Fakers

With Fakers, Cormac delivers a gem of intelligence historyright at the intersection of deeply researched and relentlessly entertaining. The pluck, creativity, and persistence of the men and women working in the UK's underappreciated Information Research Department jump off the pages, leaving readers with plenty of youll never believe this actually happened stories to pass on. Truly a joy to read. * Dr. David Priess, former CIA officer and author, The President's Book of Secrets *
Rarely am I surprised by intelligence revelations, but Rory Cormac, known for his knack of illuminating the world of covert intelligence, has uncovered a story that is both fresh and instructive for today. Fakers tells long-hidden Cold War tales and reveals a fascinating cast of odd-ball wizards of the dark arts. Still confronting Moscows dirty tricks, today's intelligence practitioners will see that their forbears faced the same challenges. Spy thrillers have nothing on Fakers. * John Sipher, former senior CIA officer and cofounder Spycraft Entertainment *
A fun and fascinating dive into the deep history of propaganda and fakery-including its absurdities-which has shaped our world today. * Gordon Corera, author of the Spy in the Archive, co-host of Rest is Classified, and former BBC Security Correspondent *
Fascinating, evocative, and timely. A thoroughly researched, entertaining and brilliantly enlightening read. * Danny Wallace, author of Somebody Told Me *
You've heard of the Cold War Space Race and the Arms Race, now welcome to the Lies Race. Rory Cormac takes you into the top-secret depths of the vast deception operations between the British and the Soviets. A world where Monty Python meets Le Carre, with a revelation on every page that will transform how you see our history. * Peter Pomerantsev, author of This is Not Propaganda *
Fakers provides a fascinatingly fresh take on the propaganda battles of the Cold War, whilst adding new dimensions to our understanding of fake news and its historyhighly recommended. * Jame Crossland, author of Rogue Agent *
Magnificent. A rip-roaring history of Britain's once top-secret covert propaganda department is finally brought to light. Using declassified files, Rory Cormac delves into the world of deception, skilfully retrieving the voices of the brilliant misfits who weaponised their typewriters to influence and undermine Cold War targets. Fakers is masterly and matchless. * Claire Hubbard-Hall, author of Her Secret Service: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence *
Fakers is the real thing. Agent Cormac has pulled off a much-needed, tricky operation, conducted through deep research in the files, to shed light on one of the most mysterious outfits of Britains post-war secret state. Here are classic Cold War charactersfighting not with boyish James Bond gizmos, but typewriters, pamphlets and brilliant ideas. And not just in the clichéd streets of Mitteleurope but the Middle East and Africa. For anyone trying to make sense of how we ended up amid todays disinformation mind games, this tour of the wilderness of mirrors that came before is essential reading. * Phil Tinline, author of Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax That Duped America and Its Sinister Legacy *
Fakers is a great story, unearthing the intriguing hidden tale of how British political warfare continued into the Cold War era. Rory Cormac's excellent research draws on many formerly classified files to reveal the complex characters who ran British disinformation campaigns around the world. While the members of the IRD may have struggled to understand and to influence the new world they worked in after the war, this book illuminates the bigger question of how Britain too was struggling to find its new role. * Terry Stiastny, author of Believable Lies *
A razor-sharp anatomy of Cold War deception. No other book shows so vividly, through superb storytelling, how the UK, its friends, and foes competed to shape Cold War reality...essential reading for anyone trying to understand disinformation and propaganda past and present. * Daniela Richterova, author of Watching the Jackals *