Calder Walton

Biography

Calder Walton is one of the world’s leading historians of intelligence and national security. His most recent book is Spies. The Epic Intelligence War between East and West (2023). Described as “riveting” by The Economist and “a masterpiece” by Professor Christopher Andrew, it is a best-selling exposé of the history of Russian intelligence. Spies reveals that, contrary to what many in the West thought, the Cold War did not end with the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, but in fact continued after, down to the present day. Today, the West is in a new Cold War with Russia and China. SPIES builds on Calder’s first (award-winning) book, Empire of Secrets. British Intelligence and the Twilight of Empire (2013).

In 2024, Calder was sanctioned by the Russian government as a “subversive”. While pursuing a doctorate and post-doctorate Fellowship in History at Cambridge University, Calder had the privilege to be principal researcher on the authorized history of Britain’s Security Service (MI5), Defence of the Realm (2009). This unique (and unprecedented) position gave him privileged access to MI5’s hundred-year long secret records— the longest continually running security intelligence archive in the world.

Calder’s work has been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, CNN, Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Sunday Times, Politico, Newsweek, Prospect Magazine, the BBC, NPR, PBS, C-SPAN, FOX News, News Nation, and academic peer reviewed journals.

At Harvard Kennedy School, Calder has led research teams investigating and publishing on matters public policy, intelligence, and national security. As well as this work, he is also an English-qualified barrister.

Calder lives in Cambridge, MA, with his wife and son, who each day teaches him the true meaning of subterfuge.

Home » Authors » Calder Walton

Books

Click on any of the books covers below to either buy or get more information on Amazon

Articles

Click on the links below to read the full article

A New Cold War

Are we in a new Cold War? If not, how is it best to describe the struggle between China and Western democracies? Some have suggested “hot peace”— but such wordplay doesn’t get us far. In fact, as far as intelligence and national security are concerned, the West is unmistakably in a new Cold War

Spies, by Calder Walton

Russian spies have moved into cyberspace. Their digital fingerprint is on the 2016 American elections, and all over the cultural wars. They find existing cracks in Western discourse, around Brexit or Black Lives Matter, for example, and seek to rip them still wider. Those online voices which ...

Author Interviews

No results found.