“It's necessary to understand what real intelligence work is. It will never cease. It's absolutely essential that we have it. At its best, it is simply the left arm of healthy governmental curiosity. It brings to a strong government what it needs to know. It's the collection of information, a journalistic job, if you will, but done in secret.”

English author

John le Carré, born David John Moore Cornwell, was an English author of the 20th and 21st centuries. He is best known for his espionage novels, many of which were adapted for film or television. He worked for both MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and 1960s, experience that shaped much of his fiction. His novels are often noted for their moral complexity and a carefully measured view of intelligence work. Near the end of his life, he became an Irish citizen.