Intelligence / Agencies / Canada

Cleroux, Richard. Official Secrets: The Story Behind the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Montreal: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1990. 321 pages.

When most non-Canadians think of law enforcement in Canada, the image of Sergeant Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police comes to mind. By 1956 the Cold War changed the landscape, and RCMP's Special Branch was as busy as their neighbors in going after Reds. That was small stuff. In the 1970s the big scandals came with the exposure of RCMP's war of dirty tricks against the Quebec separatist movement. Two inquiries later, in 1984, the Commons spun off RCMP's security and intelligence function into a new agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. At first CSIS was basically a new name for the same game, as Mountie spooks sat at their old desks and sent out the same memos under a new letterhead. But slowly, CSIS took on its own identity.

Award-winning journalist Richard Cleroux has written Canada's first book about CSIS. This well-balanced account covers the history of RCMP, the bureaucratic turf wars that resulted from the creation of CSIS, and the concerns over CSIS's mandate as seen by Canada's civil libertarians. CSIS is basically a domestic agency; unlike America, Canada doesn't feel the need to send spies all over the world. However, CSIS continues the tradition of a cozy relationship with the FBI, CIA, and National Security Agency. According to Cleroux (p.283), when the Americans say "Jump!" CSIS says, "How high?"


Frost, Mike and Gratton, Michel. Spyworld: Inside the Canadian and American Intelligence Establishments. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1994. 280 pages.

This book exposes the Communications Security Establishment for the first time. Mike Frost, a 19-year veteran of CSE, wrote it with the assistance of Toronto Sun columnist Michel Gratton. CSE is Canada's equivalent of the National Security Agency, and is responsible for Canada's communications-intercept operations. Much of the equipment Frost used came from the NSA (the U.S. National Security Agency), and Frost visited NSA's facilities several times for training and other official business.

Apart from the descriptions of intercept technology and Moscow's communications satellites, the most significant contribution of this book is that it reveals the extensive cooperation among Canada's CSE, Britain's GCHQ, and the American NSA. The three are almost a single entity, and are able to function outside the laws of their own countries through the simple expedient of secretly shifting assignments among them whenever the legal situation might prove embarrassing. So when Margaret Thatcher asked GCHQ to spy on two of her ministers in 1983, GCHQ felt it was too hot to handle and invited CSE to visit London and bring their intercept equipment. Now the "take" is considered "information from a friendly agency," no warrants are needed, and everyone is laughing all the way to their computers. Except for a couple of cabinet ministers, that is.


Granatstein, J.L. and Stafford, David. Spy Wars: Espionage and Canada from Gouzenko to Glasnost. Toronto: Key Porter Books, 1990. 276 pages.

Canada has been a minor player on the international intelligence scene, and this only to the extent that major players such as the U.S. and Britain allowed them a role at all. They have no military secrets in Canada, no active foreign-intelligence capability, and until recently their counter- intelligence was handled by Mounties who were trained on horses.

Still, there are stories to tell and this book concentrates on several of them: World War II hero Sir William Stephenson (debunked by the authors), defector Igor Gouzenko, Soviet spy Hugh Hambleton, deep-cover illegal Rudolph Herrmann, and victims of Canadian cold-war paranoia such as Leslie Bennett. Other chapters deal with the separatist movement (which was supported by Charles de Gaulle and private interests in France), "techno-espionage" (Soviet attempts to acquire technology), and the terrorist threat.

Although written in a highly-readable style, the authors are academics. J.L. Granatstein is a professor of history at York University in Toronto, and David Stafford is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, chair of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies, and executive director of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs.

Here are the names most frequently mentioned in the above books:

