Monday, September 30, 2019

Former MI6 Boss Sir Richard Dearlove Hits Out At Author John Le Carré Over His 'Corrosive' Spy Books And Accuses Him Of Being 'Obsessed' With His Life In The Secret Service


Jake Hurfurt offers a piece at the Daily Mail on the former head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6, who said that SIS intelligence officers are not fans of spy novelist John le Carre. Le Carre was a British intelligence officer for three years.

Spooks are not fans of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author John le Carré because his novels portray them as untrustworthy, according to the former head of MI6.

Sir Richard Dearlove (seen in the below photo), 74, said Mr le Carré's espionage thrillers portrayed Britain's intelligence services in a negative light.

Mr le Carré, 87, worked for both MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and 1960s before leaving and becoming an author.


The writer was 'obsessed' with his time as a spy, said Sir Richard.

Spooks are not fans of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy author John le Carré (right) because his novels portray them as untrustworthy, according to the former head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove.

Speaking at the Cliveden Literary Festival, the former spymaster said: 'We've all enjoyed enormously reading the Smiley books... and he does capture some of the essence of what it was like in the Cold War.

'However, he is so corrosive in his view of MI6 that most professional SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) officers are pretty angry with him.'

Trust between co-workers is at the heart of Britain's intelligence agencies but Mr le Carré's books are 'exclusively about betrayal', said Sir Richard.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7518851/Real-life-007s-stand-reading-legendary-spy-author-John-le-Carr-s-books-says-former-MI6-boss.html

  
You can also read my Washington Times review of a biography of John le Carre via the below link:

www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2015/12/my-washington-times-review-of-john-le.html



And you can read my Crime Beat column, Spy Writer vs Spy Writer, which covers John le Carre’s other obsession – the late Ian Fleming (seen in the above photo) and James Bond – via the below link:

www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2010/08/spy-writer-vs-spy-writer-john-le-carre.html 

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