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[email protected] warwick.ac.uk/lib-publications 1 2 ‘Secret Towns’: British Intelligence in Asia during the Cold War Nikita Shah A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and International Studies Submitted March 2016 Department of Politics and International Studies University of Warwick 3 Table of Contents List of Abbreviations 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Chapter Outline 21 2. Methodology 25 2.1 Reading the Archive 25 2.2 A Lesson in Empire 31 2.3 Overcoming Archival Obstacles 38 3. Literature Review 49 3.1 Introduction 49 3.2 Definitional Debate – What is Intelligence? 51 3.3 The Special Relationship 63 3.4 The Special Intelligence Relationship in Asia 71 4. Historical Overview 80 4.1 The Special Intelligence Relationship in Asia 80 4.2 The Remnants of Empire 81 4.3 China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan 84 4.4 Burma 87 4.5 India 88 4.6 Indonesia 91 5. The Watchtower: British Intelligence in Hong Kong 95 5.1 Intelligence and Chaos in Hong Kong 101 5.2 Failed Networks and Blind Spots 106 5.3 British Intelligence and the Residue of Empire 112 4 5.4 Sino-Soviet Tensions and Espionage 128 5.5 The Special Intelligence Relationship in Hong Kong 132 6.