About the Book

David Burke uncovers the clandestine activities of Patrick Crinnion, a Garda intelligence officer who secretly served MI6 during the early years of the Troubles. As the Garda Síochána launched a manhunt for the Chief-of-Staff of the IRA, Crinnion found himself playing a crucial role in the effort to track him down.

 Before his disappearance, Crinnion’s actions exposed a web of secrets including those of another British spy in the Irish police, damaging intelligence leaks, gunrunning by Irish politicians, and a cover-up related to the murder of a Garda.

 Burke reveals MI6’s shady dealings, from attempts to smear Irish politicians to plans for using criminals as assassins and the secret surveillance of a key IRA member.

 Crinnion fled into exile. The Puppet Masters not only reveals what became of him but also provides an insightful look into a turbulent period marked by covert operations, betrayal, and the power struggle that shaped modern Irish history.

Table of Contents:
Author’s Note 7 Dramatis Personae 9 Organisations, terms, locations and acronyms 12 Introduction – A Fog of Deceit 15 1. The Man from Mensa 19 2. The De Valera Bomb Plot 25 3. The Nerve Centre of Garda Intelligence 32 4. Serving Her Majesty 35 5. The Visitors from London 41 6. IRA Prince, IRA Pauper 46 7. Climbing the Republican Ladder 53 8. A Cuckoo in the Garda Nest 56 9. Sailing Close to Danger 59 10. The Director of IRA Intelligence 66 11. Northern Ireland, a Garda Blind Spot 70 12. MI6 in the Republic of Ireland 74 13. MacStíofáin’s Friends in Saor Éire 79 14. Playing Catch Up 83 15. Ministers in Dublin Hatch a Plan 88 16. A Man Called Jock 91 17. SDU Tunnel Vision 95 18. The Parker-Hale Connection 100 19. MI6 and the Eltham Factory Sting 103 20. Crinnion Loses the Plot 107 21. The Truth about Knockvicar 111 22. The Rise of the Provisionals 119 23. MI6’s Debt to Saor Éire 123 24. One of Crinnion’s Darkest Secrets 129 25. The Cat Jumps Out of the Bag 134 26. The Midnight Postman 141 27. MI6 Links Fianna Fáil to Saor Éire 146 28. The Door Swings Open for the Provisionals 151 29. The State Betrays its ‘Confidential Sources’ 155 30. Her Majesty’s Loyal Correspondents 159 31. High-Priced Chaps 165 32. The House on the Thames 170 33. Colonel Lee of MI5 lectures the Gardaí 179 34. Oldfield’s Gloves Come Off 184 35. The Rita O’Hare Windfall 194 36. The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back 199 37. Crinnion’s Bedside Manner 202 38. Don Carlos Haughey 207 39. We hava a Spy in the Camp, Find Him 214 40. Crinnion Blames the Provisionals 219 41. Offences Against the State 222 42. The Long Fuse that Blew Jack Lynch Out of Office 229 43. Deflection 236 44. The Third Man 241 45. The Spy left out in the Cold 244 46. ‘I Only Knew Wyman for a Short Time’ 250 47. Wyman the Spyman 253 48. Panic inside 10 Downing Street 258 49. The Manuscript in the Governor’s Safe 263 50. Spies in the Dock 268 51. The Crinnion Misnomer 275 52. Hung Out on the Bleachers 280 53. The Cache in the Attic 285 54. MI6 Ignores an Opportunity for Black Propaganda 288 55. Old Habits Die Hard 291 56. Crinnion’s Veiled Threats 296 57. C3 Hoodwinks the Press 302 58. High Flyer 305 59. The Forgotten Man 314 Endnotes 318 Bibliography 340 Index 343