SECRET STATE, THE

This updated edition of "The Secret State" revises Hennessy's picture of the Sov
iet threat that was presented to ministers from the last days of the Second Worl
d War to the 1960s. He maps the size and shape of the Cold War state built in re
sponse to that perceived threat, and traces the arguments successive generations
of ministers, the military and civil servants have used to justify the British
nuclear capability. He also adds new material exploring the threats presented by
the IRA and radical Islamic terrorists post 9/11. In what circumstances would t
he Prime Minister authorize the use of nuclear force and how would his orders be
carried out? What would the Queen be told and when? In this captivating new acc
ount, Peter Hennessy provides the best answers we have yet had to these question
s.