Rogue Agent

From Secret Plots to Psychological Warfare: The Untold Story of Robert Bruce Lockhart

James Crossland

The startling adventures of a secret agent in Moscow during World War I and the Russian Revolution, this is the story of "the riveting life of maverick spy” Robert Bruce Lockhart.

Diplomat, conspirator, intelligence gatherer, propagandist, and charmer, Rogue Agent tells the colorful story of London’s key agent in Moscow during the first half of the twentieth century, Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart.

Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart (1887–1970) was an impressive figure who played a vital role in both world wars. He was a man who charmed his way into the confidences of everyone from Leon Trotsky to Anthony Eden. A man whom the influential press baron Lord Beaverbrook claimed, "could well have been prime minister.” And yet Lockhart died almost forgotten and near destitute, a Scottish footnote in the pages of history.

Rogue Agent is the first biography of this gifted yet habitually flawed maverick. It chronicles his many exploits, from his time as Britain’s agent in Moscow and his role in a plot to bring down the communist regime to his leadership in the Political Warfare Executive—a secret body responsible for disinformation and propaganda during World War II.

Exploring Lockhart’s unorthodox thinking and contributions to the development of psychological warfare, as well as his hedonistic lifestyle, late nights, and many affairs that left him in a state of perpetual debt and emotional turmoil, Rogue Agent presents the thrilling and dramatic tale of this unconventional war hero.

James Crossland works in International History at Liverpool John Moores University and is the author of three books published in Britain: Britain and the International Committee of the Red Cross, 1939–1945; War, Law, and Humanity: The Campaign to Control Warfare, 1853–1914; and The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism. Crossland has written extensively on the history of warfare, intelligence, terrorism, and propaganda for popular history magazines. This is his first book published in America.

Buy it now in print:

Buy it now in ebook:

Endorsements & Reviews

Early praise for Rogue Agent:

"This riveting account of Lockhart’s adventures in revolutionary Russia. Reads like a thriller." Julia Boyd, author of A Village in the Third Reich

“A mesmerizing tale of espionage and journalism." James Hawes, author of The Shortest History of Germany

"Compelling and meticulously researched, the riveting life of a maverick Scottish spy." Charles Cumming, New York Times bestselling author of The Trinity Six and The Moroccan Girl

"In this rigorously researched yet lively and highly readable account, James Crossland cuts through the myth and legend to tell a compelling story." Professor Rory Cormac, author of How to Stage a Coup

"In Rogue Agent, James Crossland unravels a man who bestrode two world wars as a diplomat, spy, author, and lover—the colorful story of Robert Bruce Lockhart is illuminated by meticulous research and lucid, elegant prose." Andrew Hammond, historian and curator of the International Spy Museum