The Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee

Volume I: From the Approach of the Second World War to the Suez Crisis

Michael S Goodman author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:6th Jul '15

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The Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee cover

Volume One of the Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee draws upon a range of released and classified papers to produce the first, authoritative account of the way in which intelligence was used to inform policy.

For almost 80 years the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) has been a central player in the secret machinery of the British Government, providing a co-ordinated intelligence service to policy makers, drawing upon the work of the intelligence agencies and Whitehall departments. Since its creation, reports from the JIC have contributed to almost every key foreign policy decision taken by the British Government. This volume covers the evolution of the JIC since 1936 and culminates with its role in the events of Suez in 1956.

This book will be of much interest to students of intelligence studies, British politics, international diplomacy, security studies and International Relations in general.

Dr Michael S. Goodman is Reader in Intelligence and International Affairs in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. He is author or editor of five previous books, including the Routledge Companion to Intelligence Studies (2013).

'Michael Goodman’s The Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee: Volume I (Routledge) should help make up for the neglect in spy literature of the JIC. The alpha and omega of intelligence bureaucracy, it influences what spies spy on and interprets their reports for policymakers. Well written and wisely judged, this first volume takes us through the second world war to Suez.' --Alan Judd, Spectator ‘Books of the Year’

'The Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee Volume I is a valuable study for understanding the JIC specifically and intelligence history more broadly. ...The book [...] is strong with its focus on intelligence products, rather than dwelling on the personalities of the nine JIC chairs during this period. It is recommended to both academics and the general public interested in intelligence history, security studies and international relations of the period.' -- Ryan Shaffer, Journal of Intelligence History, Vol. 16, 1, 2017

'...this is an important, highly readable, account of the JIC and its impact on Britain’s foreign and defence policy.' -- Daniel W. B. Lomas, Journal of Intelligence History, April 2015

'...Goodman has done justice to this hugely important topic.Volume I of his official history is an example of official history at its very best.' --H-Diplo Roundtable, 21 September 2015

ISBN: 9781138925007

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 680g

492 pages