I received my copy today of "The Intelligence Intellectuals: Social Scientists and the Making of the CIA," the new book by @petercgrace.bsky.social. I read it in the editorial process and it's fun and groundbreaking. Strongly recommend for those interested in the history of the CIA or intel analysis

Zachary Boyd (1585–1653) was a minister, poet & #UniversityofGlasgow academic who lived through one of Scotland’s most turbulent centuries. His rediscovered library offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a man who met kings and wrote plays at a time of revolution. Read more: gla.ac/4o1qCQc

A wee bit of news. news.sky.com/story/fascin...

What a pleasure it was for me to be at Madingley Hall to celebrate Chris Andrew as the founding figure of intelligence history. He has been my PhD supervisor, mentor and friend for thirty years. His generosity, unwavering commitment to his students and irrepressible enthusiasm are an inspiration.

Thank you so much, @drmcgowan.bsky.social! 🙂

Read this. His life story is genuinely remarkable - born in Uttar Pradesh, an Indian nationalist who served in the war, visited Hiroshima after the bomb under MacArthur, moved to Britain, worked for the BBC. Incredible story of a man whose life is a story of how modern Britain was made.

I'm reading, and thoroughly enjoying, this book. Rich in detail but beautifully written nonetheless. It's more important than ever for historians, and scholars in general, to be able to write like this. Good writing makes for accessible research.

A warm welcome to our new Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Schofield. Prof Schofield shares a message for the UofG community.  Here’s to this next chapter 💙 #TeamUofG #UofG #Glasgow #University #GlasgowUni #UniversityofGlasgow #GlasgowUniversity #scotland

A super new read from @dvanp.bsky.social and @intnatsecjournal.bsky.social , just out today: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

'Over the last 16 years, it’s really been the greatest privilege to lead this remarkable institution.’ UofG Principal @uofgvc.bsky.social shares a message ahead of his retirement next week.    ‌‌Anton reflects on his time at UofG and thanks the community for all their hard work and support.

Delighted to share the Future of Books and Reading paper, which combines research insights, professional expertise, and readers' voices to highlight the enjoyable, engaging, empowering and enriching effects of reading across the lifespan. Access here: blogs.ed.ac.uk/literacylab/

This review is well worth reading. It touches on so many issues I've been thinking about on pre-Christian belief, modern pagans, and our connection to ancient places. Many of these themes came up on our tour of the Hill of Tara with Muiris yesterday...

This year's Oxford Intelligence Conference Program on Oct 6-7 looks superb. You can find information and the link for tickets here: www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/our-research...

Although I hope and believe that literacy will resurge in the coming decades, this post explains what is at stake as literacy rates decline. If we lose the ability to read properly, we also lose the ability to reason, to argue, to investigate, to invent, to challenge, and to resist. #Reading

@rorycormac.bsky.social @markstout.bsky.social @dvanp.bsky.social @jgmaber.bsky.social @paulmcgarr.bsky.social @dianabolsinger.bsky.social It arrived! Super excited about our edited volume on #covertaction! And extremely grateful to our contributors and reviewers for their hard work and support!

'The ‘C’s’ between 1909 and 2024 fall into two distinct groups; former Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) Chair Sir Percy Cradock talked of ‘sword men’ and ‘gown men’, reflecting the increasing civilianisation of SIS from the 1950s onwards' www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Proud to have contributed to this comprehensive and kaleidoscopic book, alongside a host of brilliant thinkers, writers, organisers and educators. There is a lot of really vital writing in here on ethics, decolonial praxis, grief, politics and community.

One of the things Zelenskyy and his European posse should insist on before they get into substantive discussions at White House is proof of any claimed Russian concessions, including those now reported by Witkoff on security guarantees. Supposed past concessions have been wishful thinking.

I listened to this podcast on my morning walk and, despite the scale of the challenge, it left me feeling more optimistic about the future of literacy. Democracy depends upon people being able to read attentively and critically. 💙📚 #Booksky #Reading www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I've just finished reading this great book written by one of my @uofglasgow.bsky.social contemporaries, Dr. Craig Gill. It's a thoughtful read that meets and then confounds expectations. Written with a love for the game of golf and a wish to tell some of its untold stories. 💙📚 #Booksky #History

The first tranche of onions from my garden. Eighteen of them. Not bad going. 🧅 #Gardening #GardeningSky

If you missed, it, @melaniebrand.bsky.social also wrote a super partner piece last January: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The latest from the fabulous @melaniebrand.bsky.social : www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

It is finally here! It is publication day of my new book about ‘Operation Wrath of God’ - My research reveals for the first time how Western intelligence agencies helped Mossad to hunt and kill Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist activities in Europe @universitypress.cambridge.org

Sorry to hear Stella Rimington has died: a trail blazer in every sense of the word, an impressive intelligence officer and a very nice person. Less formally, we had a blast lecturing together on an espionage-themed cruise in 2014 . . . .

