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Home World News Call for Papers: Special Issue on Sources and Archives for Intelligence History in Cold War Europe | Intelligence and National Security

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Sources and Archives for Intelligence History in Cold War Europe | Intelligence and National Security

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Editors: Matteo Giurco (Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma) and Christopher Moran (co-
editor of INS)

Intelligence and National Security invites submissions for a special issue focused on sources and archives relevant to intelligence history in Cold War Europe.

When asked about the pillars of power, Cardinal Giuseppe Siri of the Catholic Church used to mention «the secrets and the archive». These two elements are interconnected within the field of intelligence history, making historians’ work more complex. On the one hand, epistemological reflections suggest that archival documents are not purely neutral or trustworthy. Instead, they reveal the arbitrary nature of the processes involved in creating, disposing of, transferring, and preserving primary sources. On the other hand, in many countries, these concerns are overshadowed by more pressing issues, such as the accessibility and availability of documents, which often remain classified.

What can intelligence historians discover within institutional archives, and how are these records maintained? To what extent have these documents been sanitised? What other historical sources exist, and how can we effectively utilise them?

This issue seeks to explore sources and archives related to intelligence history in Europe during the Cold War. It will focus on various national cases and place them within a broader comparative context. We invite submissions of research papers that address, but are not limited to, the following themes. A preference will be given to papers that focus on a specific European country, including former members of the Soviet bloc:

– An overview of institutional archives: collections, access conditions, and obstacles.

– Beyond formal archives: exploring open sources, parliamentary documents, and government leaks.

– Memoirs, diaries, and private papers: challenges and opportunities they present.

– Reckoning with archival silences: the extent of missing or phantom sources, their significance, and the stories that remain untold.

– The policies of the intelligence community and Government bodies regarding the release of primary sources.

– Self-reflection articles: methodological challenges and lessons learnt.

Expressions of Interest (Title/Abstract): March 15, 2026

Initial Submission Deadline: November 1, 2026

Word Count: Approximately 8,000 words (inclusive of endnotes and references).

Questions and inquiries can be sent via email to m.giurco@libero.it

Aims and scope

“The premier journal of intelligence studies” Eliot A. Cohen, Foreign Affairs

Intelligence has never played a more prominent role in international politics than it does now in the early years of the twenty-first century. National intelligence services are larger than ever, and they are more transparent in their activities in the policy making of democratic nations. Intelligence and National Security is widely regarded as the world’s leading scholarly journal focused on the role of intelligence and secretive agencies in international relations. It examines this aspect of national security from a variety of perspectives and academic disciplines, with insightful articles research and written by leading experts based around the globe.

Among the topics covered in the journal are:

the historical development of intelligence agencies
representations of intelligence in popular culture
public understandings and expectations related to intelligence
intelligence and ethics
intelligence collection and analysis
covert action and counterintelligence
privacy and intelligence accountability
the outsourcing of intelligence operations
the role of politics in intelligence activities
international intelligence cooperation and burden-sharing
the relationships among intelligence agencies, military organizations, and civilian policy departments.

Authors for Intelligence and National Security come from a range of disciplines, including international affairs, history, sociology, political science, law, anthropology, philosophy, medicine, statistics, psychology, bio-sciences, and mathematics. These perspectives are regularly augmented by research submitted from current and former intelligence practitioners in several different nations. Each issue features a rich menu of articles about the uses (and occasional misuses) of intelligence, supplemented from time to time with special forums on current intelligence issues and interviews with leading intelligence officials.

Peer Review
All unsolicited journal articles are subject to initial appraisal by the journal editors, and, if found suitable for further consideration, then undergo a rigorous peer review process based on double anonymized peer review, usually by two independent referees. For special issues/sections, the editors approve the content at the planning stage and liaise with special issue/section editors to ensure robust review of articles prior to final review and approval by the journal editors. Review articles and shorter state-of-the field papers (including submissions to the ‘Perspectives on Intelligence’ section), will be reviewed by the journal editors and may undergo peer review as well. Book reviews are reviewed and edited by the Assistant Editors (Reviews).

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