Category Archives: Secret State

Left and Right? New claims about Soviet spy Anthony Blunt

Posted on April 30, 2024 by historyatkingston

In a fascinating and provocative article in the Sunday Times (April 28th), Rosamund Urwin discussed the possibility that Anthony Blunt, the ‘fourth man’ in the infamous ‘Cambridge Five’ Soviet spy ring, may have passed secrets to the Nazis in World … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, British history, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, Historiography, History of war, Nazism, Public History, Research, Russian History, Secret State, Soviet Union, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Subverting the Subversives: Did MI5 infiltrate the British entertainment industry?

Posted on April 25, 2024 by historyatkingston

Back in 2018 new claims were put forward that the British domestic Security Service, MI5, was not just involved with monitoring and collecting intelligence on political movements and individuals deemed as potential threats to the state in the post-war period, … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, British politics, Gender History, Historiography, Media history, Public History, Secret State, The National Archives, Uncategorized, Women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Radicalism in Richmond-on-Thames: The influence of the Left Book Club of the 1930s

Posted on March 22, 2024 by historyatkingston

Back in 2018-2019, using a variety of sources, I conducted some research into the local impact of the famous Left Book Club (LBC) of the 1930s, focusing in particular on the town of Richmond-on-Thames in the outer suburbs of London. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-fascism, Archives, British history, British politics, Local History, London history, Public History, Research, Richmond history, Secret State, Surbiton, Surrey, Teaching, The National Archives, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump and the ‘Deep State’: The Politics of Paranoia

Posted on February 24, 2024 by historyatkingston

Speaking at the 2023 CPAC (Conservative Political Action) conference, Donald Trump referred to the ‘epic battle’ he said he has always been engaged in against the ‘special interests’ who are out to destroy America. It was vintage Trump. The 2024 … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, Conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory, Extremism, Media history, Public History, Research, Secret State, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Spy Who Lied: Another look at the Kim Philby story

Posted on January 28, 2024 by historyatkingston

A recent television drama series about the life of Kim Philby, the British Intelligence officer who engaged in treachery, attracted good reviews and enthusiastic viewers when it was screened, but contained few surprises for historians of the secret state. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, British history, European History, Historiography, Public History, Research, Russian History, Secret State, The National Archives, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Four Pennies for Doomsday: The British plans for nuclear war in the early 1960s

Posted on May 9, 2023 by historyatkingston

It sounds like something out of a 1950s British comedy film. The ability of the United Kingdom to launch a counter-strike against a nuclear attack on the country in the 1960s was apparently dependent on the availability of four old copper pennies. … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, Archives, British history, British politics, European History, Events, Historiography, History of war, Public History, Russian History, Secret State, The National Archives, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Admiral Domvile, the Nazis and ‘The Link’

Posted on April 11, 2023 by historyatkingston

In the spring and summer of 1940, after the Germany army had conquered much of Western Europe, there were growing fears in the British Isles that the armed forces of Hitler’s Nazi regime were about to cross the English Channel … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, British history, Conspiracy theory, European History, Events, Extremism, Fascism, German History, Kingston, Local History, London history, Media history, Public History, Research, Richmond history, Secret State, Surrey | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trump and the ‘Deep State’: The Politics of Paranoia Continues

Posted on March 26, 2023 by historyatkingston

Speaking at the 2023 CPAC conference earlier this month, Donald Trump referred to the ‘epic battle’ he said he has always been engaged in against the ‘special interests’ who are out to destroy America. It was vintage Trump. Ever since … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, Conspiracy theory, Conspiracy theory, Extremism, Public History, Research, Secret State, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

On the Tracks of Treason: Some thoughts on Lord Haw-Haw

Posted on February 20, 2023 by historyatkingston

Wandering around the recent ‘Treason’ special exhibition held at the National Archives, Kew, I encountered a black-and-white image of ‘Lord Haw-Haw’ (William Joyce), the notorious radio broadcaster and pro-Nazi propagandist of World War Two, and some details about his trial … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-fascism, Archives, British history, Extremism, Fascism, Historiography, History of war, Irish History, Media history, Public History, Secret State, Teaching, The National Archives | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Toxic Terror: British fears about the use of poisons by Nazi sabotage agents

Posted on December 15, 2022 by historyatkingston

It goes without saying that war can create extreme uncertainty and huge worry about what the enemy might be up to or planning. One of the big anxieties of British intelligence officers during World War Two concerned the possible use … Continue reading →

Posted in Archives, British history, European History, Fascism, German History, History of war, London history, Public History, Research, Secret State, Surrey, The National Archives, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments