Dr Aaron Edwards who I have known for several years is well known for his ground-breaking research on the intelligence war in Northern Ireland (Operation Banner) and his last publication UVF Behind the Mask has become widely recognised as an important addition to the written history of the ‘troubles’.
Agents of Influence Britain’s Secret Intelligence War Against the IRA
Recruited by British Intelligence to infiltrate the IRA and Sinn Féin during the height of the Northern Ireland Troubles, they were Agents of Influence. With codenames like INFLICTION, STAKEKNIFE, 3007 and CAROL, these spies played a pivotal role in the fight against Irish republicanism. Now, for the first time, some of these agents have emerged from the shadows to tell their compelling stories. Agents of Influence takes you behind the scenes of the secret intelligence war which helped bring the IRA s armed struggle to an end.
Historian Aaron Edwards, the critically acclaimed author of UVF: Behind the Mask, explains how the IRA was penetrated and betrayed, with explosive new revelations about the hidden agendas of leading figures like Martin McGuinness, Joe Haughey, John Joe Magee and Freddie Scappaticci, and how British Intelligence was able to read the minutes of the IRA s top-secret meetings before they were distributed to its membership.
With extraordinary profiles of Britain’s top spy masters, their strategies and tactics, as well as the role of MI5, the RUC and SAS in deadly covert action missions, Agents of Influence offers a rare and shocking glimpse into the hidden world of secret agents during the vicious decades of the Troubles.
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Agents-of-Influence-by-Aaron-Edwards-author/9781785373411
Alan Malcher 