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

by John Fahey

Overview

Although Australian politicians always spoke publicly of loyalty to Britain and the empire, in secret they immediately set about protecting Australia's interests from the Germans, the Japanese—and Britain itself. John Fahey knows how the security services disguise their activities within government files. He has compiled the first account of Australia's intelligence operations from Federation to the end of World War II. This book shows Australia has been a far savvier operator in international affairs than much of the historical record suggests, and it offers a glimpse into the secret history of the nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781760636593
Publisher:	Allen & Unwin
Publication date:	07/25/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	456
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Dr. John Fahey worked at Defence Signals Directorate (1988-1996) and served in the British and Australian armies between 1975 and 2014.

Table of Contents

Preface, Introduction
1 Wilson Le Couteur's Pacific Mission, 1901
2 Atlee Hunt: Public Servant, Spy Master, 1901-23
3 Enlightened Princes and Wise Generals: Military Intelligence in Early Australia
4 A Prescient Letter: Suspecting Japanese Spies
5 Join the Navy and Spy on the World
6 Australian Success, 1914
7 The Wanetta Organisation, 1901-20
8 National Intelligence, 1901-20
9 The First Coastwatcher
10 Australian Signals Intelligence, 1914-29
11 Hand to Mouth: Australian Signals Intelligence in the 1930s
12 Harry Freame's Japanese Mission, 1941
13 The Coastwatchers Go to War, 1939-42
14 The Lions in the Den: Japanese Counterintelligence
15 Herding Cats: The Allied Intelligence Bureau
16 Australia's First National Signals Intelligence Effort
17 Battle in Asia and the Pacific, 1941-42
18 Establishing Central Bureau, 1942
19 Stepping on Toes: Australia's Attack on Japan's Diplomatic Codes
20 Allied Secret Intelligence Compromised, 1944
21 Saving Australian SIGINT, 1945-47
22 Coastwatching behind Enemy Lines
23 The Solomons and Pacific Area, 1943
24 Human Intelligence in the Attack, 1943-45
25 The Kempeitai's Game, 1942-45
Notes, bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Great intelligence is often shared by great story telling, and John Fahey shares a great story in Australia's First Spies." —Rear Admiral Paul Becker, USN (Retired), Former Director for Intelligence of the U.S. Pacific Command and Joint Chiefs of Staff


"Fills a major gap in the history of Australian intelligence organisations." —Professor David Horner, author of The Spy Catchers: The Official History of ASIO 1949-1963

From the Publisher