Drawing extensively on recently released documents and private papers, this is the first book-length study to examine the intimate relationship between the Attlee government and Britain's intelligence and security services.

Often praised for the formation of the modern-day welfare state, Attlee's government also played a significant role in combatting communism at home and overseas, often in the face of vocal, sustained, opposition from their own backbenches. Beneath Attlee's calm exterior lay a dedicated, if at times cautious, Cold War warrior. This study tells the story of...