GCHQ’s history told for the first time in Behind the Enigma

Bloomsbury has today published the first authorised history of GCHQ, revealing how the intelligence, cyber and security agency has helped to keep the country safe for 100 years.

Written by intelligence and security expert Professor John Ferris with access to our historic archives, the book strips away secrecy to an unprecedented level giving readers an insight into how GCHQ has helped to shape world events.

Behind the Enigma covers our origins in World War One, through to Bletchley Park and World War Two, to the present day. The book offers a unique insight into major international moments of the last century – including the retreat from empire, the Cold War and the Falklands – which only become fully explicable in the light of the secret intelligence record. 

The book also explores who cryptanalysts really are and how they think and act, including stories of the people from our past and how they contributed national security.

Behind the Enigma is available to purchase now from all good book retailers.