Agent M : the lives and spies of MI5's Maxwell Knight

The fascinating, improbable true story of Maxwell Knight -- the great MI5 spymaster and inspiration for the James Bond character M.

Maxwell Knight was perhaps the greatest spymaster in history. He did more than anyone in his era to combat the rising threat of fascism in Britain during World War II, in spite of his own history inside this movement. He was also truly eccentric -- a thrice-married jazz aficionado who kept a menagerie of exotic pets -- and almost totally unqualified for espionage.

Yet he had a gift for turning practically anyone into a fearless secret agent. Knight's work revolutionized British intelligence, pioneering the use of female agents, among other accomplishments. In telling Knight's remarkable story, Agent M also reveals for the first time in print the names and stories of some of the men and women recruited by Knight, on behalf of MI5, who were asked to infiltrate the country's most dangerous political organizations.

Drawing on a vast array of original sources, Agent M reveals not only the story of one of the world's greatest intelligence operators, but the sacrifices and courage required to confront fascism during a nation's darkest time.

Author Notes

Henry Hemming is the author of five works of nonfiction including Agent M and The Ingenious Mr Pyke , which landed on the New York Times monthly espionage bestseller list. He has written for the Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail , the Times , the Economist, FT Magazine , and the Washington Post , and has given interviews on Radio 4's Today Programme and NBC's Today Show and spoken at schools, festivals and companies including RDF Media, The RSA, Science Museum, Frontline Club, and The School of Life. Henry lives in London with his wife, daughter and son.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

British popular historian and biographer Hemming (The Ingenious Mr. Pike) revisits the life of Maxwell Knight in the first biography of the 20th century's leading MI5 spymaster. Knight was an eccentric figure who "possessed an unparalleled ability to turn unqualified men and women-bankers, secretaries, lawyers, booksellers-into reliable and consistently productive agents." During the 1920s and '30s, Knight used this ability to infiltrate and render innocuous the British Fascist movement, under the leadership of first William Joyce (later Lord Haw-Haw) and then Oswald Mosley. Knight had for some years been attracted to fascism himself and might have tipped off his old friend Joyce that he was about to be apprehended before Joyce fled to Germany in August 1939. Hemming writes far more briefly about Knight's less successful postwar effort, including his recruitment of John le Carré to identify communist infiltrations of British institutions. The book is clearly written and well researched, though Hemming occasionally stumbles, as when he gets distracted by the work of some of Knight's less effective agents in the early 1930s. Still, this in-depth introduction illuminates a largely forgotten man of antidemocratic tendencies who played a key role in keeping Britain secure and democratic for much of the interwar and early postwar periods. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

The dramatic story of the remarkable British spymaster who may have been the model for the James Bond character M.Maxwell Knight (1900-1968) recruited men and women who were quiet but intense, naturalists like himthough he was unlikely to find anyone as devoted to a wide variety of exotic animals. He looked for those who could work unnoticed, efficiently listening, remembering, and reporting what went on in communist and fascist organizations. Searching for a livelihood after World War I, Knight joined Sir George Makgill's private intelligence agency. Makgill worked for industrialists worried about labor unions and the rise of communism. Knight's first assignment was to join the British Fascistswhich, in the 1920s, was not yet politically abhorrentand to find potential recruits, an easy task given his mystical magnetism. At this time, he was friends with William Joyce, who would become, during World War II, the treasonous Lord Haw-Haw. They joined the paramilitary wing of the BF, where Knight learned the spy trades of kidnapping and his specialty, breaking and entering. In 1929, Knight was recruited by MI5 to fight communism, eventually leading the M Section. His "grey people" learned to become small and insignificant, remembering everything and hoping no one remembered them. Knight directed his people like he once ran his jazz band: moderating tempo, watching overall direction, and improvising when necessary. Hiring Anna Wolkoff to work as a secretary for the Communist Party was a stroke of genius, helping to break up a spy ring. Knight's M section was more right-wing, daring, more maverick than others. It was also the most independent, economical, and unconventional. Many spy stories are page-turners, but the author proves that the story of one man can be equally thrilling. Hemming has uncovered a man determined not to be known and in so doing, has provided us with delightful reading. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Library Journal Review

Spymaster and broadcaster Maxwell Knight (1900-68) was reputedly a model for the James Bond character "M." In his latest work, Hemming (The Ingenious Mr. Pyke) unveils Knight's eccentricities in a clear narrative, detailing how a quirky individual rose through the British intelligence service, MI5, to become one of its top spymasters. Readers are transported to early 20th-century Britain, where the political spectrum faced threats from communists and fascists. Knight infiltrated these movements, successfully defeating British fascism before it took root on the Isles. With regards to communism, Knight was able to stop the Soviet theft of military plans. His reliance on women as undercover agents set a historic precedent. This worthwhile biography demonstrates Knight's remarkable contributions to history, and should be read alongside Ben Macintyre's Double Cross and Paul -McMahon's British Spies and Irish Rebels. -VERDICT Highly recommended for Anglophiles who want to learn more about the interwar period and those looking for a provocative read.-Jacob Sherman, John Peace Lib., Univ. of Texas at San Antonio © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Author's Note	p. xi
Prologue	p. 1
Part 1 Becoming M
1 A Man Adrift	p. 7
2 The Makgill Organisation	p. 17
3 Bloody Fools	p. 20
4 The Razor's Edge	p. 26
5 Revenge	p. 34
6 The Freelance Spymaster	p. 43
7 The Day	p. 48
8 Exile	p. 54
9 Morton's Plan	p. 58
10 "I Can Make Things Bloody Unpleasant for You"	p. 63
Part 2 The Red Menace
11 Olga	p. 71
12 The M Organisation	p. 75
13 Watchers	p. 81
14 Cuckoo Eggs	p. 85
15 Trailing One's Coat	p. 93
16 An Author with Unpredictable Hours	p. 100
17 Heart and Soul	p. 105
18 Blackshirts	p. 116
19 Courier	p. 124
20 The Honeymooning Spy	p. 132
21 Olga Pulloffski	p. 143
22 Mussolini's Man	p. 149
23 A Mysterious Affair	p. 153
24 Percy's Proposal	p. 157
25 Mr. Peters	p. 161
26 Moscow Moves	p. 165
27 Old Friends, New Agents	p. 170
28 Reprieve	p. 178
29 Miss X	p. 181
30 Mona	p. 187
31 "What a Very Beautiful View"	p. 193
32 Crisis	p. 200
Part 3 The Enemy Within
33 Mrs. Mackie Investigates	p. 209
34 The Fashion Designer	p. 217
35 The Mystic	p. 221
36 A Smokescreen	p. 228
37 A Letter to an Old Friend	p. 232
38 Carlyle	p. 239
39 Victory at All Costs	p. 243
40 The Raid	p. 248
41 The Meeting	p. 254
42 The Trial	p. 260
43 Knight's Black Agents	p. 267
44 The Comintern Is Not Dead	p. 276
45 Rebirth	p. 286
Epilogue	p. 296
Acknowledgments	p. 305
Notes	p. 308
Select Bibliography	p. 333
Index	p. 337

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