Discusses how Great Britain and the intelligence service MI5 played a crucial but virtually unseen role throughout the Cold War, revealing violent counterinsurgencies, urban warfare campaigns, and other sobering acts committed in an effort to destabilize Communist threats.

Victoria's secrets: British Intelligence and Empire before the Second World War -- Strategic deception: British Intelligence, Special Operations and Empire in the Second World War -- 'The Red Light is Definitely Showing': M15, the British Mandate of Palestine and Zionist terrorism -- The Empire strikes back: the British Secret State and Imperial Security in the early Cold War -- Jungle warfare: British Intelligence and the Malayan emergency -- British Intelligence and the setting sun on Britain's African Empire -- British Intelligence, covert action and counter-insurgency in the Middle East -- Conclusion: British Intelligence: the last penumbra of Empire.