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Fifth Column (intelligence Operation)
Fifth Column was the name MI5, the British Security Service, gave to a World War II operation run from 1942 until at least 1947. It was initially intended to identify people who would be willing to assist Germany in the event of an invasion of the United Kingdom, but as it developed, it also acted to divert its targets away from harmful activities. Although it ended up providing information on more than 500 suspects, it was the source of conflict within MI5, and after the war ended it remained secret, with none of the targets ever aware that they had been its subject. It was revealed in a release of files to the National Archives in 2014. Personnel The operation was run by the counter-sabotage section of MI5, designation B1c. The head of this small section was Victor Rothschild, who had joined MI5 in 1940 to do scientific liaison. He was assisted by Theresa Clay, an entomologist whom he'd recruited. The agent at the heart of the operation was Eric Roberts, a former bank clerk who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The National Archives (United Kingdom)
The National Archives (TNA; ) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its parent department is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the official National archives, national archive of the UK Government and for England and Wales; and "guardian of some of the nation's most iconic documents, dating back more than 1,000 years." There are separate national archives for Scotland (the National Records of Scotland) and Northern Ireland (the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland). TNA was formerly four separate organisations: the Public Record Office (PRO), the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Historical Manuscripts Commission, the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) and Office of Public Sector Information, His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO). The Public Record Office still exists as a legal entity, as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guy Liddell
Guy Maynard Liddell, CB, CBE, MC (8 November 1892 – 3 December 1958) was a British intelligence officer. Biography Early life and career Liddell was born on 8 November 1892 at 64 Victoria Street, London, the son of Capt. Augustus Frederick Liddell RA, a retired Royal Artillery officer, and his wife Emily Shinner, who died when Liddell was eight years old. He was the younger brother of Capt. Cecil Frederick Joseph Liddell, who served as Head of MI5's Irish section from 1939, and David Edward Liddell; and was a second cousin of Alice Pleasance Liddell, the child friend of Lewis Carroll who was the basis for the books ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and '' Through The Looking Glass''. He was a talented cellist in his youth, and was studying in Germany for a career as a professional musician when the First World War began. He joined the Honourable Artillery Company as a private, a unit his brothers David Liddell MC and Cecil served with. During the conflict, he was comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1947 Disestablishments In The United Kingdom
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in the 20th century causes extensive disruption of travel. Given the low ratio of private vehicle ownership at the time, it is mainly remembered in terms of its effects on the railway network. * January 1 – The ''Canadian Citizenship Act, 1946, Canadian Citizenship Act'' comes into effect, providing a Canadian citizenship separate from British law. * January 4 – First issue of weekly magazine ''Der Spiegel'' published in Hanover, Germany, edited by Rudolf Augstein. * January 10 – The United Nations adopts a resolution to take control of the free city of Trieste. * January 15 – Elizabeth Short, an aspiring actress nicknamed the "Black Dahlia", is found brutally murdered in a vacant lot in Los Angeles; the mysterious case is never solv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1942 Establishments In The United Kingdom
Year 194 ( CXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Septimius and Septimius (or, less frequently, year 947 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 194 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus Caesar became a Roman Consul. * Battle of Issus: Septimius Severus marches with his army (12 legions) to Cilicia, and defeats Pescennius Niger, Roman governor of Syria. Pescennius retreats to Antioch, and is executed by Severus' troops. * Septimius Severus besieges Byzantium (194–196); the city walls suffer extensive damage. Asia * Battle of Yan Province: Warlords Cao Cao and Lü Bu fight for control over Yan Province; the battle lasts for over 100 days. * First year of the ''Xingping'' era during the Han Dynasty in C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double-Cross System
The Double-Cross System or XX System was a World War II counter-espionage and deception operation of the British Security Service ( MI5). Nazi agents in Britain – real and false – were captured, turned themselves in or simply announced themselves, and were then used by the British to broadcast mainly disinformation to their Nazi controllers. Its operations were overseen by the Twenty Committee under the chairmanship of John Cecil Masterman; the name of the committee comes from the number 20 in Roman numerals: "XX" (i.e. a double cross). The policy of MI5 during the war was initially to use the system for counter-espionage. It was only later that its potential for deception purposes was realised. Of the agents from the German intelligence services, ''Abwehr'' and '' Sicherheitsdienst'' (SD), while many who reached British shores turned themselves in to the authorities, others were apprehended after they made elementary mistakes during their operations. In addition, some were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transcription (novel)
