One hundred years of modern British intelligence

I probably won’t be able to resist Gordon Thomas’ Secret Wars: One Hundred Years Of British Intelligence Inside MI5 And MI6, a book Simon Maxwell Apter calls “such a rollicking good read, Thomas can almost be forgiven for his supercilious attitude toward ‘human rights lawyers’ and his somewhat sycophantic approval of any action pursued, legally or not, in the name of British security.”

This description of Thomas makes me think of Neil Burnside, the Thatcher-loving hero/antihero of MI6 drama and ultimate Cold War series The Sandbaggers. Set contemporaneously with its original 1978 broadcast, the show ended on a season three cliffhanger after creator Ian Mackintosh and his girlfriend mysteriously disappeared in their single engine plane somewhere near Alaska.

There’s not much available on YouTube, just this slightly truncated version of the credits (above), two short clips from episodes, and a fan’s montage.


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