Australia’s First Spies: The Remarkable Story of Australia's Intelligence Operations, 1901-45

There is a conspicuous lack of comprehensive and pertinent research on the early history of Australia’s intelligence operations. John Fahey, who previously worked at the Defence Signals Directorate and had served in a number of regimental and intelligence postings, has admirably filled this prevailing breach. The work is well-informed, engaging and displays a formidable command of subject matter on intelligence capabilities, the hard work of intelligence collection, the organisation of intelligence networks and the complicated correlation between intelligence and policy. Based on archival evidence, he has written a monumentally important, insightful and well-informed book of Australia’s intelligence operations in the years from Federation to the end of World War Two.