Winston Churchill believed passionately in the value of secret intelligence, in times of war as well as of peace. Historian David Stafford makes the compelling case that one cannot understand Churchill's astounding success as a modern-day statesman without reference to his deep involvement in the world of espionage.

With absorbing detail about the secret world of agents and double agents, this groundbreaking work traces Churchill's connections with that world, from his days as a member of the cabinet that established the Secret Service to the war years, when his extensive intelligence network provided him with superior information. What results is a major contribution to the study of modern and military history and a crucial missing key to understanding Churchill himself.