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The Secret Twenties: British Intelligence@@ the Russians and the Jazz Age
At the height of the hedonistic Jazz Age, many in British society became convinced that they were under attack from the new Soviet state. Still reeling from the Russian revolution of 1917, disturbed by the development of militant workers movements at home, and deeply paranoid about the recent wave of Russian immigration to the UK, the British government tasked the intelligence services to look for evidence of espionage. Over the next decade, as the political pressure mounted, the spooks began to cast their net of suspicion wider, to include not only suspect Russians, but British aristocrats, Bloomsbury artists, ordinary workers, and even members of parliament. It was the biggest spying operation in British Intelligence's peacetime history to date, undertaken with enthusiastic support from anti-Red crusaders like Winston Churchill, and its ramifications were profound. On the strength of the evidence uncovered, Britain deported hundreds of Russians and broke off diplomatic links with Moscow for more than two years. This was the first Cold War, and it not only set the rules of engagement for Russia and Britain for decades to come, but also sent shockwaves through the British establishment, bringing down a government and ending careers.
Drawing on a wealth of recently declassified and previously unseen material, Timothy Phillips uncovers a world of suspicion and extremism, bureaucracy and betrayal set against the sparkling backdrop of cocktail-era London. The Secret Twenties shines fresh light on a glamorous decade, and offers a gripping account of the lives of the first Soviet spies, the British Secret Services that pursued them and the double agents in their midst.
Drawing on a wealth of recently declassified and previously unseen material, Timothy Phillips uncovers a world of suspicion and extremism, bureaucracy and betrayal set against the sparkling backdrop of cocktail-era London. The Secret Twenties shines fresh light on a glamorous decade, and offers a gripping account of the lives of the first Soviet spies, the British Secret Services that pursued them and the double agents in their midst.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2017
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About the author
Timothy Phillips
4 books71 followersI'm originally from a farm in Northern Ireland and now live in Central London. I started learning Russian when I was 12 and have been fascinated by the country and its impact on the world ever since.
When I'm not hunting 1920s spies, I enjoy architectural history, reading novels and travel.
I'm currently (late 2018) working on a new book idea and will reveal more about it in the near future. Feel free to send me any questions or observations about my books. I'm always happy to have feedback or answer queries.
When I'm not hunting 1920s spies, I enjoy architectural history, reading novels and travel.
I'm currently (late 2018) working on a new book idea and will reveal more about it in the near future. Feel free to send me any questions or observations about my books. I'm always happy to have feedback or answer queries.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
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December 20, 2018A very interesting look at the growth of the British intelligence services, and I use the word loosely, in the 20s. Particularly appalling is the utter disregard for law and rights and privacy, and the unquestioning hostility to intellectuals and to workers' rights. These were a threat to the state; meanwhile MI5 actively cooperated with and employed British Fascists. Very interesting, deeply depressing with the inevitable modern parallels.
January 1, 2022
An interesting insight into the spying operations against Soviet Russia made by Britain's SIS, MI5 and Special Branch allied with various members of the British establishment, including right wing politicians and newspapers as many believed the Bolsheviks were intent on fomenting revolution in the United Kingdom. Britain's intelligence services not only spied on Russians working for their country's trade delegation but widened their net to include British aristocrats, artists, ordinary workers and even MPs. Eventually, they found proof which led them to deport scores of Russian immigrants and sever diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union. Using recently declassified documents, the author Timothy Phillips tells the story of the first Soviet spies and their operations which could be described as the first phase of the Cold War.
February 20, 2021
This is a well-written and perfectly sustained account of how the British secret services coped with what they perceived as the threat of Bolshevism. When looking back at the matter of the Zinoviev letter or the ARCOS raid from our position of hindsight, we enjoy a privileged position unavailable to the authorities at the time. World War One had magnified hostility to previously inconceivable levels of horror. Now Britain was threatened with a new kind of enemy, that of organised subversion encouraged by an outside power.
By opening up a wealth of primary source material from the archives this study allows a depth of vision which puts the Twenties within the context of the immediate past, but also sets the scene for the Thirties and the ideological betrayals of state secrets to the Soviets in the belief that this would usher in peace. It traces the misguided reliance on the Right during the Twenties to fight the threat of the Left, and the (in some cases) deliberately turned blind eye to the danger of the Right. No doubt this underlies the lack of initial resistance to the rise of the Right in the Thirties which caused so many to espouse the Left as the only true resistance to dictatorship.
This study reveals too how fallible the intelligence services were, which is all the more understandable after reflecting on how young the discipline of organised intelligence was at the time. Organised intelligence on this scale developed really with World War One, and was in many ways still developing in the Twenties. Once it's accepted that the system was still growing, and was at the mercy of human fallibility, it's possible to see the errors of the Twenties as growing pains.