    ABEL RUDOLF I     ABRAMOV MIKHAIL N     ACCESS INFORMATION CONSULTANTS     ADAMS IAN     ALLMAND WARREN     ANGLETON JAMES JESUS     ANGUS SUSAN     ATKEY RONALD     ATKINSON DON     ATTLEE CLEMENT     ATWAL HARJIT SINGH     AXWORTHY LLOYD     AXWORTHY TOM     BALDWIN GED     BARR ARCHIBALD     BARRON JOHN (AUTHOR)     BARROS JAMES     BASS GARY (RCMP)     BASSETT JOHN SR     BATINIC IVAN     BEATTY STEPHEN     BEAUREGARD PIERRE     BEDSON DEREK     BENNETT LESLIE JAMES     BENNING SCOTT     BENTLEY ELIZABETH     BEY PHILIPPE     BISSETT JOE B     BITTMAN LADISLAV     BLAIS JEAN-JACQUES     BLAIS PIERRE     BLENKARN DON     BLUNT ANTHONY FREDERICK     BOISVERT RAYMOND     BOIVIN MARC-ANDRE     BORODIN VLADIMIR     BOROVOY ALAN     BOUCHARD BENOIT     BOUCHARD LUCIEN     BOULET ERIC     BOYER RAYMOND     BRANDES HARRY     BREWIN JOHN     BRICK ERIC     BRODEUR CLAUDE     BRUCHHAUSEN WERNER     BRUNET GILLES     BRYCE ROBERT     BRYEN STEPHEN DAVID     BULL GERALD V     BULL MICHAEL (MICHEL)     BURGESS HARRISON     BURIUKOV LEV     CADIEUX MARCEL     CADOGAN ALEXANDER     CAIRNCROSS JOHN C     CANADIAN SECURITY INTELLIGENCE SERVICE     CARDIFF MURRAY     CARDIN LUCIEN     CARR SAM     CARRAUD PIERRE     CEAUSESCU NICOLAE     CEAUSESCU NICU     CHAMBERS WHITTAKER     CHANG PEI CHI (PATRICK)     CHAUHAN JAGJIT SINGH     CHERNIAK SAUL     CHOQUETTE PIERRE     CHRETIEN JEAN     CHUVAKHIN DMITRI S     CLARKE ROBERT (CSIS)     COATES ROBERT     COBB DONALD     COCOM      COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT     CORBETT ROBERT     CORMIER ROGER     COSTAKIS GEORGE     COTE E A     COUTELLIER JEAN     CREAN G G     CRENNA DAVID     CUMMINGS GERRY     CUMMINS PAT     DAFOE JOHN W     DANSEY CLAUDE EDWARD MAJORIBANKS     DARE MICHAEL     DE GAULLE CHARLES     DE MARBOIS JOCK     DE MENTHON PIERRE     DEBRE MICHEL     DELIBALTOV RAIKOV IVAN     DEMIRJIAN ANNIE     DENIAU XAVIER     DEVAULT CAROLE     DHAR M K     DIEFENBAKER JOHN     DONOVAN DAN     DONOVAN PATRICK     DONOVAN WILLIAM JOSEPH     DORIN BERNARD     DORK DAVID     DRAKE EDWARD M     DRAPEAU JEAN     DREW GEORGE     DUBUC BERNARD     DUNN TIMOTHY J (STATE DEPT)     DWYER PETER M     EDMONDS J DUNCAN     EDWARDH MARLYS     ELLIS CHARLES HOWARD (DICKIE)     ENGSTROM HOWARD THEODORE     EVANS JEAN-PAUL (BRITISH SECURITY CO-ORDINATION)     FARMAKOVSKAYA OLGA     FARSON STUART     FAVREAU GUY     FENNELL SCOTT     FERNS HARRY     FIAMELLI CARL     FINN TED DARCY     FLEURY JEAN-GUY     FLUKE RICK     FORD ROBERT A.D.     FORGET CLAUDE     FORRESTALL MICHAEL     FOULKES CHARLES HOWARD     FOX FRANCIS     FRANKS C E.S.     FRONT LIBERATION QUEBEC     FROST MICHAEL EDWARD     FUCHS KLAUS EMIL JULIUS     FULTON E.DAVIE     GAUTHIER PAULE     GEIGER DONNA     GIBSON FREDERICK E     GIGUERE JULIEN     GILBERT GUY     GLAZEBROOK GEORGE PARKIN     GOLD HAROLD (COL)     GOLITSIN ANATOLI M     GORSKY ANATOLI     GOTLIEB ALLAN E     GOUZENKO IGOR S     GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS HEADQUARTERS     GOYER JEAN-PIERRE     GREENWELL CHARLIE     GRIBANOV OLEG M     GUERNSEY TERRY     GUILLAUME GUENTHER     HALPERIN ISRAEL     HAMBLETON HUGH GEORGE     HANDFIELD FRANCOIS     HART WARREN     HARVISON CLIFF     HAVEL VACLAV     HAVERS MICHAEL     HAWAMDAH MOUSSA     HEAKES ALEXANDER GEORGE     HEAPS LEO     HEENEY ARNOLD     HEES GEORGE     HENSLER ALISTAIR     HERRMANN RUDOLPH ALBERT     HIGGITT W L     HILLENKOETTER ROSCOE HENRY     HISS ALGER     HOLLIS ROGER HENRY     HOLTMANN FELIX     HUDDLESTON DAVID     HUGO LAURENT     HUNT PETER R     HYDE HARFORD MONTGOMERY     IGNATIEFF GEORGE     INGATIEFF GEORGE     INKSTER NORMAN     INMAN BOBBY RAY     INSTITUTE PACIFIC RELATIONS     INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ANALYSIS     JAMIESON DON     JENKYNS STANLEY     JENSEN HENRY     JOHNSON DAVID (AMB)     JURGENSON JEAN-DANIEL     KAPLAN ROBERT (SOLICITOR GENERAL)     KAWAMI BOB     KEABLE JEAN     KEARLEY ROY     KEENLEYSIDE HUGH     KELLEHER JAMES (SOLICITOR GEN)     KELLETT ANTHONY     KELLOCK R L     KELLY WILLIAM (RCMP)     KELMER JACOB     KENDRICK F.A. (TONY)     KENNEDY GERALD     KENNEDY MAUREEN     KHVOSTANTSEV LEV G     KIERNAN VICTOR     KILLAM ELTON     KINDY ALEX     KING MACKENZIE     KLUGMANN JAMES     KNESCHKE RUDOLPH     KOSAREV GRIGORI     KRASSILNIKOV REM     KROTKOV YURI V     KRYUCHKOV VLADIMIR ALEKSANDROVICH     KUDRYAVTSEV SERGEI M     LAL BRIJ MOHAN     LALONDE FERNAND     LALONDE MARC     LANDRY PHILIPPE     LANOUETTE DONALD     LAPORTE PIERRE     LAWRENCE ALLAN (SOLICITOR GENERAL)     LE PAN DOUGLAS     LECLAIRE ROGER     LEDUC FRANCOIS     LEES RAY     LEGER JULES     LEINHARD ROLF     LEOPOLD JOHN     LESAGE JEAN     LESTER NORMAND     LEVESQUE RENE     LIDDAR BHUPINDER     LINDBERG ARTHUR F     LINTON FREDA     LISEE JEAN-FRANCOIS     LONSDALE GORDON ARNOLD (KONON MOLODI)     LOOMIS DAN     LOUSKY JOSEPH     LUBIMOV LEV     LUKYANOV PAVEL P     LUNAN GORDON     LUSSIER GAETAN     LYON PEYTON     MACDONALD FLORA     MACDONALD MALCOLM     MACDONNELL LAURIE J     MACEACHEN ALLAN     MACEWAN IAN     MACGUIGAN MARK     MACIVER WILLIAM     MACKAY ELMER     MACKENZIE C.J.     MADUCK NICK     MARCHI LAUREEN     MARCHI SERGIO     MASSEY VINCENT     MAY ALAN NUNN     MAZANKOWSKI DONALD     MCCLEERY DONALD     MCCLELLAN GEORGE (RCMP)     MCDONALD DAVID C (ALBERTA JUDGE)     MCNEELY RICHARD     MCVEY CHARLES     MENZIES ARTHUR     MENZIES STEWART GRAHAM     MICROTEL COMPANY     MILLS CYRIL     MOHAMMAD MAHMOUD MOHAMMAD ISSA     MORDEN REID     MORRISON JAMES DOUGLAS FINLEY     MOUMDJIAN NICHOLAS     MULRONEY BRIAN     MUNSINGER GERDA     MURAD AHMED     NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY     NIELSEN ERIK     NORMAN HERBERT     OBORECHT UDO     OPERATION FEATHERBED     OSBALDESTON GORDON     OSTROVSKY NIKOLAI     PARIZEAU JACQUES     PASZKOWSKI RYSZARD     PAVLOV VITALI G     PAYNE ROGER     PEARSON LESTER B     PELLETIER GERARD     PENNER ROLAND     PISARSKI STANISLAW     PITFIELD MICHAEL     PRATT FRANK     RATKAI STEPHEN JOSEPH     ROBERTS PETER M     ROBERTSON GORDON (PRIVY COUNCIL)     ROBERTSON NORMAN     ROBINSON GILBERT DE B.     ROBINSON PAUL H     ROBINSON SVEND     ROSE FRED (CP)     ROSENBERG ETHEL     ROSENBERG JULIUS     ROSSILLON PHILIPPE     ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE     RUSSELL PETER (UNIV TORONTO)     SALEH RASHAD     SAMRA KULDIP SINGH     SAMSON ROBERT (RCMP)     SARZYENSKI FRANCISZEK     SAWATSKY JOHN     SEABORN J BLAIR     SEVIGNY PIERRE     SHAPIRO MARSHALL     SHORE JACQUES     SIMMONDS ROBERT     SIRAUD PIERRE     SMITH ARNOLD     SMUROV YURI     SOFONOV VALERI     SPENCER GEORGE VICTOR     STARNES JOHN     STEPHENSON WILLIAM SAMUEL     STONE THOMAS (AMB)     STRACHEY OLIVER     STRAIGHT MICHAEL WHITNEY     SULZENKO-COHEN JOANNE     THATCHER MARGARET     TRAVIS EDWARD WILFRED HARRY     TREU ALEXANDER PETER     TRUDEAU MARGARET     TRUDEAU PIERRE ELLIOTT     VALLIERES PIERRE     VENNER JOHN (CSIS)     VIRAG PETER     WALDMAN LORNE     WARREN JAMES (CSIS)     WATKINS JOHN B.C.     WEINER GERRY     WETSTEIN WARREN     WHITE HARRY DEXTER     WILLSHER KATHLEEN (KAY)     WITTFOGEL KARL AUGUST     WOIKIN EMMA     WOOD STUART     WORTHINGTON PETER     WRIGHT PETER MAURICE     WRONG HUME     YARDLEY HERBERT OSBORNE     ZABOTIN NIKOLAI     ZACCARDELLI GIULIANO     ZAMONSKY GILBERT

Click here for a name index or availability information for these books.

NameBase book reviews