Recalling Recent History
We recently read M--Maxwell Knight, MI5's Greatest Spymaster (London: Penguin Random House UK, 2017), written by Henry Hemming. It is well worth a read.
Of course since the 1950's onward spy thrillers have been pretty standard fare in the UK. Authors like Ian Fleming and John Le Carre have become standards. A common frame of reference in these spy novels (and in many others) has been the Spymaster--the boss, the head guy (or gal) who ran if not the spy agency itself, then a group of spies.
These novels, particularly those written by Le Carre, have always been seen as reflecting in some way, shape, or form the real world of real life spies in the UK in the twentieth century. (Le Carre used to be a spy in MI5. His real name is David Cornwall. In the years he worked for MI5, his boss was "M" which stood for Maxwell Knight.)
There have been more and more de-classifications of UK secret papers, including the files and dossiers of the various secret services over the years. M-Maxwell Knight draws upon recent declassified information. It demonstrates the craft of the real-life spy--essentially a watcher, a listener, and a reader.
Most of the spies recruited and "run" by M were ordinary folk. They were trained on the job. M was a superb teacher and mentor. He was the first to see that often the best spies were "nobodies". They were secretaries, clerks, receptionists. So low-level that they were often overlooked.
