Secret Well Kept: The Untold Story of Sir Vernon Kell, Founder of MI5

The United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, most commonly know as MI5, was founded in 1909 by Sir Vernon Kell KBE. Kell ('K' within the agency) not only founded MI5 but was also its Director for 31 years, the longest tenure of any head of a British government department during the twentieth century. Kell was also fluent in six foreign languages, making him arguably the most gifted linguist ever to head a Western intelligence agency. A Secret Well Kept was written by Kell's wife, Constance, in the late 1940s and was discovered in the attic by Kell's great-granddaughter, some 60 years later. Constance's story is endlessly fascinating: she tells of their life in China during the Boxer Rebellion, the formation of MI5 in 1909, the key characters, events and spy cases of Kell's career, and his important work achieved for the country during two world wars. A modern-day preface, introduction and notes add historical context to this delightful and unparalleled insight into the personal life of an extremely powerful and important man.