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NOC: Non-Official Cover: British Secret Operations Reviewed By Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com
- By Dr. Wesley Britton
- Published December 22, 2011
- Biographies & Memoirs
Dr. Wesley Britton
Reviewer Dr. Wesley Britton: Dr. Britton is the author of four non-fiction books on espionage in literature and the media. Starting in fall 2015, his new six-book science fiction series, The Beta-Earth Chronicles, debuted via BearManor Media.
In 2018, Britton self-published the seventh book in the Chronicles, Alpha Tales 2044, a collection of short stories, many of which first appeared at a number of online venues.
For seven years, he was co-host of online radio’s Dave White Presents where he contributed interviews with a host of entertainment insiders. Before his retirement in 2016, Dr. Britton taught English at Harrisburg Area Community College. Learn more about Dr. Britton at his WEBSITE
View all articles by Dr. Wesley Britton
Click Here To Purchase NOC: Non-Official Cover: British Secret Operations
Author: Nicholas Anderson
ISBN-10: 1929631855
ISBN-13: 978-1929631858
Publisher: Enigma Books; 1ST edition (July 1, 2009)
In the concluding
paragraphs of his life story, Nicholas Anderson describes his book as
a “documentary thriller” in which the author explores his
longtime duels between “deeds and conscience.” A British
undercover agent in the Secret Intelligence Service from 1971 to
1983, then recalled to duty after the collapse of
Russian Communism, Anderson found himself evolving into a “citizen
of the world.” Part one of his NOC trilogy explains why.
Anderson described his job thusly:
“We were institutional killers in disruptive actions on the black, that is to say we made illegal entries across borders to perform dirty work then returned
home mostly without the knowledge or connection to the local British embassy’s staff assigned to other covert affairs. The main job description was called
deep cover within SIS—NOC or non-official cover. I served in various SIS divisions in charge of different continents, often living like a mole. It should
be known that any
unprocessed SIS, CIA or NATO file has no number assigned to it,
therefore officially it does not exist.”
Discovering Anderson’s
vivid international tableau, 007 fans will see obvious parallels. For
one matter, the hot spots Anderson infiltrated ranged from intrigue
in Moscow to crossing African deserts and icy wildernesses to dealing
with IRA terrorists to tracking Carlos “The Jackal.” Anderson has
sex with exotic women. However, while presented ostensibly as
fiction, Anderson’s descriptive detail provides more than
Flemingesque globetrotting verisimilitude. As Anderson goes back and
forth in time, connecting events from his early years with his later
missions, the one constant is one man sharing what shaped his, well,
world view. There’s no central plot, the story is told
episodically, and Anderson clearly wants to do more than offer a
personal autobiography. After establishing his bona fides, Anderson
has much to say about how the workings of secret intelligence
function, their effects and consequences, and what each of us should
be aware of in our complex and murky “global community.” In
particular, Anderson believes we need see our world as a whole and
not limit ourselves by national boundaries, economic interests, or
political ideology.
This is a memoir that shows intelligence on every page, demonstrated in the observations, conversations, and reflections on what Anderson participated in and learned from. In equal measure, it is a well-paced narrative making it indeed a “documentary thriller.” So NOC should appeal to a wide variety of readers—those enjoying modern history, non-fiction espionage, and the more realistic breed of spy novels. Part two is coming in 2012.
Click Here To Purchase NOC: Non-Official Cover: British Secret Operations