Long-listed for Council for the Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences (CHASS) Australia Prize for a Book 2015.

David Horner, AM, is Emeritus Professor of Australian defence history in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University.

List of Figures and Tables..Preface..Acronyms and Abbreviations..Glossary..Chronology..Introduction..PART 1: FEDERATION TO THE COLD WAR, 1901-1949..1 Counterespionage or Political Surveillance? Australia's Early Security Intelligence Organisations, 1901-1945..2 Adapting to a New Threat: Postwar Security and Intelligence in Australia, 1945-1948..3 Reacting to the Leaks: British and American Concerns about Australian Security, February-July 1948..4 Under Irresistible Pressure: Chifley Forms a New Security Service, July 1948-March 1949..PART 2: ESTABLISHMENT AND CONSOLIDATION, 1949-1954..5 Building a New Security Service: ASIO under Justice Reed, 1949..6 Trying to Crack 'The Case': The End of Reed's Term as Director-General, 1949-1950..7 Reshaping and Consolidating: Charles Spry Becomes Director-General of Security, 1950-1953..8 Contesting the Cold War: ASIO Confronts the Communists, 1950-1954..9 Watching and Recording: Field Operations against the Communists, 1950-1953..10 Vetting, Checking and Advising: ASIO's Protective Security Role, 1950-1954..11 Keeping Out Undesirables: Overseas Liaison, Refugees and War Criminals, 1950-1955..12 Moving Beyond 'The Case': Counterespionage Operations, 1950-1953..PART 3: PETROV AND THE ROYAL COMMISSION, 1951-1955..13 ASIO's Triumph: The Defection of Vladimir and Evdokia Petrov, 1951-1954..14 Out of the Shadows: ASIO and the Royal Commission on Espionage, 1954-1955..PART 4: EXPANSION AND PROFESSIONALISM, 1956-1963..15 Strengthening the Organisation: Legislation, Politics and Administration, 1956-1963..16 Seeking Comprehensive Coverage: Counter-subversion Operations, 1955-1963..17 Disruption, Propaganda and Exposure: Broadening the Counter-subversion Approach, 1955-1963..18 Searching for Illegals: Counterespionage Operations, 1955-1959..19 Resolving Doubts in the Commonwealth's Favour: Protective Security, 1955-1963..20 Building a Worldwide Network: ASIO's International Connections, 1956-1963..21 Return of the Russians: A Counterespionage Success? 1959-1963..Conclusion..Appendix: Protecting the Identity of ASIO Agents: The Case of Mercia Masson..Bibliography..Notes..Index