Breach of Security

Dive into the shadowy world of espionage with David Irving’s groundbreaking historical account, “Breach of Security.” This meticulously researched book sheds light on the German secret Forschungsamt, the elusive intelligence agency tasked with wiretapping and code-breaking during the Nazi regime. First published in 1967, this compelling narrative remains one of the few detailed expositions on the agency that played a pivotal role in gathering intelligence leading up to the Second World War.

“Breach of Security” unveils the clandestine operations of the Forschungsamt, an organization that remained largely unknown to Allied intelligence during WWII. Irving navigates through the remnants of a past shrouded in secrecy, piecing together the agency’s comprehensive reports on international and domestic political and economic affairs. With its headquarters destroyed and records obliterated in the dying days of the war, the Forschungsamt’s story was nearly lost to history until Irving’s meticulous research brought it back to the surface.

Employing over three thousand individuals and operating on a budget of twenty-five million Reichsmarks, the Forschungsamt’s “passive” intelligence gathering illuminated the dark corridors of power and war. From tapping German telephones to breaking diplomatic codes, this book chronicles the extensive reach of the agency’s ears, from public broadcasts to the most confidential communications.

“David Irving, a remarkable researcher, a brilliant discoverer of documents and a skilful writer, tells the story well . . . He has mastered his material . . . Very readable.” Prof. Hugh Trevor-Roper, in The Sunday Telegraph

First published: 1967

266 pages, and photographs