I've found this study valuable as I'm still learning to understand the multi-levelled story of intelligence. The detail as well as the interpretation and the way the work is organised have made a number of things a lot clearer.
By opening up a wealth of primary source material from the archives this study allows a depth of vision which puts the Twenties within the context of the immediate past, but also sets the scene for the Thirties and the ideological betrayals of state secrets to the Soviets in the belief that this would usher in peace. It traces the misguided reliance on the Right during the Twenties to fight the threat of the Left, and the (in some cases) deliberately turned blind eye to the danger of the Right. No doubt this underlies the lack of initial resistance to the rise of the Right in the Thirties which caused so many to espouse the Left as the only true resistance to dictatorship.
This study reveals too how fallible the intelligence services were, which is all the more understandable after reflecting on how young the discipline of organised intelligence was at the time. Organised intelligence on this scale developed really with World War One, and was in many ways still developing in the Twenties. Once it's accepted that the system was still growing, and was at the mercy of human fallibility, it's possible to see the errors of the Twenties as growing pains.
I've found this study valuable as I'm still learning to understand the multi-levelled story of intelligence. The detail as well as the interpretation and the way the work is organised have made a number of things a lot clearer.
November 18, 2018
Timothy Phillips has written a gripping account of the secret war between the British intelligence services and the Bolsheviks during the 1920s. Based largely on documents he unearthed in the National Archives, this is a story about far Right politicians (including some open fascists) working hand in hand with security services to combat (with rather limited success) a sometimes-real and sometimes-imaginary "Red Menace". The Zinoviev Letter, the one part of the story with which I was already familiar, gets good coverage, but it turns out to be only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. A great story.
June 21, 2022
Given the war in Ukraine, this is an interesting book to read at the moment.
It definitely shows how paranoid the conservative government and the security services were about the Russians and what they were involved in. And how imprecise was the information gathering and analysis was. There are chapters in this book showing the amount of time was spent investigating people who were no threat and, in some cases, how little was spent in, or how none was spent, areas that (with hindsight) would prove to be more important areas.
An interesting look back with parallels with today so easy to find.
It definitely shows how paranoid the conservative government and the security services were about the Russians and what they were involved in. And how imprecise was the information gathering and analysis was. There are chapters in this book showing the amount of time was spent investigating people who were no threat and, in some cases, how little was spent in, or how none was spent, areas that (with hindsight) would prove to be more important areas.
An interesting look back with parallels with today so easy to find.
November 29, 2018
A ripping yarn of early Soviet espionage in Britain immediately after the Revolution of 1917. Amazing how committed the Soviets were so early, and how poor the British government was at countering it.
August 9, 2018
An incredibly interesting insight in to 1920s Bolshevism. Makes me want to go in to the archives and look at all the original documents myself!
November 18, 2017
A really enjoyable tour through the recently opened Mi5 archive showing the paranoia of the British of communism and Russia in particular; and also the inaptitude of the British Civil Service - a real page turner.
July 30, 2022
A well written, illuminating book that explores 1920s Britain through the lens of recently de-classified archival evidence from MI5, Britain's Security Service. When focused on the successes and failures of the intelligence agencies, this book is at its best, weaving a nuanced story of the paranoia, reasonable or otherwise, that gripped the spies of the 1920s regarding the Bolshevik threat.
The book falls down slightly as a historical work - sometimes broadening its scope too widely into the political tribulations of the day. As a complex period with multiple Prime Ministers and wild electoral swings between different coalition governments, the book was never going to do this justice, and I found this additional layer added more noise than signal to the tale. Politics would always play a part in this, of course, but perhaps excising some of the focus on Home Secretary Jix or others would have kept the reader focussed on the real meat of the book.
Equally, the general point of the book - telling the story of the 1920s through the MI5 archives - is not entirely successful. A more tightly focussed book purely on intelligence activities and Russian fears would have been that bit more successful. As it was, I too easily drifted off at times and found the book surprisingly easy to put down at times.
Yet there are very few non-fiction books about the world of intelligence, and fewer still that rigorously dive into the archives - largely because very little has been declassified (and none outside of MI5). If you can look past some of the sociological or political diversions, this is well worth a look.
The book falls down slightly as a historical work - sometimes broadening its scope too widely into the political tribulations of the day. As a complex period with multiple Prime Ministers and wild electoral swings between different coalition governments, the book was never going to do this justice, and I found this additional layer added more noise than signal to the tale. Politics would always play a part in this, of course, but perhaps excising some of the focus on Home Secretary Jix or others would have kept the reader focussed on the real meat of the book.
