Table of Contents
Preface vii
Introduction 1
1 Don't be beastly to your Secret Service 13
2 Dr Globke's laws 24
3 Official visit 34
4 Fingers on the trigger 37
5 To whomsoever it may concern 43
6 Wheels of British justice 47
7 Ivan Serov's defection 49
8 A legacy 55
9 The innocence of Murat Kurnaz 64
10 Going out into the field 70
11 Bumping into Jerry Westerby 78
12 Lonely in Vientiane 82
13 Theatre of the Real: dances with Arafat 86
14 Theatre of the Real: the Villa Brigitte 98
15 Theatre of the Real: a question of guilt 104
16 Theatre of the Real: terms of endearment 108
17 The Soviet knight is dying inside his armour 114
18 The Wild East: Moscow 1993 126
19 Blood and treasure 137
20 The biggest bears in the garden 146
21 Among the Ingush 157
22 Joseph Brodsky's prize 161
23 The wrong horse's mouth 164
24 His brother's keeper 175
25 Quel Panama! 189
26 Under deep cover 200
27 Hunting for warlords 204
28 Richard Burton needs me 215
29 Alec Guinness 228
30 Lost masterpieces 233
31 Bernard Pivot's necktie 244
32 Lunching with prisoners 250
33 Son of the author's father 255
34 To Reggie with thanks 290
35 The most wanted man 292
36 Stephen Spender's credit card 302
37 Advice to an aspiring novelist 303
38 The last official secret 304
Sources 309