Title: Greek memories /
Authors: Mackenzie, Compton, 1883-1972
Publisher: Biteback,
Year: 2011
Subjects: Mackenzie, Compton,; Mackenzie, Compton,; Great Britain.; Intelligence officers Great Britain Biography.; World War, 1914-1918 Secret service Great Britain; World War, 1914-1918 Secret service Greece.
Abstract: "Compton Mackenzie was already a celebrated writer at the start of the First World War, commissioned into the Royal Marines, He soon found himself recruited by the British Secret Service, becoming 'our man in Greece'. After the war, Mackenzie cashed in on the experience, writing a series of memoirs. Greek Memories, due to be published in November 1932, was the third and by far the most revealing. Breaking every rule in the book, Mackenzie included secret letters and documents, named serving SIS officers, exposed the cover used by agents in foreign capitals and revealed the real name of the wartime chief of the British Secret Service - Mansfield Cumming. This was a step too far for the authorities. Mackenzie was hauled before the courts and Greek Memories was banned - not a single copy went on sale. Greek Memories was eventually re-published in 1939, stripped of all controversial material, but the original remained banned. Now, for the first time, here is Mackenzie's memoir as it should have been told - uncensored, unrestricted and with no holds barred."--Publisher's website.
Contents: January. Departmental hostilities open ; The German mail and the Greek newspapers ; Psychical research. -- February. The mysterious sailor ; Serbian counter-espionage ; The sunbeam and the ford ; The submarine base ; Politics and personalities. -- March. No action ; Fairy tales ; The stolen plans ; Heavy fighting on the departmental front. -- April. Interviews ; Alarums and Excursions ; New faces. -- May. The surrender of Fort Rupel ; Domestic ; Arrests ; Passports. -- June. Nervousness in Athens ; The note ; After the note. -- July. Passport control ; Second attempt on the German mail ; Third attempt to capture the German mail ; Calumny. -- August. Final attempt to capture the German mail ; Politics and panic ; The tightening of control. -- September. The fleet arrives ; Tales of Hoffmann and others ; The expulsion of Baron Schenck ; The provisional government ; Administrative problems ; Dressing up. -- October. Malta ; Taranto and Rome ; Paris and an Oxford interlude ; My first meeting with C ; Various interviews ; More about controls ; New officers. -- November. London to Paris ; Paris to Rome and Taranto ; Taranto to Athens ; Athens again ; The enemy legations ; The triple control ; Sowing the wind. -- December. Reaping the whirlwind ; Collecting islands.