Geoff Dyer and @jackaldane.bsky.social wrap another terrific episode, surrounded by the rich archives of Geoff’s study.

Inspired by the excellent @mymartinamis.bsky.social podcast, I'm going to read or reread* (almost) every book by Martin Amis in order of publication. I'm ambivalent about Amis but have been rethinking him recently. I'll post my thoughts about each book here. (1/30) #Booksky #Amis 📸© Angela Gorgas

A tribute to Sir Kenneth Calman Sir Kenneth Calman was a doctor, academic and University leader who achieved more “firsts” than virtually anyone in his generation in medicine, public service and the third sector. Read more: gla.ac/457j99J

Looking forward to the recording of a second Spycraft 101 podcast episode. This time, the topic will be our @britishacademy.bsky.social funded project on secrecy and selective disclosures. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I reviewed a collection of documents put together by @sandbaggerone.bsky.social and Christopher Murphy. Useful book, deftly edited. You can read the review here, and you may also wish to recommend it to your library and give @jpict.bsky.social a follow on here.

Congratulations to Dr Michael Simpson, who graduated yesterday with a PhD by Published Works at the age of 87 years young. 🎓 So proud to have you as part of #TeamUofG, Dr Simpson! ♥️ #UofGgrad25 @uofgartshums.bsky.social

New for the @nsarchive.bsky.social, a 45-document collection looking at 25+ years of US intelligence on climate risks--from the Arctic ice melt to global food, water, and migration risks. From the National Security Archive's Rachel Santarsiero (@rsanta.bsky.social) nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...

I'm very excited to announce that my @edinburghup.bsky.social book The President's Kill List has just won the Richard E. Neustadt book prize of the PSA's American Politics Group. Thanks to @historydafydd.bsky.social, @pete-d-finn.bsky.social, and the APG Committee.

With a lot of discussion about the US-Israel alliance in the news, I’m resharing an article I wrote last year for @engelsbergideas.bsky.social on how LBJ and the Cold War 1960s helped establish what became a special relationship 🇺🇸🇮🇱

"A self-confessed “geek”, she said her first job in counter-proliferation had been an opportunity to engage with the “really deep science” of nuclear technology, as well as the task of building relationships with agents" www.ft.com/content/b12e...

I was in Budapest for a Stag Do and a short holiday recently, and I was blown away by how much there was to see and do. Historic palaces, beautiful churches and synagogues, thoughtfully curated museums and galleries, and eerie underground caves with a rich history all of their own. A great city! 🇭🇺

I enjoyed this discussion last night, not least because @jrogg.bsky.social speaks with great enthusiasm about his work. He had many new things to say about the American way of intelligence, and the place of intelligence in the American way of life – and the (very) deep historical roots of both.

It's raining today in Glasgow, so, naturally, I'm at the @glasgowfilmtheatre.bsky.social. Everyone else in the city must've had the same idea because cinema three is packed! #FilmSky #MovieSky #Glasgow

National Intelligence Estimate Found 20 Percent Chance of War Between India and Pakistan During 1990s “High” Risk that “Miscalculation” Could Lead to Nuclear Exchange nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...

I feel proud and very honored that my book “World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence” (UPK, 2023) is the subject of the latest H-Diplo | RJISSF Roundtable. I hope this encourages others to work in the field. 1/3

In a guest post for Comment is Freed, Greg Treverton, Chair of the U.S. National Intelligence Council from 2014 to 2017 under President Obama, considers how allies should deal with the U.S. intelligence community under Trump. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/s...?

It's a very pleasant day in the southside of Glasgow.

You can’t write about the influence of social scientists on CIA’s intelligence estimates without questioning whether they’d have any flair for it at all. William Harding Jackson, who had written a wartime report on British Intelligence, certainly didn’t think so. 🧵 1/8

I just really want to live in precedented times for a bit.

Where to begin?! #booksky #books

I don’t believe Trump is a Russian asset but I do struggle to think what he would do differently if he was, be more subtle in his admiration for Russian aggression perhaps.

By Morten Morland

If Trump is a tough-talking honest broker, I assume he'll speak to Putin in the same forthright, no-nonsense manner that he spoke to Zelenskyy in yesterday? Surely both sides must be treated equally by this great, equanimous dealmaker in his noble quest for peace? 🤔 apnews.com/article/russ...

For 17 years, the US Intelligence Community has kept confidential an assessment on the national security implications of climate change. Click here to read why the spy community has kept it a secret, and why we’re advocating for its declassification: nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-boo...