An authorized history of the world's oldest foreign intelligence service covers MI6's alliance with the United States, its contributions to wars, and its relationship with the CIA.

Published England as: MI6 : the history of the Secret Intelligence Service, 1909-1949. Includes maps of: Sketch Map of a New Railway Line at Kinkempois, near Liege, JUN 1917; Sketch Map of German Defences at the Pas de Calais, NOV 1943.

Part One. Early Days : 1. The beginnings of the Service -- Part Two. The First World War : 2. Status, organisation and expertise -- 3. Operations in the West -- 4. Working further afield -- Part Three. The Interwar Years : 5. The emergence of SIS -- 6. From Boche to Bolsheviks -- 7. Domestic matters -- 8. Existing on a shoestring -- 9. Approaching war -- Part Four. The Impact of War : 10. Keeping afloat -- 11. The European theatre -- 12. From Budapest to Baghdad -- 13. West and East -- Part Five. Winning The War : 14. The tide turns -- 15. From Switzerland to Normandy -- 16. Victory in Europe -- 17. Asia and the end of the war -- 18. Postwar planning -- Part Six. From Hot War To Cold War : 19. Adjusting to peace -- 20. Deployment and operations in Europe -- 21. A worldwide Service -- Part Seven. Conclusion : 22. SIS : leadership and performance over the first forty years.