Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), more commonly known as MI6 (originally Military Intelligence [section] 6), or Her Majesty's Secret Service or just the Secret Service, is the British external security secret service agency.
SIS has a remit to conduct espionage activities overseas, as opposed to MI5 which is charged with internal security within the United Kingdom. It was founded (along with MI5) as part of the Secret Service Bureau in 1909. Its first director was Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming, who, often dropping the "Smith", used his initial "C" as a codename which was also used by all subsequent directors of SIS (cf. "M" in the James Bond stories).
World War I
The organization's first significant test came with the First World War, during which it had mixed success. SIS was unable to penetrate Germany itself, but had some significant successes in military and commercial intelligence; this was achieved mostly by means of agent networks in neutral countries, occupied territories, and Russia.
After the war, SIS resources were greatly reduced, and the organisation became MI6 in 1921. It began to operate mainly through a system of sometimes-grudging co-operation with the diplomatic service. Most embassies acquired a "Passport Control Officer" who was in fact the SIS head for that country. This gave SIS's operatives a degree of cover and diplomatic immunity, but the system probably lasted too long and was an open secret by the 1930s. In the immediate post-war years and throughout most of the 1920s, SIS was preoccupied with Communism, and Communist Russia in particular. Sidney Reilly was loosely associated with SIS until his capture, and SIS sponsored and supported both his and Boris Savinkov's attempts to bring down the Communist regime, in addition to running more orthodox espionage efforts within Russia.
Cumming died (in his office) in 1923 and was replaced as "C" by Admiral Hugh 'Quex' Sinclair, whom historians agree to have been far less effective as a director. He was not incompetent, but he did not have the advantage of Cumming's force of personality, and was unable to command the respect and obedience of his men as effectively as Cumming had.
Along with the rest of the intelligence community and the wider government, SIS switched focus in the 1930s to Nazi Germany. Again its success was rather modest; although it did acquire several quite reliable sources within the Government and also the German Admiralty, its information was probably less comprehensive than that provided by the rival network of Robert Vansittart, the permanent undersecretary at the Foreign Office.
'Quex' Sinclair died in 1939 and was replaced as "C" by Lt. Col. Stewart Menzies. Menzies was another run-of-the-mill chief; by common opinion, SIS did not have a head of Cumming's calibre until Dick White, in the post-war era.
World War II
During the Second World War, SIS was overshadowed in intelligence terms by several other initiatives, including the massive cryptanalytic effort undertaken by the Government Code and Cypher School (GC & CS), the bureau responsible for interception and decryption of foreign communications at Bletchley Park; the extensive "double-cross" system run by MI5 to feed misleading intelligence to the Germans; and the work of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit. It was also affected by the inflammatory activities of the Special Operations Executive, which tended to increase the danger to its own agents. Its most famous operation of the war was a spectacular failure known as the Venlo incident (after the Dutch town where much of the action took place), in which SIS was thoroughly duped by agents of the German secret service, the Abwehr, posing as high-ranking Army officers involved in a plot to depose Hitler. After a series of meetings between SIS agents and the 'conspirators' at which SS plans to abduct the SIS team were shelved due to the presence of Dutch police, a meeting took place without a police presence, and two SIS agents were duly abducted by the SS. This failure tarnished the service's reputation considerably.
Cold War
End of Cold War–Present
Since 1994, SIS activities have been subject to scrutiny by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee.
The fictional spy James Bond worked for MI6 in Ian Fleming's original novels and in the popular movie series that followed (although some references erroneously state he worked for MI5). The SIS building itself features in some of the Pierce Brosnan films. It has been suggested that Bond may have been modelled after an actual SIS agent, but this has never been proven.
On May 6, 2004, it was announced that Sir Richard Dearlove was to be replaced as head of the SIS by John Scarlett, formerly chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. Scarlett is an unusually high profile appointment to the job, and a well known figure on television screens in the United Kingdom due to his evidence at the Hutton Inquiry. Of his predecesor, Dearlove, no photos exist in the public domain more recent than one taken for his university graduation.
MI6 Building
The SIS headquarters since 1995 is at Vauxhall Cross, located in Vauxhall in London, on the bank of the River Thames beside Vauxhall Bridge.
Designed by Terry Farrell, the developer Regalian Properties plc approached the Government in 1987 to see if they had any interest in the proposed building. At the same time MI5 was seeking alternative accommodation and co-location of the two services was studied. In the end this proposal was abandoned, due to the lack of buildings of adequate size (existing or proposed) and the security considerations of providing a single target for attacks. In July 1988 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher approved the purchase of the new building for the SIS. At this stage the government proposed to pay for the building outright in order to maintain secrecy over the intended use of the site. It is important to note that at this time the existence of MI6 was not officially acknowledged.
The building design was reviewed to incorporate the necessary protection for Britain's foreign intelligence gathering agency. This includes overall increased security, extensive computer suites, technical areas, bomb blast protection, emergency back-up systems and protection against electronic eavesdropping. While the details and cost of construction have been released, about ten years after the original National Audit Office report was written, some of the service's special requirements remain classified. The NAO report Thames House and Vauxhall Cross (http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/9900236.pdf) has certain details omitted, describing in detail the cost and problems of certain modifications but not what these are. Rob Humprey's London: The Rough Guide suggests one of these omitted modifications is a tunnel beneath the Thames to Whitehall.
It has been commented that it is ironic for such a secretive organisation to occupy one of the most high-profile and distinctive buildings in London. The NAO put the final cost at £135.05m for site purchase and the basic building or £152.6m including the service’s special requirements.
The building was featured in the 1999 James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough. In the pre-credits sequence Bond chases a suspect from the building up the Thames following the explosion of cash which was recovered and brought into the building by him. It is later revealed that the money was dipped in urea, in effect a fertiliser bomb. MI6 allowed exterior filming of the building for the first time in tribute to the long-time popularity of the secret agent.
On the evening of September 20, 2000 the building was attacked by a Russian-built Mark 22 anti-tank missile. Striking the eighth floor, the impact caused only superficial damage. The Anti-Terrorist branch of the Metropolitan Police attributed responsibility to Irish Republicans, specifically the Real IRA.
Directors of the SIS
- Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming 1909–1923
- Admiral Hugh Sinclair 1923–1939
- Lt Col Stewart Menzies 1939–1952
- Sir John Sinclair 1953–1956
- Sir Richard White 1956–1968
- Sir John Rennie 1968–1973
- Sir Maurice Oldfield 1973–1978
- Sir Dick Franks 1979–1982
- Sir Colin Figures 1982–1985
- Sir Christopher Curwen 1985–1989
- Sir Colin McColl 1989–1994
- Sir David Spedding 1994–1999
- Sir Richard Dearlove 1999–2004
- John Scarlett 2004–
See also
External links
- Entry for MI6 (http://www.fas.org/irp/world/uk/mi6/) on the Federation of American Scientists' Intelligence Resource Program
- Information about MI6 (http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1059736061019) from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website
References
- Humphreys, Rob (1999) London: The Rough Guide, Rough Guides, ISBN 185828404X
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