Espionage and Secrecy

Many problems arose in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s relating to espionage and secrecy, varying from the proven cases of spying at GCHQ Cheltenham, to Peter Wright and the notorious "Spycatcher" trials. These trials raised serious concern about whether cases of espionage and breaches of official secrecy are covered by the criminal law (that is, the Official Secrets Act), or by the civil law (that is, the law of confidentiality). "Espionage and Secrecy" is concerned with the criminal law, and how it deals with official secrets. The author seeks to explain in detail how the Official Secrets Act works, in order that threats to national security from espionage and other leakages of information can be better understood. She sets the Official Secrets Act in the context of other laws such as the Security Service Act of 1989. Whilst the author highlights cases such as GCHQ, she also provides a theoretical and conceptual analysis of the Offical Secrets law from 1911 to 1989. This book is intended to be of interest to students and lecturers in history and legal studies.