Spying on Ireland

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Irish neutrality during the Second World War posed significant security challenges for Britain. This book explores how British agencies identified and addressed these issues, revealing their plans for sabotage and espionage in Ireland, as well as efforts to undermine the neutral state's international reputation through black propaganda. It examines British awareness of Axis diplomatic missions in Ireland and highlights the importance of code-breaking in shaping British policy. The narrative emphasizes Churchill's complex feelings toward Ireland throughout the war. Rather than framing this as solely an Anglo-Irish issue, the author places British actions in Ireland within a broader context of intelligence and security challenges faced in other neutral countries, such as Afghanistan and Persia. By taking a comparative approach, the book illustrates how Britain responded to similar challenges through diplomacy, covert intelligence gathering, propaganda, and intimidation. The British perspective on Ireland becomes clearer when viewed alongside issues in other neutral states. Drawing from previously undisclosed British and American intelligence records, the author provides a comprehensive study of British intelligence, shedding new light on espionage and the significance of cooperation between intelligence agencies in shaping relations between the two nations.