Spy Runner (Paperback)

Nicholas Reed

ISBN 10: 0750992646 / ISBN 13: 9780750992640

Published by The History Press Ltd, Stroud, 2020

About this Item

Paperback. Major Ronnie Reed was case officer for the infamous Agent Zigzag and the face behind Operation Mincemeat. But how did this young BBC radio operator, with no money and qualifications to speak of, reach such an important position in his twenties? Why did Agent Zigzag (Eddie Chapman) give Ronnie his Iron Cross, awarded to Zigzag by Hitler himself? And how, within ten years following the Second World War, did Ronnie find himself heading the anti-Russian department of MI5, dealing with notorious spies such as Philby, Burgess and Maclean? In an interview filmed in 1994, shortly before Ronnie's death, he revealed his remarkable story to his son, Nicholas. Here, Nicolas Reed reproduces that interview and fills in the background of THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS. AUTHOR: Nicholas Reed has been an accredited lecturer since 1992 and is the author of five books on French Impressionists in England. He is the son of legendary MI5 officer Ronnie Reed. 20 illustrations The life of Major Ronnie Reed, legendary MI5 officer from 1942 to 1976, is revealed in his only interview, recorded by his son Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780750992640

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Spy Runner (Paperback)
• Publisher: The History Press Ltd, Stroud
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0750992646
• ISBN 13: 9780750992640
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Most of us remember the seventh of September 1940 as the day the London docks were bombed and devastated by fire. I remember it as the day I was called up. But the police car that collected me took me to Wormwood Scrubs Prison . . .Major Ronnie Reed never spoke about what he did in the Second World War. He was only 23 when it broke out; an amateur radio enthusiast who was working as a maintenance engineer for the BBC. And yet, despite minimal money and qualifications, he became one of the men behind some of the most remarkable spy stories of all time. Recruited in the dead of night from his Anderson shelter, Ronnie became a case officer for double agents, including Eddie Chapman, known then as Agent Zigzag. The passport photo of The Man Who Never Was, was a photo of Ronnie Reed. For ten years after the Second World War, he headed the anti-Russian department of MI5, dealing with notorious spies such as Philby, Burgess and Maclean.In 1994, shortly before Ronnie’s death, he revealed the truth of his remarkable past to his son, Nicholas. In Spy Runner he reveals his father’s fascinating story with a collection of recently released reports and photos from The National Archives, and intimate family snaps.

About the Author

Nicholas Reed has been an accredited lecturer since 1992 and is the author of five books on French Impressionists in England. He is the son of legendary MI5 officer Ronnie Reed.