviation for Committee for State Security, (Russian: ; Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). ... Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) Translation: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem: The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital (and largest city) Moscow Official languages None; Russian de facto Government Socialist Republic/Federation of Soviet Republics  - Last President Mikhail Gorbachev  - Last Premier Ivan Silayev... A defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. ... Anatoliy Mikhaylovich Golitsyn (b. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... A bug is the common name for a covert listening device, usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. ...

The book also provides an examination of the techniques used by the intelligence services, along with a candid expose of their ethics which had until then been mere speculation (notably the "11th commandment" which states that "thou shalt not get caught"). Wright explains many of the technologies used by MI5, some of which he developed himself, and which allowed the agency to bug rooms using a variety of clever electronic techniques. Ethics (from the Ancient Greek ethikos, meaning arising from habit), a major branch of philosophy, is the study of value or quality. ...

The book was written after Wright left MI5 and when he was living in Tasmania, Australia. The first attempt to publish it was made in 1985. It was immediately banned in the UK although sold overseas. Several British newspapers attempted to report on its principal allegations but were served with gag orders. They persisted and were tried for contempt of court. Throughout all this, quantities of the book were smuggled into the UK for sale. Eventually in 1988 the book was cleared for legitimate sale when the Law Lords admitted that its publication overseas meant it no longer contained secrets. Additionally, in 1991, the European Court of Human Rights found that the British government had breached the European Convention of Human Rights in gagging the newspapers. Capital Hobart Government Const. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public. ... Contempt of court is a court ruling which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, deems an individual as holding contempt for the court, its process, and its invested powers. ... A skirmish with smugglers from Finland at the Russian border, 1853, by Vasily Hudiakov. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The House of Lords, in addition to having a legislative function, has a judicial function as a court of last resort within the United Kingdom. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints against States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by... The European Convention on Human Rights (1950) was adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe† to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. ...

The book is regarded as being flawed by many, who consider it full of factual holes and unproven allegations. Some consider it to be written from too personal a standpoint, and claim that if the British government hadn't caused a scandal by attempting to ban the book, it would have been overlooked by many. Wright says directly in the book's afterword that one of the primary reasons for writing the book is to make up for lost income due to the British government deciding that his pension was not transferable from his early work at GCHQ; by this ruling, Wright's pension was severely shortened. The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) (previously named the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS)) is the main British intelligence service providing signals intelligence (SIGINT). ...

Peter Wright died in 1995, a millionaire from profits of the book. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Cambridge Five
• Malcolm Turnbull
• SpyCatcher Express anti-spyware pgm