The Secret Cold War: The Official History of ASIO 1975-1989

We mostly think of the Cold War in terms of the tense nuclear stand-off between the US and the Soviet Union in the 1960s, and the wars fought against communism in Korea and Vietnam. But the period of detente, from 1975 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, witnessed an intensification of tensions between the superpowers. Few are aware of the extent of clandestine operations in Australia by intelligence operatives from Communist countries and the actions of local extremist groups such as the Ananda Marga, and groups from the Middle East, Armenia and Croatia. This book reveals the behind the scenes stories of the Hilton bombing in Sydney of 1978, and the Combe/Ivanov affair. It also covers the impact on ASIO of the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security, and the penetration of ASIO by the Soviet bloc.

John Blaxland is a Senior Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University and a former Director of Joint Intelligence Operations at Headquarters Joint Operations Command. Rhys Crawley is a Research Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, and author of Climax at Gallipoli.