GCHQ

Centenary Edition

By: Richard Aldrich

Narrated by: Peter Noble

FULLY UPDATED CENTENARY EDITION

‘An important book’ Max Hastings, Sunday Times

‘An intriguing history of covert surveillance … thoroughly engaging’ Daily Telegraph

GCHQ is the largest and most secretive intelligence organisation in the UK, and has existed for 100 years – but we still know next to nothing about it.

In this ground-breaking book – the first and most definitive history of the organisation ever published – intelligence expert Richard Aldrich traces GCHQ’s development from a wartime code-breaking operation based in the Bedfordshire countryside into one of the world leading espionage organisations.

Packed with dramatic spy stories, GCHQ also explores the organisation’s role behind the most alarming headlines of our time, from fighting ISIS to cyberterrorism, from the surveillance state to Russian hacking. Revelatory, brilliantly written and fully updated, this is the crucial missing link in Britain’s intelligence history.

Critic reviews

‘Richard J. Aldrich is an outstanding analyst and historian of intelligence and he tells this story well…an important book, which will make readers think uncomfortably not only about the state’s power to monitor our lives, but also the appalling vulnerability of every society in thrall to communications technology as we are.’ Max Hastings, Sunday Times

‘An intriguing history of covert surveillance … thoroughly engaging’ Daily Telegraph

‘Skilfully weaves together the personal, political, military and technological dimensions of electronic espionage’ Economist

‘Aldrich packs in vast amounts of information, while managing to remain very readable. He paints the broad picture, but also introduces fascinating detail’ Literary Review

‘This is a sober and valuable work of scholarship, which is as reliable as anything ever is in the twilight world of intelligence-gathering. Yet there is nothing dry about it. Aldrich knows how to write for a wider audience, while avoiding the speculations, inventions, sensationalism and sheer silliness of so much modern work on the subject’ Spectator

‘Aldrich has taken a decade to produce the first substantial account of the agency's history, and this superlative book packs in vast amounts of information, yet remains wonderfully readable. He has dug up a massive amount of fascinating detail’ The Week, Book of the Week

‘Richard Aldrich, an accomplished cold war intelligence historian, has taken a decade to produce the first substantial account of what is known about the agency, and what can be gleaned from the recently released official archive’ Duncan Campbell, New Statesman

Outstanding description

Fascinating study. The final chapters were excellent: discussing the impact of Snowden and the challenge of dealing with the explosion of communication data engendered by the internet. Dry but highly interesting book. The challenges faced and overcome by the security services continue to present huge intellectual and resource demands that if unmet will expose us to severe risk.

Factual and riveting

Amazingly well researched incredibly detailed had to listen twice to catch all the information strongly recommend

Absolutely fascinating

This is such a fascinating story, crisply presented. The way the history is connected together to carry the reader (listener) from the start to the current day is to be admired. It doesn't go into the technical detail of what was involved, which might be expected, largely focusing on the politics, personalities and events, but it can be frustrating to be teased (how were things compromised, how were certain devices able to capture information). It's really, though, my only wish - to have seen a bit more under the covers of the technical aspects.