This very specialised book on the history of Australian Signals Intelligence might not appeal to every reader. It traces the story of Signals Intelligence from before Federation through the two world wars and into the later part of the 20th and early 21st Centuries.

It is a detailed and well-researched tome with the bibliography and notes running for over 60 pages. This is both its strength and weakness, as this specialisation and detail might delight the interested but might lose the average reader. It is also full of acronyms but thankfully the authors have included a list of them towards the back of the book.

Revealing Secrets examines Australia’s relationship with Britain firstly and later with the USA and how information was collected and shared between these nations. There are snippets of history about individuals who played a significant role both in the collection and analysis of information. It also examines the initial reluctance of the military to accept military intelligence collected by non-military personnel, sometimes to their detriment.

While I personally found this book interesting, there were times when I was lost in the detail and the acronyms and consequently would lose the thread of the chapter or point being made.

This is a book for those interested in this area. Certainly, as the authors point out, this is an area which has not received the attention it should have in the history of the defence of Australia.

Reviewed by Anthony Llewellyn-Evans

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Clare Birgin’s career in DFAT spanned 30 years, with a focus on national security and intelligence. She had postings in Warsaw, Moscow, Geneva, and Washington DC as the Liaison Officer of the Office of National Assessments, followed by postings as Ambassador in Hungary, Serbia, Kosovo, Romania, North Macedonia and Montenegro. Subsequently she was a Visiting Fellow at the ANU before joining John Blaxland’s history writing team. She has been awarded the Polish Government’s Knight’s Cross Medal and the Bene Merito Medal by the former Polish Foreign Minister.

John Blaxland is Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University (ANU). He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales. He was also formerly a military intelligence officer, Head of SDSC and Director of the ANU Southeast Asia Institute. He is the author and editor of several publications on military history, intelligence and international security affairs.