Equally, the general point of the book - telling the story of the 1920s through the MI5 archives - is not entirely successful. A more tightly focussed book purely on intelligence activities and Russian fears would have been that bit more successful. As it was, I too easily drifted off at times and found the book surprisingly easy to put down at times.
Yet there are very few non-fiction books about the world of intelligence, and fewer still that rigorously dive into the archives - largely because very little has been declassified (and none outside of MI5). If you can look past some of the sociological or political diversions, this is well worth a look.
July 22, 2018
An intriguing set of stories from the archives, meticulously researched and nicely written with a light touch which pulls you along. Phillips rightly commits himself to some judgement, but combines this with an empathy for the players and their times. An insightful book with helpful messages for this era of Russian relations.
January 27, 2023
This book is a fascinating and well-researched material that delves into the little-known history of British intelligence operations during the 1920s. The author provides a detailed account of the activities of British intelligence agencies during this period, with a particular focus on their efforts to counter the perceived threat of Soviet-led communism.
One of the book's strengths is the way it highlights the complex and often murky nature of intelligence work. The author did an excellent job of illustrating the various methods used by British intelligence agencies to gather information and disrupt the activities of their Soviet counterparts. From the use of double agents and covert operations to the deployment of propaganda and psychological warfare, the book paints a vivid picture of the many different tactics employed by the British during this time.
Another highlight of the book is the way it illuminates the cultural and social context of the 1920s. The author provides a richly detailed account of the era's defining features, such as the rise of jazz and the flapper culture, and how these trends intersected with the world of espionage. The book also provides an interesting glimpse into the lives of the spies and intelligence officers who operated during this time, many of whom were drawn from the upper echelons of British society.
Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of espionage or the cultural and political landscape of the 1920s. The writing is engaging and accessible, and the book does an excellent job of bringing this little-known period of history to life.
One of the book's strengths is the way it highlights the complex and often murky nature of intelligence work. The author did an excellent job of illustrating the various methods used by British intelligence agencies to gather information and disrupt the activities of their Soviet counterparts. From the use of double agents and covert operations to the deployment of propaganda and psychological warfare, the book paints a vivid picture of the many different tactics employed by the British during this time.
Another highlight of the book is the way it illuminates the cultural and social context of the 1920s. The author provides a richly detailed account of the era's defining features, such as the rise of jazz and the flapper culture, and how these trends intersected with the world of espionage. The book also provides an interesting glimpse into the lives of the spies and intelligence officers who operated during this time, many of whom were drawn from the upper echelons of British society.
Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of espionage or the cultural and political landscape of the 1920s. The writing is engaging and accessible, and the book does an excellent job of bringing this little-known period of history to life.
February 3, 2022
Informative with some fun facts, a pretty breezey espionage history read without being riveting.
March 7, 2024
It's funny to look through some of the reviews of this book, which are almost uniformly perfect tepid. Not in a bad way! But just kind of "this was nice!" or "this was nice." Both fit! The "a valuable addition to spy literature" from BBC World Histories review on the front cover of my edition (picked up at the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore in Paris, which is fun for me) really speaks to that. And it was! I'm glad this was written and I'm glad I read it. I wouldn't call it the most remarkable book I've ever read, but it was a super solid read of an era that I am increasingly interested in knowing more about and also that I think is often overlooked.
To that effect, I was struck by the similarities and differences with Adam Hochschild's American Midnight that I read around this time last year. Both discuss government response to the new world of Bolshevism in their midst in the immediate postwar period, highlighting the extreme reactions the governments (the UK and the US) had to the perceived threat of Bolshevism, both amongst trade unions and the general pernicious fear of what it signified. Of course, the major threat of Bolshevism appeared to be the loss of privilege and wealth that it signaled. Both Mr. Hochschild and Dr. Phillips make that point, although it is significantly more central to American Midnight than to the Secret Twenties. To that end, the Secret Twenties is purportedly more balanced. Dr. Phillips is significantly more favorable to Conservative party politics and fears, like his seeming fondness for Lord Curzon and the somewhat anachronistic asides he gives the audience about how there was some justification to be concerned about Soviet designs, given what we know now. Which is a bit odd! At the time, it's hard to say they were super organized, and while I understand the impulse to fear the future with Kim Philby and co., I'm not sure it's apt to say that the USSR of the 1920s quite equally the USSR of Stalin with its terror and viciousness.
But of course, isn't that my own Hochschild-esque bias coming through? I could have absolutely seen myself as a 1920s intellectual (okay, Thea) being taken in by the hope and promise of the new dawn that was tearing down the Old World of entrenched privilege and wealth. So I'm obviously going to be particularly sympathetic to the people in the late 19th century up to the mid-1930s who were more favorably inclined to Communism. Furthermore, I think I would have been pretty horrified at the massive invasion of privacy these intelligence agencies and government authorities utilized in the name of defeating both the threat of Communism, but also the threat they saw in the working class trying to improve their lives by any margin. Dr. Phillips touches on that, although less than I would like. In his defense, I'm not sure it was quite the same conversation about privacy then as it is now! There had to be a lot of government overreach in the 20th century before our modern conception of the right to privacy really set in.
Finally, Dr. Phillips mentions it twice in the context of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald of Labour asking the spy chiefs about what type of work they were doing investigating the right wing/fascist groups. The short answer was jack shit, and instead actively working with them to target Communists and trade unions. As Dr. Phillips references in his significantly more pointed epilogue, that was hardly a surprising moment. What is it about spy agencies, at least in the US and the UK, that just tack to conservatism? Truly fascinating, but also how embarrassing to have consistently ignored the significant threat of right wing groups, both throughout history and now (also something I need to read more about).
Overall a very solid read, and clearly thought-provoking!
To that effect, I was struck by the similarities and differences with Adam Hochschild's American Midnight that I read around this time last year. Both discuss government response to the new world of Bolshevism in their midst in the immediate postwar period, highlighting the extreme reactions the governments (the UK and the US) had to the perceived threat of Bolshevism, both amongst trade unions and the general pernicious fear of what it signified. Of course, the major threat of Bolshevism appeared to be the loss of privilege and wealth that it signaled. Both Mr. Hochschild and Dr. Phillips make that point, although it is significantly more central to American Midnight than to the Secret Twenties. To that end, the Secret Twenties is purportedly more balanced. Dr. Phillips is significantly more favorable to Conservative party politics and fears, like his seeming fondness for Lord Curzon and the somewhat anachronistic asides he gives the audience about how there was some justification to be concerned about Soviet designs, given what we know now. Which is a bit odd! At the time, it's hard to say they were super organized, and while I understand the impulse to fear the future with Kim Philby and co., I'm not sure it's apt to say that the USSR of the 1920s quite equally the USSR of Stalin with its terror and viciousness.
But of course, isn't that my own Hochschild-esque bias coming through? I could have absolutely seen myself as a 1920s intellectual (okay, Thea) being taken in by the hope and promise of the new dawn that was tearing down the Old World of entrenched privilege and wealth. So I'm obviously going to be particularly sympathetic to the people in the late 19th century up to the mid-1930s who were more favorably inclined to Communism. Furthermore, I think I would have been pretty horrified at the massive invasion of privacy these intelligence agencies and government authorities utilized in the name of defeating both the threat of Communism, but also the threat they saw in the working class trying to improve their lives by any margin. Dr. Phillips touches on that, although less than I would like. In his defense, I'm not sure it was quite the same conversation about privacy then as it is now! There had to be a lot of government overreach in the 20th century before our modern conception of the right to privacy really set in.
Finally, Dr. Phillips mentions it twice in the context of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald of Labour asking the spy chiefs about what type of work they were doing investigating the right wing/fascist groups. The short answer was jack shit, and instead actively working with them to target Communists and trade unions. As Dr. Phillips references in his significantly more pointed epilogue, that was hardly a surprising moment. What is it about spy agencies, at least in the US and the UK, that just tack to conservatism? Truly fascinating, but also how embarrassing to have consistently ignored the significant threat of right wing groups, both throughout history and now (also something I need to read more about).
Overall a very solid read, and clearly thought-provoking!
March 26, 2023
The title is a bit misleading as there is actually minimal reference to "the Jazz Age". But that doesn't matter, because this is a fascinating account of the British government's and the intelligence services' dealings with Russians in the UK and the home-grown CPGB written after the author's close study of recently de-classified documents. Much of it is all sadly familiar - dirty tricks to discredit the Opposition, incompetence, too much information for the spooks to process, narrow minds and closeness to extreme-right groups and even fascists. (Although that is easy for us to judge, with hindsight.) The Diehards are the precursors of today's rabid Tories, and the fanatical Home Secretaries have their successors today. Plus ça change....
February 15, 2023
When I read this book five years ago (it is now 2023) I thought it was fun - but there was something lacking or maybe I wanted a different book. It wasn't superficial, but it wasn't authoritative. Although it highlighted the law breaking that the early secret service indulged in its quest to combat the threat from Soviet infiltration it doesn't really get to grips with the complexity of the era and the various challenges foriegn spies represented. In addition there was threat of home grown insurgency, a great deal right wing. I just didn't feel this book did justice to an important and complex subject.
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