Strange Intelligence

Strange Intelligence: Memoirs of Naval Secret Service by Hector C. Bywater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Parts of this book need to be treated with a degree of caution. Bywater was careful to avoid compromising secrets (unlike some other authors) but eager to promote the value of 'professional' agents as opposed to eager bodgers. To read his account the Admiralty knew everything worthwhile about German naval technology and intentions by about 1912, and any lack of readiness was purely down to the use they made of the information.
With that one caveat the book is an interesting and entertaining read. It gives insights into pre-WW1 tradecraft and the sheer brass neck needed to operate in an increasingly hostile environment. In some ways it is even more interesting when Bywater covers topics where he has no personal engagement. He adds useful commentary on the trial of Brandon and Trench after they were caught snooping on Borkum in 1910 (they were less amateurish than he gives them credit for). He adds material on the interrogation of U-boat skipper Freiherr Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim (weird name, devious so-and-so) and describes the painstaking work of the cryptographers.
So yes, a quickish read that exceeded my expectations.



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