Snitch!: A History of the Modern Intelligence Informer

This book is a comparative look at informers that will fill a niche in the comparative literature pertaining to intelligence and security studies.

1. Introduction2. "Inherent in the Conditions of Human Society:" The Nature of Informing3. Informing History4. Famous Informers5. The Informer State6. Informers in the "War on Terror"7. Conclusion: Living in the Informer AgeNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

"Snitch! is a concise and fluent reminder that, for all the publicity about increasing technical surveillance, informers were not just the first way by which states sought security information but are now re-emphasised as a critical feature of countering terrorism. Through examining famous cases and general aspects of the recruitment and use of informers, Steve Hewitt has provided an excellent survey of their utility for 'authorities' and the personal and social costs entailed." --Peter Gill, University of Liverpool
Fascinating, original and carefully researched, 'Snitch!' is an intelligent and superbly readable book on a subject that could not be more timely. --Richard J. Aldrich, Professor of International Security, University of Warwick
"A UK expert on security and intelligence contributes to the little existing scholarship on informers with a survey that provides social and historical context on those who supply information to government agencies on intelligence matters rather than crime. From case studies of famous informers (e.g., Ronald Reagan), informer states, and the use of informers in the current 'war on terror,' Hewitt concludes that snitching is a state activity to be feared because of the existing lack of limitations and transparency." -Eithne O'Leyne, BOOK NEWS, Inc.
'This important study aims at a 'broad, international and accessible survey' that places informers in the context of their times and places.'
Reviewed in French in Veille Magazine.