In Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States, and India’s Secret Cold War, Paul M. McGarr provides a meticulously researched account of British and American intelligence in post-independence India. The book presents India as an arena where British and American intelligence operations were often thwarted, or strategically manipulated, by local actors.
McGarr contends that the underlying assumption—that such actions could deter India’s attraction to communism—often backfired, fuelling paranoia and mistrust towards Western powers in both political discourse and public opinion.
The chapters are structured to trace the evolution of intelligence ties from immediate post-independence era to the end of the Cold War era. The early sections describe the transfer of intelligence responsibilities from Britain to India and the former’s struggle to let go of influence in the subcontinent. It describes the strained relationship between MI5 and India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB).
The CIA, seeking to secure India as a Cold War ally, found itself impeded by Nehru’s deep scepticism of American intelligence. Despite moments of cooperation—such as during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, when India received paramilitary training and aerial reconnaissance support—these alliances often resulted in public controversy. This book shows how immediate strategic concerns could temporarily override India’s aversion to foreign intelligence.
Spying in South Asia is an essential read for anyone researching or curious about Cold War history, intelligence studies, and the history of modern India. McGarr’s insights into India’s position during the Cold War, and his use of declassified archival records from multiple countries, provide unparalleled perspectives. McGarr’s nuanced portrayal of India’s agency in navigating superpower rivalries, and his compelling argument about the counterproductive nature of many Western covert actions, make this a definitive and thought-provoking contribution to the field.