Spymaster

Sir Maurice Oldfield was one of the most important British spies of the Cold War era. A farmer’s son from a provincial grammar school Sir Maurice was the first Chief of MI6 who didn’t come to the role via the traditional route. Oldfield was the voice of British Intelligence in Washington at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis and was largely responsible for keeping the UK out of the Vietnam War. Working his way to the top he took on the job of rebuilding confidence in the British Secret Service in the wake of the Cambridge spies scandal. This is the fascinating story of a complex likable character as well as a formidable intelligence chief.