''Transcription'' is a spy novel by British novelist Kate Atkinson, published in September 2018.Patrick, Bethanne (2018)Kate Atkinson’s WWII Spy Drama Is Fall’s Must Read Novel ''Time'', 20 September 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018. The novel focuses on the activities of British orphan Juliet Armstrong throughout World War II and afterwards. She begins a career as a low-level transcriptionist for MI5, before rising through the ranks. After the war she moves to the BBC. Summary In 1950, Juliet Armstrong, a producer of children's programmes at the BBC, sees Godfrey Toby, a man she knew during WWII. When she approaches him he denies knowing her. The incident causes Juliet to reflect back to 1940 when she was a young 18-year-old woman who had recently been orphaned. Hired to work at MI5, she is quickly scouted for an operation run by the elusive Perry Gibbons. Working out of two flats, the MI5 team reveal that they are spying on a group of low-level Nazi sympathisers who rep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kate Atkinson (writer)
Kate Atkinson (born 20 December 1951) is an English writer of novels, plays and short stories. She has written historical novels, detective novels and family novels, incorporating postmodern and magical realist elements into the plots. Her debut, '' Behind the Scenes at the Museum'', won the Whitbread Book Award, the precursor to the Costa Book Award, in 1995. The novels ''Life After Life'' and ''A God in Ruins'' won the Costa Book Award for novel in 2013 and 2015. She is also known for the Jackson Brodie series of detective novels, which has been adapted into the BBC One series, '' Case Histories''. Biography The daughter of a shopkeeper, Atkinson was born in York, the setting for several of her books. She was an only child and often had to find ways to amuse herself. She describes herself as an anxious child, something she believes had to do with being illegitimate. Her parents lived together but were not married, because her mother could not divorce her first husban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris
John Michael Ward Bingham, 7th Baron Clanmorris (3 November 1908 – 6 August 1988) was a one time MI5 counterspy and an English novelist who published 17 thrillers, detective novels, and spy novels. Personal life Bingham was the son of Arthur Bingham, 6th Baron Clanmorris, and Mowbray Leila Cloete. He was educated at Cheltenham College, and married Madeleine Mary Ebel, daughter of Clement Ebel, on 28 July 1934. His wife worked for the security services and was a playwright and biographer. Bingham fought in the Second World War with the Royal Engineers, and was attached to the General Staff. He succeeded as 7th Baron Clanmorris on 24 June 1960. Background During the Second World War and for two decades after 1950, Bingham worked for MI5, and had long been said to be the inspiration for John le Carré's character George Smiley. In 1999, le Carré confirmed that Bingham had been an inspiration for Smiley and went further in 2000, writing in an introduction to a reissue of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Merit Cross
The War Merit Cross () was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit Cross was reissued in 1957 by the ''Bundeswehr'' for its veterans. History This award was created by Adolf Hitler in October 1939 as a successor to the non-combatant Iron Cross which was used in earlier wars (similar medal but with a different ribbon). The award would recognize bravery or service in the furtherance of the war effort that fell short of the award of the Iron Cross. The award was graded in the same manner as the Iron Cross: ''War Merit Cross Second Class'', ''War Merit Cross First Class'', and ''Knights Cross of the War Merit Cross''. The award was authorized for both military personnel and for civilians. The award had two variants: ''with swords'' and ''without swords''. Those with swords recognized bravery not directly connected to front-line activ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agent Provocateur
An is a person who actively entices another person to commit a crime that would not otherwise have been committed and then reports the person to the authorities. They may target individuals or groups. In jurisdictions in which conspiracy is a serious crime in itself, it can be sufficient for the to entrap the target into discussing and planning an illegal act. It is not necessary for the illegal act to be carried out or even prepared. Prevention of infiltration by is part of the duty of demonstration marshals, also called stewards, deployed by organizers of large or controversial assemblies.Belyaeva et al. (2007), § 7–8, 156–162Bryan, DominicThe Anthropology of Ritual: Monitoring and Stewarding Demonstrations in Northern Ireland, ''Anthropology in Action'', Volume 13, Numbers 1–2, January 2006, pp. 22–31 (10). History and etymology While the practice was worldwide in antiquity, modern undercover operations were scaled up in France by Eugène François Vidocq in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
Nathaniel Mayer Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild, (31 October 1910 – 20 March 1990), was a British scientist, intelligence officer during World War II, and later a senior executive with Royal Dutch Shell and N M Rothschild & Sons, and an advisor to the Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher governments of the UK. He was a member of the prominent Rothschild family. Biography Early life Rothschild was born in Kensington, London, the only son of Charles Rothschild and Rózsika Rothschild (''née'' Baroness Edle von Wertheimstein). Both parents were Jewish, his father a member of the Rothschild banking family and his mother the daughter of the first titled Jew in Austria. He grew up in Waddesdon Manor and Tring Park Mansion, among other family homes. He had three sisters, including Pannonica de Koenigswarter (who would become known as the "Jazz Baroness") and Dame Miriam Louisa Rothschild. His father died by suicide when Rothschild was 13 years old. He was educated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
