Cautious Beginnings

Canadian Foreign Intelligence, 1939-51

Nonfiction, History, Canada, Military
Cover of the book Cautious Beginnings by Kurt F. Jensen, UBC Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kurt F. Jensen ISBN: 9780774858458
Publisher: UBC Press Publication: January 1, 2009
Imprint: UBC Press Language: English
Author: Kurt F. Jensen
ISBN: 9780774858458
Publisher: UBC Press
Publication: January 1, 2009
Imprint: UBC Press
Language: English

When the Second World War began, Canada had no foreign intelligence capacity. Its political leaders had concluded that a clandestine service was not necessary to meet the nation's intelligence requirements. Yet Kurt F. Jensen argues that the country was a more active intelligence partner in the wartime alliance than has previously been suggested.

Drawing on newly released materials and exhaustive research, he describes Canada's contributions to Allied intelligence before the war began, as well as the distinctly Canadian activities that started from that point. He reveals how the government created an intelligence organization during the war to aid Allied resources and established operations such as SIGINT, or Signal Intelligence, which intercepted and decrypted Vichy and Free French diplomatic communications.

Cautious Beginnings spans the period from 1939 to 1951, when key policy and personnel structures were put in place. In the postwar years, Canada reconfigured its foreign intelligence operations to meet the challenges of a changing world, and by the early 1950s possessed resources that rivalled or exceeded those of many other nations. This is a convincing portrait of a nation with an active role in Second World War intelligence gathering, one that continues to influence the architecture of its current capabilities.

Drawing on newly released materials and exhaustive research, this book will greatly interest students and academics in Canadian history, political science, military history, specialists in the field, and anyone interested in the often mysterious world of foreign intelligence.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When the Second World War began, Canada had no foreign intelligence capacity. Its political leaders had concluded that a clandestine service was not necessary to meet the nation's intelligence requirements. Yet Kurt F. Jensen argues that the country was a more active intelligence partner in the wartime alliance than has previously been suggested.

Drawing on newly released materials and exhaustive research, he describes Canada's contributions to Allied intelligence before the war began, as well as the distinctly Canadian activities that started from that point. He reveals how the government created an intelligence organization during the war to aid Allied resources and established operations such as SIGINT, or Signal Intelligence, which intercepted and decrypted Vichy and Free French diplomatic communications.

Cautious Beginnings spans the period from 1939 to 1951, when key policy and personnel structures were put in place. In the postwar years, Canada reconfigured its foreign intelligence operations to meet the challenges of a changing world, and by the early 1950s possessed resources that rivalled or exceeded those of many other nations. This is a convincing portrait of a nation with an active role in Second World War intelligence gathering, one that continues to influence the architecture of its current capabilities.

Drawing on newly released materials and exhaustive research, this book will greatly interest students and academics in Canadian history, political science, military history, specialists in the field, and anyone interested in the often mysterious world of foreign intelligence.

More books from UBC Press

Cover of the book Home Is the Hunter by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Fraught Intimacies by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Militia Myths by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Invisible Scars by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Awfully Devoted Women by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Guiding Modern Girls by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book "Don't Be So Gay!" by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Breaking News? by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Community Mental Health in Canada, Revised and Expanded Edition by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Contested Constitutionalism by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Montreal, City of Water by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book When Good Drugs Go Bad by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Renegotiating Community by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Uncertain Accommodation by Kurt F. Jensen
Cover of the book Big Tent Politics by Kurt F. Jensen
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy