PublishedMonash University Publishing, September 2020 |
ISBN9781925523652 |
FormatSoftcover, 272 pages |
Dimensions23.4cm × 15.3cm |
What is
the purpose of an intelligence organisation? The short answer is to transform
disparate and ambiguous information into a product that clarifies national
security decision-making. Ideally, that process ought to be politically neutral
and detached from the policy objectives of the government it serves. But what
happens when intelligence ceases to be impartial and is used as a political
means to support a policy preference? More significantly, what happens when
intelligence is distorted, twisted or manipulated to achieve this aim?
Spinning the Secrets of State addresses these
questions by investigating historical case studies developed from assiduous
research into previously classified archival documents, political papers,
private correspondence and diaries to show how the secrets of state can be spun
into a potent political weapon.
In this
revealing tour Justin T. McPhee considers the evolution of intelligence
politicisation in Australia from before Federation in 1901 through to the
modern era, providing a deep historical context in which to understand the
convergence of intelligence and politics. Containing much new information, Spinning
the Secrets of State offers an illuminating account of the secret inner
workings of intelligence manipulation and the conditions that enable
politicisation to arise.
An
essential read for both the general observer and scholars interested in
understanding why intelligence and politics seem fated to collide.
