Espionage and Secrecy - Hardcover

Thomas, Dr. Rosamund

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415040671 ISBN 13: 9780415040679

Publisher: Routledge, 1991

Synopsis

Many problems arose in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s relating to espionage and secrecy, varying from the proven cases of spying at GCHQ Cheltenham, to Peter Wright and the notorious "Spycatcher" trials. These trials raised serious concern about whether cases of espionage and breaches of official secrecy are covered by the criminal law (that is, the Official Secrets Act), or by the civil law (that is, the law of confidentiality). "Espionage and Secrecy" is concerned with the criminal law, and how it deals with official secrets. The author seeks to explain in detail how the Official Secrets Act works, in order that threats to national security from espionage and other leakages of information can be better understood. She sets the Official Secrets Act in the context of other laws such as the Security Service Act of 1989. Whilst the author highlights cases such as GCHQ, she also provides a theoretical and conceptual analysis of the Offical Secrets law from 1911 to 1989. This book is intended to be of interest to students and lecturers in history and legal studies.

About this title

Product Description

Espionage and Secrecy takes a look at many of the problems that have arisen over the last two decades, and before, concerning spying and other leakages of official infor- mation. The author analyses the extent to which such cases are covered by the criminal law as distinct from the civil law. In this highly detailed and careful analysis of crimes of espionage and related offences coming under the British Official Secrets Acts, the author provides both a theoretical and a conceptual treatise of the law relating to Official Secrecy, whilst illustrating it with recent examples such as the case of Geoffrey Prime at GCHQ. The book will be invaluable for anyone studying law, whether at undergraduate or postgraduate level, as well as being of interest to those studying civil liberties, human rights, history, politics and sociology. It will also prove helpful to anyone seeking to know more about the way in which espionage and breaches of secrecy are dealt with in Britain.

Review

Rosamund Thomas’s book is a trenchant legislative history of the official secrets acts from 1911, a careful legal analysis and an incisive commentary on criminal cases in the UK and USA. It wrestles with prosecutions of releases of information treated as espionage. This book extended the masterwork of the late David G.T. Williams, and is the finest work on the subject.

Jeremy Lewis,

Huntingdon College, USA

Researcher (among other subjects) of official information policy in the US and UK since 1976.

 

Dr Rosamund Thomas... reveals an encyclopaedic knowledge of the cases and the literature. Her careful analysis of the cases against the background of the general principles of criminal law and evidence and her thoughtful commentary will be essential reading for all who are interested in the subject.

The late J. C. Smith, C.B.E., Q.C., LL.D., F.B.A., Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Nottingham (September 1990)

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415040671
• ISBN 13: 9780415040679
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336