From the ancient Greek and Roman origins of human intelligence to its use in the Catholic church to Francis Walsingham's Elizabethan secret service to the birth of the surveillance state in today's digital hi-tech age, Colonel John Hughes-Wilson, professional military-intelligence officer and author of the bestselling Military Intelligence Blunders and Cover-Ups, gives an extraordinarily broad and wide-reaching perspective on intelligence, providing an up-to-date analysis of the importance of intelligence historically and in the recent past. Drawing upon a variety of sources, ranging from first-hand accounts to his own personal experience, Hughes-Wilson covers everything from undercover agent handling to photographic reconnaissance to today's much misunderstood cyber welfare.


This book stands apart from the rest in that it tells the real inside story from a controversial insider's point of view, lifting the veil on what really happened behind the scenes in the intelligence world during some of the most well-known military events that have shaped our lives. On Intelligence is looking for hard answers - there are some tough lessons to be learned from both intelligence failures and successes - why is crucial intelligence so often ignored, misunderstood or spun by politicians and seasoned generals alike?


One of the leading military experts of our time, Colonel John Hughes-Wilson skilfully weaves together an accessible and readable narrative on intelligence, accompanied by his unrivalled professional insight.

Colonel John Hughes-Wilson, the past President of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides, is one of Britain’s leading military historians, and a well-reviewed author and commentator and on a wide range of intelligence and military historical subjects. He lectures for a number of international, governmental and academic organisations.

His books include the best-selling Military Intelligence Blunders, Blindfold and Alone and A Brief History of the Cold War. His The Puppet Masters, a history of intelligence, was short listed for the Westminster Gold Medal. His books have been translated into 6 languages, including Japanese and Turkish. He has produced over 150 articles and broadcasts worldwide on defence and related subjects, and in 2012 he was selected to be the author of the Imperial War Museum’s official History of the First World War.