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The Stay Behinds

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Stay Behinds: Sweden's Cold War Guardians written and read by Johan Wennström

Packed with first-hand accounts and previously classified government documents, this book reveals the secrets of Sweden's resistance network, created to deter a potential Soviet occupation.

Following World War II, Sweden faced the looming threat of the Soviet Union and its drive to spread communism. This led to the formation of a resistance movement involving Sweden's intelligence service, the employers' association and the labour movement. The stay-behind network was fully legalised in 1955 and continued its clandestine work until the mid-1990s, with the mission of keeping communism – and the Soviets – out of Sweden.

Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with key figures, author Johan Wennström peels back the layers of secrecy surrounding the stay-behinds. This book looks at the men who created the network, the work the operatives carried out, the cell-like structure they relied on, and how the US and UK intelligence communities cooperated with the Swedish stay-behinds. This is the first in-depth study of a secret organization that helped shape modern Sweden. It also highlights lessons for today's NATO and makes the case for a defence policy grounded in national interest.

Critics Review

A fascinating read about how Sweden’s secret stay-behind network prepared for a Soviet invasion that never came.
Yaroslav Trofimov, author of 'Our Enemies Will Vanish', finalist for the 2024 Orwell Prize
Incredibly researched, insightful and illuminating, this is required reading for those seeking to understand a nation’s security calculations, the costs and benefits of international alliances, and the stakes and lasting impact of the Cold War.
I. S. Berry, former CIA operations officer and author of 'The Peacock and the Sparrow,' a New Yorker and NPR Best Book of the Year
Don’t let the Swedes fool you into thinking they weren’t ready for the Soviets. This book shows just how prepared they were.
Matthew Ford, author of 'War in the Smartphone Age' and a founding editor of the British Journal for Military History
Johan Wennström’s contributions on Swedish intelligence services are groundbreaking.
Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi
Author Johan Wennström
Narrator Johan Wennström
Duration 7 hours and 2 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781472877598
Format Audiobook
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre Cold wars and proxy conflicts, Military intelligence
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

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