Intelligence and the War against Japan: Britain, America and the Politics of Secret Service - Hardcover

Aldrich, Richard J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521641861 ISBN 13: 9780521641869

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Intelligence and the War against Japan offers the first comprehensive scholarly history of the development of the British secret service and its relations with its American intelligence counterparts during the war against Japan. Richard J. Aldrich makes extensive use of recently declassified files in order to examine the politics of secret service during the war against Japan, analyzing the development of organizations such as the Special Operations Executive and the Office of Strategic Services in Asia. He argues that, from the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the Allies focused increasingly on each other's future ambitions, rather than the common enemy. Central to this theme are Churchill, Roosevelt and their rivalry over the future of the role of Asia. Richard J. Aldrich's cogent, fluent analysis of the role of intelligence in Far Eastern developments is the most thorough and penetrating account of this latterday "Great Game" yet produced. Richard J. Aldrich is Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics at the University of Nottingham. He has edited several books, as well as the journal Intelligence and National Security.

About this title

Book Description

This is the first comprehensive history of the development of the British secret service and its relations with its American intelligence counterparts during the war against Japan. Richard J. Aldrich uses recently declassified files to examine the bitter and controversial politics of secret service: he argues that, from 1942, the Allies increasingly spied on each other's future ambitions, rather than the common enemy. Dr Aldrich's fluent analysis of the role of intelligence in Far Eastern developments is the most thorough and penetrating account of the period yet published.

Review

"...Aldrich provides an important supplemental history in an area that has been long dominated by a western focus on WWII's European theater." Kirkus Reviews

"The author examines the politics of the British and American intelligence services in the Far East where they became the key players in the struggle between Churchill and Roosevelt over postwar Asia... This book is not only fascinating but often amusing." Virginia Quarterly Review

"Richard J. Aldrich opens up an important new dimension to Pacific war studies with his revelations about the unfighting between the British and American allies to secure commercial hegemony in the post-war Far East." The London Times, military books of the year

"...significant contribution of this densely written work..." Choice

"...Richard J. Aldrich has done a superb job - his focus is clearly the politics of intelligence organizations and he leaves no stone unturned in significant British and US private and public despositories....Wellorganized and lucidly written....this is an important study and major contribution to the inteligence literature of the Second World War." Carl Bolyd The International History Review

"A comprehensive, scholarly history of the development of the British secret intelligence and its American counterparts during the war against Japan....He argues that from the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the Allies focused increasingly on each other's future ambitions, rather than the common enemy. Key players in this strtegic theme are Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt and their rivalry over the future of empire in Asia. Aldrich's cogent analysis of the role of intelligence in Far Eastern developments offers a through and incisve account of this high level maneuvering." Reviews and Things Cryptologic

"Intelligence and the War Against Japan is a much-needed addition to the literature on both intelligence and coalition warfare. it moves beyond the cloak-and-dagger anecdotes that all too often characterize intelligence studies to explore how intelligence service serve as instruments of politics....a highly worthwhile book." Jrnl of Military History

"...prodigiously researched and well-written..." Military Review

"... both works are valuable additions to the growing interplay between diplomatic history and intelligence history" The Journal of American History Dec 2001

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0521641861
• ISBN 13: 9780521641869
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 526